No Israel Visa for Indian passport--will we be DENIED BOARDING?

We have booked a cruise which visits Eilat in Israel for 19 hours from 11pm to 6pm the next day;

We are worried about the Israeli visa, which is required for Indian nationals with Indian passports, residing in India. We would prefer not to apply for the Israel visa.

We also have stamps of UAE & Oman on our Indian passports.

We have a valid 10 year USA visa

So, without a visa for Israel, will we be DENIED BOARDING or asked to DISEMBARK before the cruise reaches Israel?

We are willing to stay onboard the ship while in Israeli waters.

Israeli Consulate General in Mumbai, India replied ---

''You don't require visa if you are NOT disembarking the shores of Israel & remain on board the ship.'' (see email reply from Israeli Consulate in Mumbai below)

Costa Cruises replied—

Ø Visa can’t be obtained upon arrival

Ø Transit guests not in posses of Visa, when required, are NOT allowed to go ashore but can stay onboard the vessel during her stay in port

Ø Transit passengers with an Arabian country stamp/visa on his own passport SHOULD BE POSSIBLE BUT WILL NOT BE GRANTED(but they can stay on board the vessel during her stay in port). Decision will be taken by the Border Ispection People.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Head office replied---

VOA: Visa can be provided on arrival for Israel.

MSC Cruises website says---

Israel: Passengers in transit can receive entry Visa upon arrival; for some nationalities Visa costs are charged; restrictions applying to some nationalities whose entry is charged.

Please refer to our Contact Center should you need further information.

Royal Caribbean & MSC Cruises both say Visa on arrival (we may be charged), whereas Costa & Israeli Embassy in Mumbai says Visa can’t be obtained upon arrival.

Hence the confusion!

So, without a visa for Israel, we are willing to stay onboard the ship.

But, will we be DENIED BOARDING or asked to DISEMBARK before the cruise reaches Israel?

Thanks,

Spring123

This is the reply from Israeli Consulate in Mumbai---

Dear Sir,

As per your query we checked with our Head Office, that you don't require visa as you are not disembarking the shores of Israel as you would be on board the ship.

Regards,

Shaul H Shapurkar

Consular Section

Consulate General of Israel, Mumbai

Marathon Futurex, 1301, A Wing,N M Joshi Marg, Lower Parel

Mumbai 400013

Tel: 022 61600513 Email consular1@mumbai.mfa.gov.il

This is the reply from Costa Cruises---

ISRAEL VISA REQUIREMENTS

- Point 1. (PAX IN TRANSIT) for transit ports, where usually no embarkation/disembarkation takes place and guests go ashore only for the duration of the call).

- Point 2.(PAX DISEMBARKING) or Point 3. (PAX EMBARKING) for home ports, depending on whether a guest is embarking or disembarking. Same directions also apply in case of guests needing to embark / disembark in ports of this country other than the usual home port.

1. PAX IN TRANSIT, going ashore for tourist visit during vessel stay in port

Visa REQUIRED except for nationalities listed below.

2. PAX DISEMBARKING (ending the cruise)

Visa REQUIRED except for nationalities listed below.

3. PAX EMBARKING (to begin the cruise)

Visa REQUIRED except for nationalities listed below.

Visa required except for nationals of:

Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Central African Republic, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica ,Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany (only if born after January 1, 1928), Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras,Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Korea South, Latvia, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Macedonia , Malawi, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia Fed., San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, St. Lucia, St Kitts & Nevis, Suriname, St. Vincent and the grenadines, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan ,Trinidad & Tobago, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Vatican City (Holy See).

NOTES/NOTE:

Ø Visa can’t be obtained upon arrival

Ø Transit guests not in posses of Visa, when required, are NOT allowed to go ashore but can stay onboard the vessel during her stay in port

Ø Transit passengers with an arabian country stamp/visa on his onw passport SHOULD BE POSSIBLE BUT WILL NOT BE GRANTED (but they can stay on board the vessel during her stay in port). Decision will be taken by the Border Ispection People.

NOTES/ NOTE:

For one day transit passengers passport is not stamped

"We are worried about the Israeli visa, which is required for Indian nationals with Indian passports, residing in India. We would prefer not to apply for the Israel visa."

Why not just get the Israeli visa? Sure sounds complicated but I think one of the online visa services could probably handle it. I used http://www.itseasy.com for an e-visa for India and it was pretty straight forwrd. Good luck!

You really need to get official response from the cruise line you are booked with. I assume that's Costa, but you mentioned others in your post. Your travel agent should be able to get answers too. If not, you probably need a different travel agent!

If you are denied boarding, you will not get a refund! Too much at stake.... Or just get the visa.

"We are worried about the Israeli visa, which is required for Indian nationals with Indian passports, residing in India. We would prefer not to apply for the Israel visa."

Why?

OP: personally, I would not risk being denied boarding, regardless of what some Costa employee says in an email. Not worth it. That employee will not be at the port when you embark. Not worth the risk.

OP: personally, I would not risk being denied boarding, regardless of what some Costa employee says in an email. Not worth it. That employee will not be at the port when you embark. Not worth the risk.

Not just the Costa employee. OP also got a reply from the Israeli Consulate in Mumbai that without a visa for Israel, they can remain onboard the ship. But I wonder if the cruise line (Costa?) will deny them boarding.

This is the reply from Israeli Consulate in Mumbai---

''Dear Sir, As per your query we checked with our Head Office, that you don't require visa as you are not disembarking the shores of Israel as you would be on board the ship.''

Regards,

Shaul H Shapurkar

Consular Section

Consulate General of Israel, Mumbai

Marathon Futurex, 1301, A Wing,N M Joshi Marg, Lower Parel

Mumbai 400013

Tel: 022 61600513 Email consular1@mumbai.mfa.gov.il

The same question as drsel; why do you not want to apply for a isreali visa? Because it's no problem to have stamps from Oman or the UAE in your passport; it's the opposite which might be a problem; having a isreali stamp when returning to UAE or Oman. And because of that reason you don't get your passport stamped anymore by Isreal but just get a "Arrival Card" with the stamp...

The same question as drsel; why do you not want to apply for a isreali visa? Because it's no problem to have stamps from Oman or the UAE in your passport; it's the opposite which might be a problem; having a isreali stamp when returning to UAE or Oman. And because of that reason you don't get your passport stamped anymore by Isreal but just get a "Arrival Card" with the stamp...

The Israeli Visa will be permanently stuck on the passport, says the Israeli Consulate in Mumbai. They don't issue a visa on a SEPARATE paper.

They said we can apply for a 2nd passport ONLY for the Israeli Visa.

We plan to cruise to UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan & Morocco in future, maybe even S E Asia. With an Israeli visa stuck in our main passport (even without entry stamp), we may be denied entry to any of these countries.

Is it worth taking the trouble to pay & get a 2nd passport & also pay to obtain an Israeli visa, just for spending 8 hours in Israel? And how to enter 2 passport info for each person, while registering for the cruise boarding pass?

Easier to just stay on the ship without a visa for Israel, if Costa will allow us to board the ship & remain onboard while in Israel.

Why?

We plan to cruise to UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan & Morocco in future, maybe even S E Asia. With an Israeli visa stuck in our main passport (even without entry stamp), we may be denied entry to any of these countries.

The answer is very simple.

You need a visa arranged in advance.

Like any other visas issued abroad your visa is either stuck to you passport or stamps.

If you won't arrange yourself a visa you won't be able to get off the ship. That simple.

There is no problem in staying onboard. This is a common thing. Lots of time you have on the ships passengers with nationalities that need visa (a lot usually from the crew) and they just stay onboard.

Whether it worth arranging a second passport or not, that is a personal decision.