The United States will provide on-site passport services this week in the West Bank town of Efrat, marking the first time American consular officials have offered such services in the region, US officials said on Tuesday.
In a post on X, the US Embassy in Jerusalem said that as part of efforts to reach all Americans abroad, "consular officers will be providing routine passport services in Efrat on Friday, February 27."
The Embassy said it would plan similar on-site services in the Palestinian West Bank city of Ramallah, in Beitar Illit, and in major cities within Israel, such as Haifa.
Current US consular services in Israel
The US offers passport and consular services at its Embassy in Jerusalem and at a Tel Aviv branch office. The number of dual American-Israeli nationals living in the West Bank is estimated to be in the tens of thousands.
Asked for comment, an embassy spokesperson said: "This is the first time we have provided consular services to a settlement in the West Bank." The spokesperson said similar services were being offered to American-Palestinian dual nationals in the West Bank.
Efrat, where American consular officials will provide passport services on Friday, is home to many American immigrants. The US Embassy said it did not have data on the number of Americans living there.
Israeli politicians, West Bank community leaders, praise announcement
Likud MK Yuli Edelstein welcomed the decision, calling it “another historic step for Gush Etzion and the settlement enterprise as a whole.” He said the move was “blessed and of enormous importance,” adding that it strengthens “international legitimacy for our right to parts of our homeland in Judea and Samaria.” Edelstein added that “the next step should be the application of full sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.”
Efrat Municipal Council head Dovi Shefler also promoted the development in a Facebook post on Tuesday, while sharing a separate announcement for local residents with US citizenship. Shefler wrote that Tuesday evening was the final opportunity to register for an outreach appointment by the US Embassy’s service office at the Efrat Municipality, where residents could receive needed services for American citizens living in the community.
According to the post, services to be provided at the outreach event included first-time US passports, passport renewals for minors and adults, citizenship registration for children born outside the US, notary services, and questions for a representative from the Federal Benefits Unit (with no applications to be accepted on site).
The post also included a preparation checklist for registrants, including completed and printed passport forms with barcodes, US-size passport photos, pay.gov payment confirmation, original supporting documents with photocopies, Israel Post delivery labels, and the presence of all applicants requiring service. It also noted that weapons of any kind would not be permitted at the site.