By order of Interior Minister Aryeh Deri persons who paid a high price to obtain a temporary passport will be entitled to some of their money back, referring to persons who acquired an emergency passport at Ben-Gurion International Airport. This is because the lines for obtaining a biometric passport a years ago was exceptionally long, resulting in some people giving up.

The Knesset last summer passed a law, making biometric passports mandatory, leading to painfully long lines at passport offices. As a result, many travelers had to obtain a temporary passport at the airport, paying a significant sum for the service.

Interior Minister Aryeh Deri: “Following intensive work by us and the employees of the Population & Immigration Authority, more than 2 million biometric passports have been issued and the process continues at a high pace this summer. I decided to order the return of the surplus funds that were paid to the bank accounts of citizens who paid for temporary passports. They are not to blame for the pressure and it is time to return the additional money they paid.

In the coming days, a form will be published on the website of the Population & Immigration Authority. A person who paid a large sum for a temporary passport will fill it and if it turns out that he deserves it, his money will be returned to him. There will also be those who will automatically get their money back to their accounts.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)