As of October 19, 2023, Israeli Citizens and Nationals are now
eligible for visa-free travel to the United States through the use
of an Israeli Visa Waiver. In expedited response to the October 7th
attack on Israel by Hamas and ongoing war, the U.S. Customs and
Border Protection's (CBP) Electronic System for Travel
Authorization (ESTA) is now live, over a month ahead of scheduled
rollout.
The ESTA application can be accessed at the following link: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/ as
well as by downloading the "ESTA Mobile" app on your
mobile device.
As a national security response, Israel stopped processing
nonimmigrant and immigrant visas last week, instructing applicants
to try expediting emergency travel requests through other
countries. But now the direct option to leave if necessary is
available and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security promises
expedited processing—as quickly as within 72 hours of travel
plans.
