Quote: (06-11-2015 06:03 PM)ShawnDom Wrote:
I've been through three times, but for business which makes a big difference.
Coming into the country it helps if you have VIP service. They'll whisk you right through customs/immigration and do all the talking for you in Hebrew.
Leaving you can expect a lot of suspicious glares and frequent passport and visa checks, as well as a very thorough bag check. They even made me pull my charging cables out of my bag so they could check for explosive residue individually. Again a exit letter from my employer and VIP really helped.
The worst part of traveling to Israel is the second bag and security check before you board the plane. This goes for both leaving Newark and Tel Aviv.
Does anyone know if this is true for all airlines, or just El Al?
Also, about the use of multiple passports:
I often do this, but not in countries where it may be a big deal. I have some vague desire to visit both Israel (well Jerusalem and Dead Sea) and...Iran. Jerusalem because I love really old cities and Iran because I have heard good things about it as a tourist destination (No, I'm not joking. Know people who have traveled there on holiday). Of the two passports I'd use one nation is friendly with Israel and unfriendly with Iran, and the other very much the other way around. So for entry I'd obviously use the "friendly" passport in each country.
Now in both Israel and Iran they seem to like to make very detailed searches of personal property. They are obviously going to find out (well at least one of them will) that you have visited their mortal enemy. Won't it be worse trying to hide this fact? For practical and legal reasons I'd have to physically carry both passports on the trip.