Post: #1

This summer I'm planning a middle east trip starting in Israel and later going to Lebanon.

Has anyone managed the passport juggling to make this happen?

It seems to me like I need to do something like this:

Pretend to lose my passport before the trip and get a second one. Use one for entering Israel. Leave Israel and use the second one to enter either Jordan or Cyprus. From Jordan or Cyprus go to Lebanon.

Then if I return to Israel, they don't care about the stamps from other countries, right?

Not sure if this will work, especially if places scan my passport as they do in U.S. airports. If I get a replacement passport will that make my original not scan? I am unsure on this part and any help would be great.

Post: #2

I believe it will make the 1st one scanned as lost or stolen.

You can still declare that you were only transiting in the problematic country but be careful with the dates.

Post: #3

Can you not get a second passport in the US like you can here in the UK?

Post: #4

When I entered Israel last month, my passport was not stamped upon entry or exit. The border guard did see other Muslim stamps on my passport and asked me about them but there was no issue. I was given an entry card instead of the stamp.

Post: #5

The problem for me is not Israel allowing me to enter, it is Lebanon allowng me to enter after having been in Israel.

Post: #6

How do you plan on entering Israel?

You can avoid the stamps by asking for a departure card which they will stamp.

If you enter and exit Israel via air you should be fine.

Post: #7

Thanks 3extra, I will indeed fly into Israel, and I suppose I will fly out to make the exit card work for me.

Post: #8

I've been to all the countries in that region in sequence, so take my advice.

First of all, you don't need to use two passports.

When you land in Israel, request that they don't stamp your passport. They have absolutely no problem with this as they are fully aware that many tourists also visit the many other countries in the world that don't permit entry to passport holders with Israeli stamps. Not only myself, but many other people I know personally have made the same request with no problems whatsoever.

I had passport stamps from dozen of enemy countries of Israel and they didn't even blink when I asked them not to stamp my passport. What they'll do instead is stamp your exit forms which you'll carry with you until you leave Israel.

From Israel, you can travel directly to Jordan or Cyprus as you've said because they both have normalized relations with them. In the case of Jordan, you don't even need to fly. Just a few hours or so to Amman (the capital) by road and then a few hours to Beirut by road from there. You can hire a shared taxi for the trip to Beirut. But Flydubai is a low cost airline you can look into as well.

Post: #9

Sonsowey....follow Hen's advice.

It is 100% accurate.

Post: #10

like mentioned above currently israel isn't stamping passports and is issuing a paper visa card upon your arrival.... this applies to all borders and TLV airport.

when crossing using jordan/israeli borders you need to make sure that the jordanians don't stamp your passport either. you could be denied entry (to lebanon) even if it's a jordanian stamp if it's at one of the israeli border crossings.

you used to be able to travel by land to beirut but currently this isn't possible because of the syrian civil war. you can only get from amman to beirut by plane. both jordanian airlines and Middle East Airlines fly for around 100$ one way.

also most countries will issue a second passport without any problems but it shouldn't be necessary for your trip.


if you don't plan to spend time in jordan it might be easiest to fly to cyprus and then fly from there to beirut. king huissen/allenby can sometimes take a long time to cross and flying to cyprus and on from there wouldn't financially cost much more or take much longer. probably fewer headaches that way.

Post: #11

(02-01-2014 03:03 PM)CamelToe Wrote:  like mentioned above currently israel isn't stamping passports and is issuing a paper visa card upon your arrival.... this applies to all borders and TLV airport.

when crossing using jordan/israeli borders you need to make sure that the jordanians don't stamp your passport either. you could be denied entry (to lebanon) even if it's a jordanian stamp if it's at one of the israeli border crossings.

you used to be able to travel by land to beirut but currently this isn't possible because of the syrian civil war. you can only get from amman to beirut by plane. both jordanian airlines and Middle East Airlines fly for around 100$ one way.

also most countries will issue a second passport without any problems but it shouldn't be necessary for your trip.


if you don't plan to spend time in jordan it might be easiest to fly to cyprus and then fly from there to beirut. king huissen/allenby can sometimes take a long time to cross and flying to cyprus and on from there wouldn't financially cost much more or take much longer. probably fewer headaches that way.

This is updated intel. Very true. There's a sliver of Syrian territory one must pass en route from Jordan to Lebanon. Didn't know what the situation was there.

This dude I know did birthright last year and he said Israel didn't stamp his passport either even though he didn't make a request one way or the other.

Post: #12

israelis stopped stamping passport at end of 2012

Post: #13

(02-01-2014 03:12 PM)CamelToe Wrote:  israelis stopped stamping passport at end of 2012

Cool. Yeah I went in 2011. Also, I traveled from Lebanon to Syria to Jordan to Israel to Turkey and back to Israel. Israel and Turkey have normal relations and I flew from Tel Aviv to Istanbul and back.

That's why I didn't mention the request to Jordanian officials not to stamp when coming in from Israel. I never traveled that way, only went from Jordan to Israel.

I'd say to the OP to go to Jordan over Cyprus because I think Petra alone is worth it. That's one of the coolest places I've ever been to. Also, Jordanian food is really good.

Post: #14

Hen's advice is good, but if you have an entry stamp for Jordan and if shows the point of entry, then there can only really be one place that you came from.

Lebanese immigration could pick up on this.

Post: #15

Petra is great and definitely worth the trip!

look, i've gone on to lebanon without entry stamps from jordan, but my passport has pages added and is almost entirely full with mostly stamps from arab countries...... yes not having an entry stamp from jordan could be a problem but lebanese immigration knows the game they just don't like to see it thrown in their face

Post: #16

I was planning on doing exactly what Hen mentioned when I go on Birthright this summer. When are you thinking of going? I've heard Beirut has an awesome nightlife by the way, which took me by surprise.

Post: #17

It is a little known fact that you can get a duplicate U.S. passport for this purpose -- and also for the purpose of retaining a passport while sending the duplicate to a foreign embassy for a visa. I know people who have successfully navigated this process.

Quote:The circumstances under which the Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA) may authorize the issuance of a second fee passport generally are:

(1) When a foreign country will deny a visa or entry to the bearer of a passport containing markings or visas showing travel to certain other countries, and

(2) When a passport needed for immediate travel is unavailable due to prolonged delays in processing a foreign visa application, or some other foreign governmental process for which the passport was required.

http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/94669.pdf


Just Google "duplicate U.S. passport" and a list of companies will appear that can expedite the process for you.