Work in Israel up to 45 days (SEA)
Work in Israel up to 45 days (B-1 Short Employment Authorization)
In 2015 the Population and Immigration Authority published new procedure- “B-1 Short Employment Authorization” (Hereinafter: “SEA”), for expedited processing of requests for employment in Israel of a foreign expert, for up to 45 days in a calendar year..
This SEA procedure regulates the expeditious procedure for the legal employment of a foreign expert, with a valid passport, of a country whose exempt citizens authorize a B / 2 visit invited to Israel for the purpose of performing a temporary assignment in the area of special expertise for periods not exceeding 45 days per year.
This SEA procedure replaced a previous procedure that enabled work for up to 30 days in Israel.
This option resolves a common issue for companies which provide technical services such as installation of machines & repairs. It allows for immediate installation of systems and the experts are able to travel to Israel to tackle sudden issues that arise, as opposed to the process of obtaining a visa for longer periods of time, which takes about 3-4 months of processing.
Our law firm is required to provide to the Ministry of Interior a limited number of documents and declarations, together with the employee’s documentation proving the expert’s competence and suitability to perform the job. As a result, it is possible to file the request relatively quickly, and to obtain the work permit within 6-8 business days.
Upon receipt of the work permit, the foreign expert can enter Israel and begin to work immediately. This is without the requirement of issuing a visa at the Israeli Consulate in the individual’s home country, as required in most other types of work visas. Within two days of arrival in Israel, the foreign expert is required to provide his passport to our office for the purpose of completing the procedure of obtaining a work visa at the Ministry of Interior. Not completing this step would render the expert’s work in Israel illegal.
It is possible to divide the 45 days to a number of periods within the calendar year, although prior to each new entry a new application must be submitted in advance and approved.
The application is intended solely for nationals who are exempt from having to obtain a tourist visa (e.g. Europe, United States, Japan, Australia, etc.) to visit Israel/ This means that experts from countries that are required to obtain a pre-entry visa for the purpose of visiting (e.g. India, China, Venezuela, etc.) cannot apply for a visa under this category however they may be eligible for other visa categories.
This visa cannot be extended.In case the work permit expires on December 31 of a calender year, the company, who wishes to employee the foreign expert, may submit new SEA application on January 1 whilst the foreign expert is out of Israel. . There are relevant government fees that are set according to requested duration of employment.
Duration of process: 6-8 business days.
Please note: Working in Israel for any period of time without a permit and B-1 visa in the foreign expert’s passport, is a criminal offense. If a foreign expert is found working without a valid permit and visa, the employer and managers can be given criminal penalties and fines, and the expert can be deported and barred for entry to Israel for 10 years.
