LawImmigration
Entry into Israel Law, 5712-1952
חוק הכניסה לישראל, תשי"ב-1952
Published: 1952-09-05Last amended 2026-07-20✓ Amendment status checked against the Knesset legislation record on 2026-09-28
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Unofficial English translation — for reference only. It may contain errors or omissions and cannot be relied on as a legal text. Only the Hebrew text published in Reshumot is legally binding.More
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Despite these checks, it may contain errors, omissions, or imprecise renderings of legal terminology and cross-references, and it may not yet reflect the latest amendments. It cannot be relied upon as a legal text.
The Hebrew text as published in Reshumot (ספר החוקים) and on the Knesset website is the sole authoritative and legally binding version. In any discrepancy, the Hebrew text prevails.
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Chapter IV: Removal and Detention
Section A: Removal, Detention and Release on Bail
Removal from Israel§
13.
(a)A person who is not an Israeli citizen or an immigrant under the Law of Return, 5710-1950, and who is present in Israel without a residence licence (in this Law — an unlawful sojourner) shall be removed from Israel as soon as possible, unless he has departed of his own volition before that time.
(b)The removal from Israel of an unlawful sojourner shall be carried out pursuant to a removal order issued in respect of him by the Minister of the Interior; a removal order may provide that the costs of removal, including the costs of detention in custody (in this Chapter — removal costs), shall be borne by the person upon whom the order was issued or by the employer who employed him in Israel without a permit from the Minister of the Interior or in breach of the conditions of the permit, provided that the removal of an unlawful sojourner shall not be delayed solely on the ground that he is unable to bear the removal costs.
(b1)
(1)Where it has been determined in a removal order pursuant to the provisions of subsection (b) that the removal costs shall be borne by the person upon whom the order was issued, and that person has furnished bail pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter, or has deposited a sum of money while being held in detention or in temporary detention, even if the said sum does not constitute bail, the removal costs may be recovered from the bail or from the sum of money deposited as aforesaid, provided that the total removal costs recovered pursuant to this paragraph shall not exceed NIS 7,500.
(2)Where it has been determined in a removal order pursuant to the provisions of subsection (b) that the removal costs shall be borne by the employer — the supervisor, as defined in the Foreign Workers Law, and also a State employee whom the supervisor has authorised for that purpose, may recover the removal costs from that employer, provided that the total removal costs recovered pursuant to this paragraph shall not exceed NIS 7,500, and the supervisor may, so long as the employer has not paid the removal costs in full, refuse to grant that employer a permit for the employment of a foreign worker under Chapter IV-A of the Foreign Workers Law, on that ground alone.
(3)The provisions of this subsection are in addition to the provisions pursuant to section 14.
(c)A person upon whom a removal order has been issued is obliged to leave Israel and not to return to it for as long as the order has not been cancelled.
(d)A person upon whom a removal order has been issued shall be given the order in writing and shall not be removed before the expiry of three days from the delivery of the order to him, unless he has departed of his own volition before that time; however, the Border Control Supervisor may, at the request of a person upon whom a removal order has been issued, defer the removal for a brief necessary period, not exceeding 14 days, for the purpose of attending to his affairs and his legal rights in Israel that cannot be attended to in his absence; the Border Control Supervisor may extend this period for special humanitarian reasons; the period of deferral shall not be counted within the days under section 13f(a)(4).
(e)Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (d), in respect of an unlawful sojourner who entered Israel as part of his participation in a flotilla intended to breach the lawful naval blockade imposed by the State of Israel on the Gaza Strip, and upon whom a removal order has been issued, the provisions of that subsection shall apply with the following modification: instead of "three days" read "24 hours".
Detention§
13a.
(a)In this Chapter —
"detention" — the arrest of a person for the purpose of holding him in a place of detention pursuant to the provisions of this Law;
"place of detention" — any one of the following: a place under this Law, designated by Order of the Minister of the Interior and the Minister of National Security (in this Law — a special detention facility); a prison within the meaning of the Prison Ordinance [New Version], 5732-1971; a place of arrest under section 7 of the Criminal Procedure Law (Enforcement Powers — Arrests), 5756-1996 (in this Law — the Arrests Law); and also any other place designated in a removal order to the extent required in the circumstances of the matter.
(b)An unlawful sojourner shall be held in detention until his departure from Israel or until his removal therefrom, unless he has been released on a monetary surety, a bank guarantee or other appropriate bail (in this Chapter — bail), pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter; there shall be a presumption that a person is sojourning in Israel unlawfully if he is unable to present a residence licence without a reasonable explanation.
(c)The detention of an unlawful sojourner shall be pursuant to a detention order issued by the Border Control Supervisor.
(d)A detention order shall not be issued unless the unlawful sojourner has been given an opportunity to state his arguments; if the unlawful sojourner cannot be located, the Border Control Supervisor may order, in his absence, that he be held in detention, provided that he shall be given an opportunity to state his arguments not later than 24 hours after the commencement of his detention.
(e)Where a detention order has been issued, the person held in detention shall be given, in writing or orally, as far as possible in a language understood by him, information on his rights under this Law, and also on his right to have notice of his detention given to a person close to him, to a lawyer and to the representation of the State of his citizenship.
Temporary Detention§
13b.
(a)Where a police officer or an inspector under section 13d has reasonable grounds to suspect that a person is sojourning in Israel unlawfully or that a detention order or an order to return to detention has been issued in respect of him, the officer or inspector may, after identifying himself to that person and explaining to him the reason for the demand, demand that he accompany him to a place of detention; if that person refuses to comply with the demand as aforesaid, the officer or inspector may use reasonable force to bring him to the place of detention; a police officer shall identify himself pursuant to the provisions of section 5a of the Police Ordinance [New Version], 5731-1971, and an inspector shall identify himself as set out in section 13e(f).
(b)Where a person has been brought pursuant to the provisions of subsection (a) to a place of detention, a police officer authorised for that purpose by the Inspector General of the Israel Police may, after giving him an opportunity to state his arguments, order in writing that he be held in temporary detention, and the provisions of section 13a(e) shall apply mutatis mutandis.
(c)Without prejudice to the provisions of section 13c, a person shall not be held in temporary detention for more than twenty-four hours unless a detention order has been issued in respect of him by the Border Control Supervisor.
(d)The powers and instructions vested in a police officer under section 22 of the Criminal Procedure Ordinance (Arrest and Search) [New Version], 5729-1969, with respect to a search of the body of a person under arrest shall be vested in a police officer and an inspector with respect to a search of the body of a person held in detention, mutatis mutandis.
Time Limit for Making a Decision§
13c.
A decision regarding the detention or release on bail of an unlawful sojourner shall be made not later than twenty-four hours from the commencement of his detention, unless this is prevented by reason of the need to establish the identity of the unlawful sojourner, or for another substantive reason, and the same shall apply with respect to the making of a removal order.
Appointment of Inspectors§
13d.
(a)The Minister of the Interior may appoint inspectors for the purposes of this Law from among the employees of his Ministry, or from among State employees in another Ministry with the consent of the Minister in charge of that Ministry (in this Law — an inspector); notice of the appointment of an inspector shall be published in Reshumot (Official Gazette).
(b)A person shall not be appointed as an inspector as referred to in subsection (a) unless both of the following conditions are met:
(1)he has received appropriate training, as prescribed by the Minister of the Interior after consultation with the Minister of National Security;
(2)the Israel Police has not given notice within one month of the approach by the Minister of the Interior that it objects to his appointment on grounds of public safety.
Enforcement Powers§
13e.
(a)For the purpose of implementing the provisions of this Chapter, an inspector or a police officer may —
(1)demand of a person whom there are grounds to assume is sojourning in Israel in a manner that requires a residence licence under this Law, that he identify himself and present before the officer or inspector the documents relating to his sojourn and also provide information relating to his sojourn;
(2)enter at any reasonable time any place, other than a place of residence, in respect of which there is suspicion that a person sojourning in Israel unlawfully is present therein, in order to conduct an inspection in the matter.
(b)Where a suspicion has arisen of the commission of an offence under this Law, an inspector or a police officer, as the case may be, may seize any document connected to the said offence.
(c)A judge of a Magistrate's Court may, at the request of an inspector or a police officer, issue an order permitting an inspector or a police officer to enter a place used as a residence in order to conduct an inspection regarding compliance with the provisions of this Law, as referred to in subsection (a), if satisfied that one of the following applies:
(1)there are reasonable grounds to suspect that a person sojourning in Israel unlawfully is present therein;
(2)there are reasonable grounds to assume that a person whose sojourn in Israel requires a residence permit under this Law is present therein, and the inspector or the police officer sought permission to enter the place in order to conduct an inquiry in the matter, and their request was not answered.
(d)Entry under this section shall be made only after the police officer or the inspector, as the case may be, has identified himself before the person who appears to be the occupier of the place and has notified him of the purpose for which entry is sought, and in a place used as a residence — has presented before him the court order under subsection (c); if the occupier of the place does not permit entry, they may use reasonable force against a person or against property, after having warned him to that effect.
(e)The Inspector General of the Police shall set out in a procedure the manner of operation of the Police under this section; the said procedure shall be published on the Police website.
(f)An inspector shall not make use of the powers vested in him under this Law except while performing his duties and when both of the following apply:
(1)he is visibly wearing a badge identifying him and his position, and he is wearing inspector's uniform, in the colour and form prescribed for this purpose by the Minister of the Interior, provided that the said uniform does not appear to be a police uniform;
(2)he holds an inspector's identity card signed by the Minister of the Interior, attesting to his position and powers, which he shall present upon request.
Release on Bail§
13f.
(a)The Border Control Supervisor may release an unlawful sojourner on bail in accordance with the provisions of this section; an unlawful sojourner shall not be released on bail unless one of the following applies to him:
(1)the Border Control Supervisor has been satisfied that his unlawful sojourn stems from an error or a bona fide mishap, and that he will depart from Israel by the date set for him;
(2)the Border Control Supervisor has been satisfied that he will depart from Israel on his own within the time set for him, and that there will be no difficulty in locating him if he does not depart on his own within the time set;
(3)the Border Control Supervisor has been satisfied that by reason of his age or health condition his detention may cause harm to his health, or that there exist other special humanitarian reasons justifying his release on bail, including where as a result of detention a minor would be left unsupervised;
(4)he has been held in detention for more than 60 consecutive days.
(b)Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a), an unlawful sojourner shall not be released on bail if one of the following applies:
(1)his removal from Israel is prevented or delayed due to a lack of full cooperation on his part, including with respect to the clarification of his identity or the arrangement of the proceedings for his removal from Israel;
(2)his release would endanger State security, public order or public health;
unless the condition set out in the opening passage of paragraph (3) of subsection (a) applies to him and there is no other way to prevent the harm to his health.
(c)Release from detention shall be subject to conditions set by the Border Control Supervisor, including bail, for the purpose of ensuring the appearance of the unlawful sojourner for the purpose of his departure from Israel or his removal therefrom at the date set, or for the purpose of other proceedings under this Law; the Border Control Supervisor may, at any time, reconsider the conditions of bail if new facts have come to light or if circumstances have changed since the decision on release on bail was made.
(d)An unlawful sojourner who has been released on bail from detention shall be given by the Minister of the Interior a temporary licence for a visitor's residence under section 2(a)(5) for the period of release on bail; the validity of the temporary licence as aforesaid is conditional on compliance with the conditions of release on bail.
(e)Where a guarantor has requested to cancel bail that he has furnished, the Border Control Supervisor may accede to the request or refuse it, provided that his decision shall be such as to ensure the appearance of the unlawful sojourner by means of other bail; if it is not possible to ensure the appearance of the unlawful sojourner by the furnishing of other bail, the unlawful sojourner shall be returned to detention.
(f)Where the unlawful sojourner has departed from Israel or has been removed therefrom at the date set, he and his guarantors shall be discharged from their surety obligations and the monetary surety shall be returned, all as the case may be and subject to the provisions of section 13(b1).
Return to Detention and Forfeiture of Surety§
13g.
(a)Where the Border Control Supervisor has become aware that an unlawful sojourner who has been released on bail has breached or is about to breach a condition of his release on bail, the Supervisor may order by Order his return to detention, and may also order the forfeiture or realisation of the bail.
(b)An instruction for the forfeiture or realisation of the bail as referred to in subsection (a) shall not be given unless the unlawful sojourner or the guarantor, as the case may be, has been given an opportunity to state his arguments, provided that he can be located in a reasonable manner.
Conditions of Detention§
13h.
(a)An unlawful sojourner held in detention shall be held in appropriate conditions which, having regard to the circumstances of the matter including the duration of his detention, shall not be such as to harm his health or dignity.
(b)An unlawful sojourner held in detention shall be held in a cell separate from criminal prisoners and remand detainees.
(c)The provisions of section 9(b) of the Arrests Law shall apply to detention under this Law, mutatis mutandis.
(d)The provisions of section 10 of the Arrests Law shall apply to detention under this Law, mutatis mutandis.
(e)The Minister of National Security, with the consent of the Minister of the Interior and with the approval of the Interior and Environment Protection Committee of the Knesset, may prescribe, subject to the provisions of subsection (a), other provisions regarding the conditions of detention in a special detention facility, including regarding the conditions of detention of families and children.
(f)A summary of the rights and duties of unlawful sojourners in the place of detention shall be posted in a prominent place in the place of detention in Hebrew and in English.
Limitation on Application of the Criminal Procedure Law§
13i.
Notwithstanding the provisions of section 1(c) of the Arrests Law, the provisions of that Law shall not apply in respect of anything relating to proceedings and powers under this Law, unless expressly provided otherwise in this Law.
Removal from Israel§
13j.
(a)In this section —
"the Agreement" — the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, signed in Washington between the State of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation on the 4th day of Tishrei 5756 (28 September 1995), including its annexes and the documents attached thereto;
"Area" — Judaea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip, excluding the territories of the Palestinian Council;
"territories of the Palestinian Council" — the territories included from time to time within the scope of the territorial jurisdiction of the Council pursuant to the Agreement;
"police officer" — a police officer of the rank of Pakad and above, authorised by the Inspector General of the Police for the purpose of this section;
"permit" — as its meaning in the Order regarding the entry of residents of the Area or the territories of the Palestinian Council into Israel, as amended pursuant to section 17(b).
(b)In addition to what is provided in any law, a police officer or the Border Control Supervisor may order in writing the removal from Israel of a resident of the Area or a resident of the territories of the Palestinian Council who are not Israelis (hereinafter — a resident) sojourning in Israel without a permit or not in accordance with the conditions of the permit, or who has been convicted of an offence under section 12.
(c)A police officer or the Border Control Supervisor shall not decide on removal as aforesaid unless the resident has been given an opportunity to state his arguments; the police officer or the Border Control Supervisor, as the case may be, shall draw up a written report setting out the resident's arguments and the reasons for the decision.
(d)The decision regarding the removal from Israel of a resident shall serve as authority for his detention pending his removal, for a period not exceeding 96 hours; a police officer of the rank of Deputy Commissioner and above or the Border Control Supervisor may extend this period, provided that it shall not exceed an additional 72 hours.
(e)The Border Control Supervisor shall not exercise his powers with respect to this section unless both of the following apply:
(1)he has received appropriate training, as prescribed by the Minister of the Interior after consultation with the Interior and Environmental Protection Committee of the Knesset;
(2)the Israel Police has not given notice within one month of the approach by the Minister of the Interior that it objects thereto on grounds of public safety.
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