Immigration
No independent control of entry, and a population registry administered under Israeli approval
The Palestinian Authority does not control external borders. Entry to the West Bank and Gaza, and changes to the Palestinian population registry, require Israeli approval under the Oslo arrangements.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Palestinian residence registration subject to Israeli approval; entry controlled at Israeli-operated crossings and, for Gaza, additionally through Rafah.
Governing law
- Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement 1995, Annex III (civil affairs) and Annex I
- Palestinian Basic Law, Article 28 — no Palestinian may be deprived of the right to return
In practice
This is the area where Palestinian legal autonomy is thinnest. Visitors reach the West Bank through Israeli-controlled crossings and receive Israeli entry permits, not Palestinian visas. Additions to the population registry — including registration of a foreign spouse or a child born abroad — require Israeli approval, and approvals were largely frozen between 2000 and 2021, leaving many families with unregistered members who cannot obtain identity documents. Gaza's movement is governed by the Israeli permit system and the Rafah crossing with Egypt. Family unification, rather than immigration in the ordinary sense, is the dominant legal issue.