Renewing an Israeli passport during Covid

amother

Fri, Apr 02 2021, 12:41 am

I went ahead and got vaccinated, so that I can travel and visit my parents and siblings in Israel.

However, I forgot to do one thing: Check if my Israeli passport is still current. Turns out it just expired... I braced myself for a day in the City at the Israeli consulate, only to find out online that they are not even open to the public, and that I have to renew my passport sending an application via registered mail. I feel uncomfortable mailing my old passport, and providing my credit card payment information in an envelope. What if it gets lost? Falls into the wrong hands?

It says on their website that the process to receive the new passport would take around a month from the day I send the application. I imagine it would be wise to wait until the new passport is in my hands before booking a ticket. But tickets' prices are going up as we near the summer months, and as more people are vaccinated and start travelling again. Is it safe to book for two months from now? Is one extra month enough of a margin of error? Booking a refundable ticket will likely be much more costly.

I appreciate your thoughts.

DrMom

Fri, Apr 02 2021, 12:50 am

I'd mail it by private carrier (FedEx, etc.) rather than dropping it in the regular mail.

Do you need a valid passport number to book a ticket? I know when I purchase a ticket here in Israel, I usually need to provide that info.