Palestinian Authority passport: Difference between revisions

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| document_name = Palestinian passport

| image = Palestinian Authority Biometric Passport.jpg

| image_caption = Cover of an ordinary Palestinian passport ~~(with [[Biometric passport|chip]] [[Image:EPassport logo.svg|20px]]), issued since 2023~~

| image_caption = Cover of an ordinary Palestinian passport

| image2 =

| date_first_issued =

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| cost = {{currency|amount=35|code=JOD}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.palestinecabinet.gov.ps/portal/GovService/Details/90 |title=اصدار جواز سفر لأول مره | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240426140056/http://www.palestinecabinet.gov.ps/portal/GovService/Details/90 | archive-date=2024-04-26}}</ref>

}}

The ~~”’Palestinian passport”’, also known as the~~ ”’Palestinian Authority passport”’ ({{langx|ar|جواز سفر السلطة الفلسطينية}}) is a [[passport]] issued since April 1995 to [[Palestinians]] for the purpose of international travel based on the agreements established in the 1993 [[Oslo Accord]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Passport for a child born abroad |url=https://palmissionuk.org/consular-services/passports/passport-for-a-child-born-abroad/ |access-date=2022-03-01 |website=Palestinian Mission to the United Kingdom |date=25 October 2019 |language=en-GB}}</ref> Most of the [[Palestinian diaspora]] are unable to obtain this passport for various reasons, such as security restrictions imposed by the Israeli government or the fact that they do not possess a Palestinian hawwiya (ID card).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gopalestine.org/the-palestinian-passport/|title=The Palestinian Passport|date=27 March 2018|publisher=Go Palestine.org}}</ref><ref name=UNHCR /><ref name=PAL99001ZCH>{{Cite report|url=https://www.uscis.gov/archive/resource-information-center-palestine-0|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012152811/http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country%2C%2CUSCIS%2C%2CPSE%2C%2C3df0b9914%2C0.html|archive-date=12 October 2012|title=Palestine/Occupied Territories: Information On Passports Issued By The Palestine National Authority|date=17 December 1998|publisher=United States Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services|id=PAL99001.ZCH}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Israel and Palestine: Travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority… |url=https://www.irb-cisr.gc.ca/en/country-information/rir/Pages/index.aspx?doc=458096&pls=1 |website=Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |publisher=Government of Canada |access-date=9 December 2025}}</ref>

The ”’Palestinian Authority passport”’ ({{langx|ar|جواز سفر السلطة الفلسطينية}}) is a [[passport]] issued since April 1995 to [[Palestinians]] for the purpose of international travel based on the agreements established in the 1993 [[Oslo Accord]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Passport for a child born abroad |url=https://palmissionuk.org/consular-services/passports/passport-for-a-child-born-abroad/ |access-date=2022-03-01 |website=Palestinian Mission to the United Kingdom |date=25 October 2019 |language=en-GB}}</ref> Most of the [[Palestinian diaspora]] are unable to obtain this passport for various reasons, such as security restrictions imposed by the Israeli government or the fact that they do not possess a Palestinian hawwiya (ID card).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gopalestine.org/the-palestinian-passport/|title=The Palestinian Passport|date=27 March 2018|publisher=Go Palestine.org}}</ref><ref name=UNHCR /><ref name=PAL99001ZCH>{{Cite report|url=https://www.uscis.gov/archive/resource-information-center-palestine-0|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012152811/http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country%2C%2CUSCIS%2C%2CPSE%2C%2C3df0b9914%2C0.html|archive-date=12 October 2012|title=Palestine/Occupied Territories: Information On Passports Issued By The Palestine National Authority|date=17 December 1998|publisher=United States Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services|id=PAL99001.ZCH}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Israel and Palestine: Travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority… |url=https://www.irb-cisr.gc.ca/en/country-information/rir/Pages/index.aspx?doc=458096&pls=1 |website=Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |publisher=Government of Canada |access-date=9 December 2025}}</ref>

Unlike traditional [[citizenship]] systems, obtaining a Palestinian hawwiya (ID card) depends on being registered in the Israeli-controlled population registry rather than simply on descent. In practice, a person must be physically present in [[Palestine]] before passing the age of 16 and be added to a parent’s hawwiya before receiving their own. Because of these requirements, many Palestinians in the diaspora who were never registered—or were unable to enter [[Palestine]]—cannot obtain a hawwiya and therefore cannot receive a Palestinian passport.<ref>{{cite web |title=The colour-coded Israeli ID system for Palestinians |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/11/18/the-colour-coded-israeli-id-system-for-palestinians |website=Al Jazeera |publisher=Alsaafin Linah |access-date=9 December 2025}}</ref>

The passport issuance is subject to approval from Israel.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2021/10/26/not-a-life-israel-keeps-many-palestinians-without-legal-status|publisher=Al Jazeera|title=”Not a life”: Israel keeps many Palestinians without legal status|date=26 October 2021}}</ref><ref name=UNHCR>{{Cite report |title=Response to information request on recognition by the US of Palestinian Authority passports (archived, out of date) |author= |work=US Citizenship and Immigration Services |date=20 May 2002 |url= https://www.uscis.gov/archive/ric-query-palestinian-territory-occupied-20-may-2002 |id=PSE02001.ZAR }}</ref> Israel asserts that the restriction is required for security concerns.<ref name=PAL99001ZCH/>

==History==

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[[Category:Passports by country]]

[[Category:Palestinian law]]

Passport issued by the Palestinian Authority

Palestinian passport
Cover of an ordinary Palestinian passport
Type	Passport
Issued by	Ministry of Interior
Purpose	Identification
Eligibility	Holders of Palestinian hawwiya (ID card), typically residents of areas under Palestinian Authority control.
Expiration	5 years after acquisition
Cost	JOD 35^[1]

The Palestinian Authority passport (Arabic: جواز سفر السلطة الفلسطينية) is a passport issued since April 1995 by the Palestinian Authority to Palestinians in Palestine for the purpose of international travel. The passport has been issued in 1995 based on the agreements established in the 1993 Oslo Accord.^[2] The passport is issued to Palestinians who hold a Palestinian ID and who live in the West Bank and Gaza. Most of the Palestinian diaspora are unable to obtain this passport for various reasons, such as security restrictions imposed by the Israeli government or the fact that they do not possess a Palestinian hawwiya (ID card).^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]

Unlike traditional citizenship systems, obtaining a Palestinian hawwiya (ID card) depends on being registered in the Israeli-controlled population registry rather than simply on descent. In practice, a person must be physically present in Palestine before passing the age of 16 and be added to a parent’s hawwiya before receiving their own. Because of these requirements, many Palestinians in the diaspora who were never registered—or were unable to enter Palestine—cannot obtain a hawwiya and therefore cannot receive a Palestinian passport.^[7]

The passport issuance is subject to approval from Israel.^[8]^[4] Israel asserts that the restriction is required for security concerns.^[5]

Mandatory Palestine passport, as issued by the British authorities between 1924 and 1948

Between 1924 and 1948, the term “Palestinian passport” referred to the travel documents that were available to residents of British Mandate Palestine. Issued by the High Commissioner for Palestine, they were officially titled, “British passport, Palestine”. These passports became invalid with the termination of the British mandate on 15 May 1948.^[9] Israeli and Jordanian passports were offered to former British Mandate subjects according to the citizenship they acquired in the aftermath of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. A significant number of Palestinian Arabs, especially in the Gaza Strip and those who found refuge in Syria and Lebanon, remained stateless, as Egypt, Syria and Lebanon did not allow them to integrate as citizens.

The Egyptian-controlled All-Palestine Government issued All-Palestine passports between 1949 and 1959 to Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip and Egypt. However, passport holders were not permitted to move freely into Egypt. In the meantime, Transjordan annexed the West Bank and Palestinian residents of the West Bank became citizens of Jordan, and were entitled to a Jordanian passport.

cover of a 1962 All-Palestine Diplomatic passport.

After the 1967 Six-Day War, during which Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan, Palestinian Arabs living there continued to have the right to apply for Jordanian passports and live in Jordan. Palestinian refugees actually living in Jordan were also considered full Jordanian citizens. In July 1988, Jordan severed all legal and administrative ties with the West Bank. Any Palestinian living in Jordan would remain a Jordanian citizen; but residents of the West Bank would not.

Jordan continued to issue passports to Palestinians in the West Bank, but they were for travel purposes only and not as indication of citizenship. Palestinians in the West Bank who had regular Jordanian passports were issued with temporary ones upon expiration of the old ones, and entry into Jordan by Palestinians became time-limited and considered for tourism purposes only.

On 2 April 1995, two years after the Oslo Accords of 1993, the Palestinian Authority started issuing Palestinian Authority passports to the public in the self-ruling areas of Gaza and Jericho. These passports retained the personal ID number issued by the Israeli Civil Administration.^[10]

Starting March 2023, the Palestinian Ministry of Interior (responsible for issuing Palestinian passports) started issuing biometric passports. The passport contains a digitized photo, fingerprints and signature of the holder.^[11]

Implications of the passport

[edit]

Palestinians regard the passport as a “crucial symbol of nationhood”.^[12] The recognition of the passports by other countries has been cited as evidence of recognition by them of the State of Palestine.^{[citation needed]}

As of 1997, Palestinian passports were not issued in the name of the State of Palestine.^[13] Some countries, including the United States, recognize Palestinian Authority passports as travel documents, though the recognition of the passports does not imply recognition by them of citizenship, since they are not issued by a government which they recognize.^[4] Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates have indicated only (in May 2002) that the passports, along with valid visas or other necessary papers, would allow their holders to travel to their countries.^[4]

There are three types of Palestinian passport, which are issued by the Palestinian National Authority, and they are as follows:

The diplomatic passport (Colour: Red) It is granted to the political, economic, religious and security high leaders, in addition to members of the diplomatic corps and cases granted by the President of the Palestinian National Authority or the Prime Minister.
The ordinary passport (Colour: Black), which is the passport that is given to Palestinians living in the West Bank or Gaza Strip, and contains the identity number and other information. Its validity period extends to 5 years, but sometimes there are complications^[vague] for the residents of East Jerusalem because they hold Israeli identity cards^{[clarification needed]} and Jordanian passports.
The Palestinian refugee passport, which is the same as the ordinary passport, and is given to Palestinian refugees residing in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and the rest of the diaspora countries who do not have an identity card in the territories. They are issued by Palestinian embassies in those countries.

As of June 2024, the Palestinian passport allows entry to 53 countries and territories without a visa or by visa on arrival, ranking the Palestinian passport at 91st in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index, which ties with both the Libyan and North Korean passport.

Visa requirements for Palestinian citizens
  Palestine

  Visa Free Access

  eVisa or Visa on Arrival

  Visa Required

  ETA

The document contains a note on the second page (inside of the cover) stating:^[5]

THIS PASSPORT/TRAVEL DOCUMENT IS ISSUED PERSUANT [sic] TO THE PALESTINIAN SELF GOVERNMENT AGREEMENT ACCORDING TO OSLO AGREEMENT SIGNED IN WASHINGTON ON 13/9/1993.

IT IS REQUIRED FROM THOSE WHOM IT MIGHT CONCERN TO ALLOW THE BEARER OF THIS PASSPORT/TRAVEL DOCUMENT TO PASS FREELY WITHOUT LET AND HINDRANCE AND TO AFFORD HIM (HER) SUCH ASSISTANCE AND PROTECTION AS MAY BE NECESSARY.

Implications of the passport

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