Big Win as Emergency Appointments Restored at US Embassy

No emergency passports will be issued for children born to US residents living in Israel, according to new restrictions that the US Embassy unveiled last week.

These regulations severely constrained families of Americans living in Israel regarding Passover travel.

This issue arose on top of the worrying four to the five-month wait time for appointments for Consular Reports of Birth Abroad and newborns’ first passports in Israel. Emergency passports were an option for those who needed an emergency passport but couldn’t get a CRBA appointment.

With other local groups like Amudim and Agudath Israel, Chaim V’Chessed has been putting a lot of effort towards resolving this problem immediately. Several government representatives have also gotten involved in this situation.

Significantly, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) wrote Secretary of State Antony Blinken a short letter on this subject. Also, he tweeted about the problem, writing: “American citizens in Israel are having baffling issues getting passports.

Before the Passover holiday, these ostensibly unnecessary impediments are incredibly aggravating. The State Department must put an end to these delays, I insist.

According to Chaim V’Chessed, the US Embassy changed its mind about last week’s announcement today. The Embassy has reinstituted neonatal emergency passport appointments with immediate effect.

Several Chaim V’chessed clients have already received emergency appointments this afternoon, despite not having many open slots.

The group applauded the political officials who brought up this issue at the highest levels of government, and we appreciate the Embassy staff for putting this adjustment into effect.

However, it’s vital to remember that getting any passport appointment is still quite challenging, and there are still significant wait times. For the sake of American residents residing in Israel, Chaim V’Chessed will continue to push for a comprehensive solution to this problem.