The Masa Visa/Entrance to Israel

Applying for an A2 Masa Visa at Your Local Consulate

An appointment should be made as soon as possible at the nearest consulate if possible. Documents to present/send:

Application form for receiving a permit, completed and signed.
A recent passport photo (on a white background, with a visible face, 5 cm length and 5 cm width).
A Hebrew program participation approval form (can be downloaded from the portal)
Birth certificate (no need for an apostille)
Parents’ passport photocopy (to ensure the student does not have an Israeli parent).
A minor under the age of 18 must do the process together with his parents in front of the consul in person and affirm that they allow their child to participate in the program in Israel.
Fellows from the Former Soviet Union must undergo a Law of Return eligibility process as part of the program’s acceptance process, in front of the “Path” consulates in their relevant countries of origin.
A list of additional countries requiring a Law of Return eligibility check to be done in advance against a check by representatives of the Jewish Agency (for a list of countries requiring an eligibility check, click here)

Format for Change of Status for a Foreign Citizen in Israel

Masa, in cooperation with the Immigration and Population Authority, is pleased to announce a streamlined process for submitting applications for a type A/2 residency visa for Masa fellows over the age of 18. The application will be submitted online via the Internet and the type A/2 residency visa (PDF) will be sent to the fellow’s email address. This is to save Masa fellows and program representatives from having to physically come to one of the Population and Immigration Bureaus, as was customary until now.

Please note; you will automatically receive your B2 Visa after you land in Israel. Your Masa program organizer will assist you in updating your status from a B2 Visa (tourist visa) to an A2 Masa Visa.

This format applies to Masa fellows over the age of 18. Therefore, minors under the age of 18 must apply at the Israeli diplomatic representation abroad.

To remind you, according to the Citizenship Law, the child of an Israeli parent is an Israeli citizen for all intents and purposes, and they must apply to the Authority bureau to settle his status; it will not be possible to issue a visa for their foreign passport.

In the following link, you can access the landing page of the Immigration and Population Authority and submit the application. You can only apply once you are in Israel.

Fill in all your personal details, and scan the following documents into the online form:

Visa Form 3 completed for each Masa fellow (found in the link on the application page).

Photocopy of passport

Photocopy of the fellow’s birth certificate

Signed letter from a Masa representative confirming participation in the program

Important points:

The visa will be sent as a PDF file to the email address specified in the online form (there is no need to affix the visa in the passport).
Please note that this is an application for a change of status, which means that a future fellow who has not yet entered the country and does not hold a visa of any kind cannot independently apply for the visa through this website, but only after entering Israel and having a tourist visa issued upon entry will he be able to apply via the website for a change of status, from a tourist visa to a Masa student A2 visa.
Fellows from countries that require visas in advance must complete the visa issuance process in their country of origin. You can find which countries require visas here.
The A2 visa is issued for our fellows from countries from the Former Soviet Union as eligible under the Law of Return, and, therefore, must be completed with Nativ in FSU countries.
Additional countries that need to be eligible for the Law of Return can be found here.
For further questions, contact your local Jewish Agency representative. Information about the process can be obtained from the Jewish Agency’s representative’s website https://www.jewishagency.org/aliyah/

B1 Visa for Fast Track and Masa Tech programs

Masa fellows in the relevant tracks that require the issuance of a work visa must present the same documents as specified for A2 Visa applications.

In addition, the work visa is issued for our fellows as eligible under the Law of Return and therefore, no matter which country of origin they come from, the process of eligibility under the Law of Return must be completed with Nativ in FSU countries or Jewish Agency representatives in the rest of world. Information about the process can be obtained from the Jewish Agency’s representatives: https://www.jewishagency.org/aliyah/

At the bottom of the site page you will see a link to the Global Customer Center with free calls from the list of countries.

During the eligibility check, note either with the Nativ or Jewish Agency representative that this is a Masa fellow applying for a B1 visa.

Toward the end of the program – B1 visa applicant

Fellows who hold a Masa A2 visa and are nearing the end of their program are eligible to receive a B1 work visa valid for up to six months (or one year for Fast Track and Masa Tech fellows).

In order to issue the visa, you can apply through the following website and request to change your status from an A2 Visa to B1 Visa.

Fill in all the personal details, and scan the following documents into the online form:

Visa Form 3 was completed for each Masa fellow (found in the link on the application page).
Photocopy of passport.
Photocopy of the fellow’s birth certificate.
Signed letter from a Masa representative confirming the completion of the program. This letter can be found in your Masa portal.

Children of parents with Israeli citizenship

A child of Israeli parents, if one of the parents has an Israeli ID card, is not entitled to a visa of any kind.

In such a case, the fellow must arrange his status prior to arriving in Israel and issue an Israeli ID/passport at the local consulate. It is also important to explain that he must also arrange the issue of exemption from military service in order to prevent unpleasantness upon his arrival/departure from the country.

This process can be carried out with the representative at the consulate or by contacting the following for more details:

“Meitav” Planning and Execution Section, IDF

Overseas voicemail: 03-738-7010, 03-738-7011

Overseas headquarters officer: 03-7387012

Civil email: infohul@mail.idf.il