The story of crossing the border in Israel

One of the most advanced security services operates in Israel, and the Internet is full of stories about the difficulties of crossing the border, harsh inspections and other, by no means the most pleasant, stories. But it's one thing to read on the Internet, another thing is to check for yourself on personal experience.

Screening before boarding a flight to Israel

The flight was scheduled from Istanbul from SAW Airport (named after Sabiha Gokcen), where the low-cost airline Pegasus is based. The flight to Tel Aviv takes only two hours.

I have noticed many times that at airports, when boarding at some gates, they arrange a security check, but it was the first time I had to personally go through it.

As it turned out, all flights to Israel (I will add, also to London) go through additional screening before boarding. Selectively, passengers are invited to put out all their hand luggage, take off their shoes, open laptops, and carry out papers on all things, which are placed in an explosives trace analyzer. The procedure can take several minutes, and obviously for many it is extremely unpleasant.

Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv

The airport is quite large, I really liked the transition from the central hall to the passport control area, where you can see people walking from the upper departure level.

Immediately upon arrival, you need to put your passport in the scanner, where, after checking, they will either give you a piece of paper with a photo of an entry permit, or they will issue a ban, with which the only way is to the departure area.

After receiving the entry permit, I thought how simple it was. These thoughts were very premature.

After walking from the gates to the common room, passport control was waiting for me, where the passport officer began to ask some unexpected questions: what is the purpose of the visit, why did you come here, who are you going to, what religion is there, is there someone you know in Israel, where will you live, show a return ticket and other questions. And then I realized that adventures were ahead of me, since out of habit I had not booked any hotels in advance. At that moment, my passport was taken away and sent to another part of the hall, where dozens of passengers were already waiting for a detailed inspection or interrogation.

Another passenger would have been sent after me, who, as it turned out, was flying in transit at all, and did not plan to leave the airport. Moreover, the transfer time was so short that all this red tape could cause him to be late for the next flight (looking ahead, he was lucky, the security service escorted him to the exit to the transit zone in just 20 minutes).

Waiting for my turn to "chat" took about an hour. During this time, I had a chance to see: nervous people waiting to hear their last name for an invitation; people leaving in tears with an escort; to hear screams and just conversations in raised tones behind thin walls. There were also beaming happy faces who did not just leave, but flew out running for their belongings to the transportation belt for passport control. On average, the time spent by a person in one of the offices was 15-20 minutes.

Communication with customs representatives

While I was waiting in line, I already accepted that I would go back. By and large, this would also be an interesting experience, so I decided not to worry at all - both options (to pass or fly away) suited me quite well.

The conversation was conducted by a woman who asked all the same questions in Russian as the passport officer. Additionally, questions were asked about activities, work and family. In general, that's all. Just five minutes later, I was given my passport with the words: "You can go now." There was nothing beyond terrible and scary. In my experience, much more difficult interrogations had to take place in my home country upon my return.

While I was on my way out, the electricity was turned off (the lighting switched to a partial backup), which is why the only exchanger could not perform exchange operations. I had to wait another half hour until the electricity was restored.

Advice to those who travel only with cash - try to exchange some amount in advance. And if you fly on Shabbat, finding a working exchanger can be an adventure. Think about it in advance.