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Middle East Topics specific to the Middle East countries, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Yemen, Oman and the Emirates
Photo by Lois Pryce, schoolkids in Algeria

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  #1  
Old 17 May 2010
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Hi - we did this in 2007 with a Landcruiser at Allenby Bridge border crossing:-

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...-lebanon-33352

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...passport-42400

The impression given was that even if the Israelis had turned us away because of the not wanting our passports stamped issue, the Jordanians would have been fine about it. After all, what difference does it make to them whether you come back in 1 hour or 2 months once they've stamped you out?

This whole passport stamp thing is a load of bullsh1t anyway. Tony Bliar (or any other Western politician/diplomat) can get into any Arab country no problem with an Israeli stamp in his passport. Given that politicians and diplomats have a lot more to do with the Middle East's problems eg Bliar and Bush killing 100,000 Iraqis in an illegal war about WMD that were never there, why should it be tourists who get hit with this rule?

Last edited by ilesmark; 17 May 2010 at 13:30.
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  #2  
Old 17 May 2010
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Thanks for your response, Ilesmark. I see your point. Also, the second passport is definantly something to consider. I thought about it before, but for some reason thought I couldn't get on (Canadian). I am now leaving for Europe in 3 weeks, but maybe I can get the process started, and finish it through mail/local embssay's/reletives in Toronto.

Just to clairify, your expereince differs slightly in that you left your landcruser at the Allenby Bridge (aka King Hussen), and went into Israel on foot, is that correct? What was long term parking there like? Saftey for a bike? Cost? Did you leave it there because you had to, or wanted to?

Thanks
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  #3  
Old 17 May 2010
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Hi Thomas

I wouldn't worry about getting a second passport for this purpose (although Israel / Arab countries was one of the justifications for me getting mine) - that thread was only included for the Allenby bridge border crossing info. What the rules are for Canadians getting a second one I wouldn't know.

We left the Landcruiser at a little car park. From memory, it was on the right near the Jordanian border post as we approached the crossing - we asked around if there was a place to park and it was where we were sent.

This place wasn't hugely expensive but it was fenced off. I can't comment on how good it would be for a bike full stop, or indeed for a Landcruiser for 2 months! We chose to park there and cross by foot because we were only planning to stay for 2 days and because we weren't sure about avoiding incriminating stamps on the carnet, to say nothing of getting insurance for Israel and the uncertainly about whether we'd be let into Israel at all.

At various points on our trip, we preferred to park the car and let someone else do the driving and this was one of them.

Mark
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  #4  
Old 17 May 2010
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Riding in is still my first option, as I would like to do some riding in the country along with my other plans there. Parking in Jordan is a good fallback plan although two months seems like a long time to park it there. If I get refused the stamp at Israel border, I can just drive back and set up the long term parking. My main concern is that any potential theif might see it there day after day after day, and thus consider it as a good target. Who knows...

At least I now know that someone has successfully got all 4 stamps on seperate pieces of paper. I won't be the first to attempt it. Thanks for the great information, very helpful. I'm open to other thoughts aswell if anyone else has experience.
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Old 24 May 2010
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previous reply to a previous post:
"December 2008:
Came to Syria through Gaziantep, then to Jordan, from Jordan to Israel, through King Houssein border, which is the northern border. I got refused on the Jordan side, and had to go back to Amman to get a paper from some kind of administration, to allow me the border crossing with my bike.
So, back to the same border.
Getting in:
I managed to get a stamp on a separate piece of paper on the jordanian side. Israel border: surreal. Gun pointed at me - because I had lights on. Then 5 hours of inspection and questionning, because of the syrian visa ("why do you have a syrian visa?" I got the world map out of my bag... No joke. I had to explain that lybia is not that easy, and Irak not easier... "Do you have a return plane ticket?" My bike was parked right in front of her...). I managed to get a separate stamp for me, but NOT for the motorcycle (you don't need a carnet, but the importation of the vehicle is marked in the passport itself). The stamp is either in english or...in hebrew.
Getting out:
Much easier on the Israel side, for I knew everyone there. Surreal again (shaking hands, talking for hours about the travel, life in israel and so on). Managed to get the stamp on a separate paper. For the vehicule, same again: stamp on the passport - quite big this time.
Jordan side: I explained everything ("please do not stamp the passport, I'm going back to Syria, etc" "aïwa, aïwa, no problem"). No problem until I had to put my hand between the carnet and the stamp. He stamped my hand. Then looked at me, intrigued, and then sorry, when he realised what he was about to do.
Happy ending.
I went back to Syria, then to Turkey and Iran. Nobody suspected anything. Somebody I met on the road had to argue that the stamp for the exit of the israelian territory was a stamp from cambodia. It took some time, but it worked."
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Old 24 May 2010
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Thanks Vincek. I had not seen that one before, very interesting. Was it you, or someone else? Do you have a link to the origional thread?

So he is saying that to get out of Jordan with your bike requires a special pass from Amman. When entering Israel, he managed to get his own stamp on a piece of paper, but the vehicle importation was marked right in the passport, and then stamped on the seperate Jordanian thing? Woudn't that be a complete give away when you got back to Syria?

Interesting, and good to hear. I'd like to know more about what documentation you had to get from Amman bescides a double entry visa, for the bike to be able to temp import it out of Jordan and back in. My understanding is that at that partictular border crossing, you cannot get any visa's, you have to already have them in hand.
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  #7  
Old 26 May 2010
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Sorry, I don't have the link of the original thread right now, but if you have a look at my posts, you should find easily (it's on the first page of the middle east section).
What happened was that Jordan customs and authorities are scared to death that someone could do something in Israël because of a negligence on their side. So they're extra careful. This extra carefulness was acted by my entry refusal: they were convinced that I would have been turned out on the israeli side, and therefore that they would have been blamed for letting me in in the first place. Now, if the same guys are still working at this border (rather nice people), if you say that some other motorcyclists have crossed the border already (one of them with a french registered blue and white BMW k100), I suppose it should be no problem. Cars get in easily...
As regard to the document I got in Amman, I really don't know what it was: I got sent from buildings to buildings for a while, until I kind of lost patience and ask them to write me any bloody document that would get me through the first gate (my girlfriend was landing few days later to join me for two weeks. Knowing I was in Syria at the time, she got the interesting idea to include Tel-Aviv in "any city in the states surrounding Syria"...). I got the document, and it work. I still don't know what was written on it.
The vehicle stamp on the passport is a different issue. It can be either in English, OR in Hebrew. In the latter case, it is a complete give away. In the former, it depends on the guy at the Syrian border.
I had a single entry visa for Jordan, and got a new one when I came back from Israel (a double entry visa is a give away too...). You therefore have to pay twice the visa, the exit tax and the compulsory insurance. You can get visa at any Jordanian border, as far as I know.
For Israel, bring your green card: insurance is compulsory, and cost about 100$ at the border if you don't already have one.
Hope this is clear enough, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate.


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