Visa
BGU International's Welcome Center for International Students & Researchers is here to assist you in obtaining the relevant visa before you arrive in Israel.
Upon entry into Israel, your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond the expiration date of your issued visa.
Israeli law mandates that your visa aligns with the purpose of your stay. Please be aware that individuals entering Israel on a tourist visa cannot change their visa type and will be forced to leave Israel, return to their home country, and re-enter with the appropriate visa.
It is your responsibility to ensure that your visa remains valid throughout your stay at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and to contact us one month before the expiration date.
As a first-time applicant for a visa:
To enter and stay in Israel, you must obtain an appropriate visa that is in correlation with the purpose of your stay. Please schedule a meeting at the closest Israeli embassy and follow their instructions. In addition to those steps, please email the Welcome Center with the following documents:
- Your official acceptance letter
- Copy of your passport
- An invitation letter from your supervisor
- Copy of your health insurance policy (from an Israeli insurance provider)
We will contact the embassy on your behalf once we get all the above-mentioned documents, to ensure a smooth and pleasant visa process.
Please be aware that this is not a complete list of the documents that the embassy requires, it is only what the Welcome Center staff needs in order to be able to contact the embassy regarding your visa.
Please send the Welcome Center a copy of your visa once you get it. It is very important that your visa be updated in the BGU system.
Visa Extension:
To extend your current visa in Israel, you must submit all the relevant documents to the Welcome Center. For more information about the required documents, please contact us at here4u@bgu.ac.il or find the relevant visa categories from the list below.
Please take into account that the visa application process takes time. Be sure to apply for your visa extension at least one month before it expires.
Visa Categories:
- A-2 Extension (Student or Post-Doctoral Student and serves also as B1 children's visa)
- A-4 Extension (Authorization for couples and their children, A-2 visa holders)
- B-1 (Authorization to work temporarily)
- B-1 for spouses of International Ph.D. students and Post-Docs (ONLY)
- B-2 (Tourists and Accompanying family members such as spouses of B-1 visa holders)
- Multiple Entries Visa
International student/researcher: If you have a permanent resident permit, to ensure that you receive all your rights, please submit your permit to Ms. Zohar Keren, Student Accounts Division, email: heshbons@bgu.ac.il
