[JordanD]

Know this is slight thread drift (so forgive me), but on a tangential issue of needing a second passport, could anyone update me on the current rules at Israeli immigration: is it still possible to get the entry stamp done on an attached piece of paper which (after leaving the country) can be removed, so negating the need for a second passport for future Middle Eastern travel?

Hoping one of the regulars or just someone in the know can assist.

As ever, thanks in advance – and a Happy New Year to all.

[Sanpit35]

If you work in the ME countries and have to travel to Israel then a second passport is required for ease of access as most of these countries will not allow access with Israeli Visa/stamps in your passport.

On the side of Israel, if you do not require a pre-entry visa, just ask the immigration officer on arrival to give you entry separate to your passport. They will stamp entry visa on a offical sheet of paper and staple it into your passport. NOTE make sure on exit you show the entry sheet to Immigration otherwise they may miss it by accident and you’ll end up with a exit stamp where you don’t want it.

[JJ51435]

Israelis seldom do that…

[MartynSinclair]

Are the other ME countries as accomadating regarding passport stamps if a passenger asks for the immigration/exit stamp to be attached to a passport on a seperate piece of paper.

I have enough problems with the US immigration service when asking officers not to use a new page for their stamps on each visit.

[LuganoPirate]

Sorry, a bit late to this thread, but if you use your second passport to exit, having lost the first, the police (to whom you have to report the theft before the Embassy will issue the one-way passport) will have issued you with a formal document. This will get you out of the country with or without second passport.

The second passport is only really useful if traveling onwards to destinations where no visa is required.

I have been fortunate in not losing my passport but keep my second passport at home. It can then be sent via courier if needed. This to guard against both being stolen at the same time as happened to a friend of mine.

[Binman62]

MartynSinclair….not sure the ME countries would be so accommodating as the Israelis and such a request in say Saudi, would certainly get you far more attention that it would be worth.

I agree with your comment about the Americans, what is there problem with ALWAYS wanting to use a new page…and never at the front……

I have a number of ME stamps as well as Libya and Indonesia but. (fingers tightly crossed) the Americans have never commented……probably to busy looking for a clean page!!!

[NTarrant]

It has been a few years since I have been to the USA but a friend of mine who visited a couple of months ago said his and other travelling with him didn’t get their passports stamped

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

“MartynSinclair….not sure the ME countries would be so accommodating as the Israelis and such a request in say Saudi, would certainly get you far more attention that it would be worth.”

I’d love to watch someone try to explain this request to the policeman on the immigration desk!

It can be hard enough just to ascertain which queue to stand in 😉

[LuganoPirate]

Just tell the Saudi’s you’re a frequent traveler to Tel Aviv, I’m sure they’ll be “very” accommodating 😉

[bsphoto]

A little different from previous threads in the respect that I am a freelance, self employed photojournalist, and thus have no long term employer to sign any forms.
I have been working in the ME recently, including Lebanon and Syria, and am planning on doing some work with the UN later this year in Israel. I understand that I would not be banned from entering based on previous stamps, but I also understand that it could cause unnecessary hassle.

Do any of you have any advice about how I would apply for a second passport for the purpose of travel to Israel?
I haven’t looked into the procedure very closely yet, but from reading other posts in this forum it seems that one needs a letter of reference from an employer.

Any help / advice would be very much appreciated.
Cheers.

Safe travels

[MartynSinclair]

BSphoto

As a self employed person, you are the “employer”. I would suggest though that a letter from your accountant would suffice written in much the same way that an employer would write. However, to be sure, I would ask at the post office or phone the passport office hotline.

Martyn

[PRCGaskell]

Hong Kong FCO was brilliant in actually suggesting I need a second passport, they wanted a letter from my company and needed scan’s of all my old passport pages. This showed clearly I had gone through 48 pages in 18 months, thanks mainly to China and Vietnam using full pages. Having two passports is heaven.

[LuganoPirate]

bsphoto, this should not be a problem for you. Write a letter explaining what you do, and why you need a second passport. Take some proof, which should be easy enough and if possible go in person to the passport office. You should get the 2nd pp without much of a problem.

From what I understand the pp office is really very understanding of the problem and as long as you give a good reason and of course stump up the fees, you will get your second passport.

[JeremyFQTV]

Not a problem, just write explaining the situation, maybe with some proof that you do actually travel and explaining the reasons.

I am actually the most senior person in the UK in my company (it’s not UK based) so wrote my own letter explaining when mine came up for renewal, and they were very helpful.They just want to weed out unnecessary applications for obvious fraud reasons.

They will want you to fill out the form as if you were a new application (with certified photos etc) BTW even if you already have a passport, so it’s worth doing this in advance to avoid delay.

[stevescoots]

I am burning thru a pasport every 12 months, and whenever i change it costs over $1000 in replacing china working visa’s etc to match the new nember.

I went to peterboro about 6 months ago and was told catagorically by a jobs worth

no additional pages
new passport must have new number
no second passport

I have taken to carefully peeling visa’s out of my passport…so far managed to get an indian and 2 viet ones out without tearing the pages or leaving marks 🙂

[Author]

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