Israel Changes Entry Rules for Belarusians

What's changed.

The journey to Israel from Belarus by air has significantly increased after Russia imposed restrictions on flights. Now one has to fly to the country for almost nine hours instead of five.

Israel has changed the rules of entry into the country with regard to the coronavirus restrictions since May 21, Belavia says.

In particular, there is no longer compulsory testing for COVID-19 at Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. Also, there is no need to undergo a 24-hour quarantine after entry into Israel, while passengers are not required to present a negative PCR test at the airport of departure.

In addition, masks will no longer have to be worn on flights to Israel - from 23 May. However, the decision must first be approved by the Israeli parliament, the Knesset.

At the same time, air passengers must still fill out the declaration of entry form not earlier than 48 hours before departure to Israel. This can be done on the Ministry of Health website. The document will be checked by the airline operating the flight.

The new rules apply to all foreign passengers arriving in Israel.

Due to the closure of the Russian airspace for civil flights, there have been no flights to Israel from Belarus since February 2022. However, Belavia resumes flights on a new route from June 2.

The planes will fly from Minsk to Tel Aviv with a technical stopover in Baku, where the airliners will be refueled. The travel time will increase significantly. Earlier the plane flew from the Belarusian capital to Tel Aviv for 4 hours and 40 minutes, while now it will take almost 9 hours.

Belavia emphasizes the previous flights from Minsk to Tel Aviv or from Tel Aviv to Minsk are canceled from June 1, 2022 to March 23, 2023.