Visa policy of the Republic of Palestine

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the Council of Ministers is responsible for administering the visa policy of the Republic of Palestine. Contemporary policy requires all foreign nationals to obtain a visa to enter, remain and/or work in Palestine, with a view to regulating the flow of migration into the country.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues visas and related documents to foreign nationals upon their meeting certain requirements, which differ according to country. For example, the only requirements to obtain a work visa for citizens of Arab League states (excepting Qatar and Saudi Arabia) as well as citizens of the Russian Federation, Venezuela and the People's Republic of China are to have no criminal record and to be disease-free and in good physical health; nationals of most other states seeking a work permit, in addition to the basic health requirements and criminal record check, are compelled at least to have an employment offer from a Palestinian company, to not have been denied a work permit in Palestine within the previous year, and to possess a non-refundable return ticket on visa expiry date.

The tourist visa permitting entry to Palestine and a maximum six-month stay generally requires applicants to have a return ticket, be disease-free and without any outstanding warrants for their arrest in their country of origin. Nationals of the United Kingdom and United States, barred completely from entering Palestine until 1999, are permitted a maximum stay of six weeks, and must not have any professional or financial connections to their own government nor any connection to foreign non-governmental organisations operating within Palestine.

The process of granting asylum to refugees escaping war, political violence, disasters, etc. is administered by the National Refuge and Asylum Agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, separately from the normal visa application process. Entry for refugees does not have the same requirements such as good health and finances, however such asylum-seekers are generally held in camps which essentially constitute administrative segregation, and permitted entry into Palestinian society only upon their obtaining permanent housing, with subsidised units often having long wait-lists.