Staying in Israel: Every Type of Visa and Residence Permit
The everyday term "residence visa" is used for two different things, and only one of them is a visa. The distinction between the two is what determines what a person may do in Israel, for how long, and what their next step is.
“The difference between two visas can be a single word in the regulation, and its consequence is years.”
Adv. Liat Karskas · Head of the Personal Status & Immigration Department
A visa and a residence permit are not the same thing
In everyday speech every document that allows a foreign national to stay in Israel is called a "visa", but Israeli law distinguishes between two concepts. The visa is the permission to enter Israel, while the residence permit is the permission to stay in it after entry. The two documents are sometimes issued together, but they are not identical and do not confer the same rights.
The distinction is not semantic. The type of visa determines whether work is allowed, whether study is allowed, how long one may stay, and whether there is a route to extension or to a change of status. A common mistake is to assume that a visa obtained for one purpose also serves another, and this is where unintentional unlawful stays begin.
The Entry into Israel Regulations divide the permits into two series. The B series is visitor visas, intended for a short or temporary stay. The A series is temporary residence permits, intended for a longer stay that has a defined purpose.
Four grades of residence permit, and what sets the length of stay
Before turning to the visa types themselves, one must know the hierarchy the law sets, because it is what fixes the ceiling on time. The law authorises the Minister of the Interior to issue permits in four grades, each with its own maximum period.
Transit residence
Issued for a period of up to five days, for a person passing through Israel on the way to another destination.
Visitor residence
Issued for a period of up to three months. This is the grade to which the B-series visas belong, including the tourist visa, and it is the answer to the common question of how long one may stay in Israel as a tourist.
Temporary residence
Issued for a period of up to three years. This is the grade to which the A-series permits belong, and it is the grade in which most long-term procedures are conducted.
Permanent residence
Not limited in time by the law, and the highest grade that is not citizenship. Its holder is a permanent resident and not a citizen, and the distinction between the two matters for rights and duties.
Alongside the four grades, the law also provides a temporary visitor permit for a person who is in Israel without a residence permit and against whom a removal order has been issued, valid until their departure.
This hierarchy explains why the question of visa type is inseparable from the question of length of stay. The type determines the grade, and the grade determines the ceiling.
Normative source: Entry into Israel Law, 5712-1952, sections 1 and 2. Checked September 2026.
Visitor visas, the B series
Visitor visas are for a person entering Israel for a limited period and a defined purpose. They do not confer resident status and are not a stage on a naturalisation route.
B/1 visa, temporary paid work
This visa is for a person who wishes to enter Israel in order to work in it temporarily for pay. The distinguishing element is remuneration: paid work requires a visa of this type, not a tourist visa. The B/1 visa is issued in a range of contexts, including foreign experts, workers in designated sectors, and cases in which the permission to work derives from another status.
B/2 visa, visit
This visa is for a person who wishes to enter Israel for a visit, or for any other purpose requiring a short stay. It is the most common visa and the one tourists receive. It does not permit paid work, and this is where most mistakes are made.
B/3 visa, status not clear
A less familiar visa, for a person whose status as regards entry into and residence in Israel is not clear. It is issued for a short period only, up to one month, and its purpose is to allow clarification before a decision. A person who receives such a visa is at a decision point, not on a settled route.
B/4 visa, voluntary work
This visa is for a person who wishes to enter Israel in order to work in it temporarily without pay. The difference between it and B/1 lies not in the type of occupation but solely in the question of remuneration, and blurring that line in practice may be treated as a breach of the visa conditions.
Normative source: Entry into Israel Regulations, 5734-1974, regulation 5. Checked September 2026.
Temporary residence permits, the A series
A-series permits are for a longer stay, and each has a defined purpose. Unlike visitor visas, some of them form part of long-term routes.
A/1 permit, potential immigrant
This permit is for a person entitled to an immigrant visa who wishes to stay in Israel in order to examine the possibility of settling in it as an immigrant. The wording matters: the permit is intended for a period of examination and does not amount to immigration itself. The choice of when to exercise the entitlement and when to make do with an examination permit is a decision with consequences, including for taxation and for rights.
A/2 permit, studies
This permit is for a person who wishes to stay in Israel for the purpose of studies or training. It is tied to the institution and the framework of study, and the end of the studies means that the basis for the permit has lapsed.
A/3 permit, clergy
This permit is for a member of the clergy who wishes to stay in Israel in order to carry out a religious function among their community. It rests on the connection to the religious institution and on the function itself.
A/4 permit, relative of a visa holder
This permit is for a person who wishes to stay in Israel and is a relative of a person who holds a visa. It derives from another person's status, and is therefore dependent on it: a change in the original status directly affects the permit derived from it.
A/5 permit, general temporary residence
This permit is for a person who wishes to stay in Israel for a purpose not among those listed above. It is a residual permit, and precisely for that reason it is the most significant one in practice: it is the permit issued at an advanced stage of the graduated procedure for regulating a foreign spouse's status, and it confers a wider scope of stay than the other permits in the series.
Normative source: Entry into Israel Regulations, 5734-1974, regulation 6. Checked September 2026.
Moving between visa types, and what determines it
A visa type is not fixed forever, but it does not change by itself either. Moving from one type to another is done by a separate application, examined on its merits, and depends on whether the conditions of the type applied for are met, not those of the existing type.
Three points recur in cases of this kind. The first is timing: an application filed after the existing permit has expired is examined from a different starting point than one filed while it was still valid. The second is the match between the declared purpose and the actual situation, since a gap between them is among the common grounds for refusal. The third is documentation, because the burden of proving that the conditions are met rests on the applicant.
A person whose status in Israel derives from another person's status should take particular care. A derived permit changes when the status it derives from changes, and sometimes the change occurs before the holder is aware of it.
In summary
The type of visa or residence permit is not a technical detail. It determines what one may do in Israel, for how long, and what the next possible step is. The Entry into Israel Regulations define nine categories, and the difference between two of them can be a single word in the definition, such as the difference between paid and unpaid work.
Choosing between the categories, and moving between them, requires a precise match between the actual situation and the conditions of the relevant provision, and documentation that supports it. This is therefore an administrative procedure that requires familiarity with the regulations and with how they are applied, and professional legal representation by a lawyer who specialises in the field.
Contact us for an initial clarification, and we will explain which category is relevant to your circumstances and what options are available to you.
Questions and answers on visas and residence permits
What is the difference between a visa and a residence permit?
What is a B/3 visa and when is it issued?
What is the difference between a B/1 visa and a B/4 visa?
Who is entitled to an A/1 permit?
Who receives an A/4 permit?
How long may one stay in Israel on a visitor residence permit?
What is an A/5 permit and why is it called general?
All pages of the Personal Status & Immigration Department
Routes and statuses
Graduated procedure for a foreign spouseA foreign spouse: what it is actually likeTemporary residency and the A/5 permitPermanent residency in IsraelCommon-law spousesMixed marriagesStatus of children under the Temporary OrderFamily reunificationBirth registration when one parent is a residentCitizenship and legislation
The Citizenship Law and Israeli citizenshipNaturalization of permanent residentsRefusal of a citizenship applicationThe Entry into Israel LawTypes of visas and residence permitsLet's make sure you are in the right category
A short consultation meeting with a lawyer from the department, in which we identify which category you are in today, which conditions apply to it, and what is needed to move to another category.