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Visa Waiver Program Between Israel and the UAE Postponed until July 2021
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Israel and the UAE signed a peace agreement last September. The agreement includes declarations relating to future cooperation on various fronts, including tourism and waiver of visa requirements.
Recently the UAE and Israeli governments ratified the visa waiver program between the two countries, which is the first such program between Israel and an Arab country.
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Today, the UAE announced that the visa waiver program is being postponed until July, 2021, as part of an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19.
As a result nationals of both countries will still have to apply for a pre-entry visa. Additionally, the $95 fee Israelis are required to pay before traveling to the UAE will remain until the implementation of the visa waiver program.
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COVID 19 - Expected Developments in Israel
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Israel to require Proof of Negative COVID-19 Test Prior to Entry
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According to senior officials at the Israeli Ministry of Health, Israel is expected to issue an order requiring all arriving air passengers to be tested no more than 3 days before their flight departs and to present the negative result or documentation of having recovered from COVID-19 to the airline before boarding the flight and upon entry to Israel.
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Implementation of the Green Passport in Israel
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According to senior government officials, Israel is in the "final stages" of COVID -19, showing the world an exit strategy". With more than 25% of the population having received the first inoculation, Israel is seeing clear evidence that the vaccine is working; the number of seriously ill over 60 years of age has dropped sharply.
As part of its exit strategy, the Israeli government has been promoting the "Green Passport" project. The Green Passport will be distributed exclusively by the Ministry of Health (MOH) as a government certificate to any person that has been vaccinated in Israel, one week after receiving the second inoculation. The MOH also announced that those who test negative for COVID-19 will be able to receive a temporary Green Passport for 72 hours.
Since foreign employees and foreign experts (expats) who work in Israel under a B-1 work visa are able to receive the vaccine, it is expected that they will be eligible for the Green Passport as well. No similar certificate will be distributed by any other government body.
The Israeli Government is currently struggling with several legal issues relating to the issuance of the green passports, as some privacy and unlawful discrimination was argued by critics.
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KTA will update as soon as clarification is provided or updated regulations will be published.
Please visit KTA COVID-19 Advanced Information Center for an additional information by clicking on the button below.
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Best Regards, Amit Acco, Senior Partner
KAN-TOR & ACCO
Global Site: www.ktalegal.com
Disclaimer: The content herein is provided for information purposes only. It is not intended as legal advice. Readers are advised not act upon the contained information without professional advice. No portion of this newsletter may be reproduced without express permission. © Kan-Tor & Acco law firm
*The goal of Our World Data work is to make the knowledge on the big problems accessible and understandable. As mentioned on their homepage, Our World in Data is about Research and data to make progress against the world’s largest problems. |
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