The Consulate General of Italy in Jerusalem has issued a notice that all consular services—including passport issuance, visa processing, notarial acts and AIRE registrations—will be suspended on Wednesday 28 January, with residual disruptions likely in the early hours of Thursday 29 January. The mission cites an extraordinary systems upgrade but has not ruled out the influence of regional security concerns.
Italian nationals residing in the Palestinian Territories or visiting Israel are advised to anticipate delays in emergency-travel-document issuance and to collect biometric passports before 26 January where possible. Visa applicants with appointments on the affected dates will be rescheduled automatically; however, peak demand ahead of the Easter travel season means the next available slots fall in mid-February.
Corporate travel managers with assignees transiting through Ben Gurion Airport should ensure they carry proof of onward accommodation and travel insurance, as manual document checks may be more stringent when consular back-up is limited. Employers planning to onboard non-EU hires via the Jerusalem mission should factor in a two-week slippage to mobilisation timelines.
![Italian Consulate in Jerusalem to Suspend All Services 28–29 January]()
For those seeking to lodge or monitor Italian visa applications during the outage, VisaHQ’s digital platform can act as a reliable intermediary. The service enables applicants to complete forms online, have documents pre-checked for accuracy, and route submissions through alternative Italian missions while providing real-time status updates—helping to mitigate the disruptions outlined above. Full details are available at https://www.visahq.com/italy/.
The closure underscores a broader challenge: according to the Foreign Ministry’s latest budget documents, 28 % of Italian diplomatic posts worldwide operate with critical IT-infrastructure gaps that can trigger unplanned service stoppages. A €120 million digital-consulate overhaul is scheduled for roll-out starting Q3 2026, but short-term disruptions remain likely.
Travellers requiring urgent assistance during the shutdown can contact the embassy’s duty phone or the Foreign Ministry’s 24/7 crisis unit in Rome (+39 06 36225).
Italian nationals residing in the Palestinian Territories or visiting Israel are advised to anticipate delays in emergency-travel-document issuance and to collect biometric passports before 26 January where possible. Visa applicants with appointments on the affected dates will be rescheduled automatically; however, peak demand ahead of the Easter travel season means the next available slots fall in mid-February.
Corporate travel managers with assignees transiting through Ben Gurion Airport should ensure they carry proof of onward accommodation and travel insurance, as manual document checks may be more stringent when consular back-up is limited. Employers planning to onboard non-EU hires via the Jerusalem mission should factor in a two-week slippage to mobilisation timelines.
For those seeking to lodge or monitor Italian visa applications during the outage, VisaHQ’s digital platform can act as a reliable intermediary. The service enables applicants to complete forms online, have documents pre-checked for accuracy, and route submissions through alternative Italian missions while providing real-time status updates—helping to mitigate the disruptions outlined above. Full details are available at https://www.visahq.com/italy/.
The closure underscores a broader challenge: according to the Foreign Ministry’s latest budget documents, 28 % of Italian diplomatic posts worldwide operate with critical IT-infrastructure gaps that can trigger unplanned service stoppages. A €120 million digital-consulate overhaul is scheduled for roll-out starting Q3 2026, but short-term disruptions remain likely.
Travellers requiring urgent assistance during the shutdown can contact the embassy’s duty phone or the Foreign Ministry’s 24/7 crisis unit in Rome (+39 06 36225).
