Innovation Visa for a Foreign Technology Entrepreneur in Israel
Israel's Innovation Visa for a Foreign Technology Entrepreneur is the clearest founder-specific pathway in the January 2025 snapshot.
Program status
The Israel Innovation Authority states that the procedure was approved in 2024 in cooperation with the Population and Immigration Authority and that the program is open year-round. It targets foreign technology entrepreneurs and researchers who want to enter Israel as entrepreneurs and establish companies.
Supporting framework and R&D requirement
The application must identify an approved supporting framework that will accompany the entrepreneur. The program evaluates the entrepreneur's background, the supporting framework, technological innovation, feasibility, R&D activity in Israel, business potential and the potential to establish an industrial company in Israel.
Immigration status
The Innovation Authority is a recommending body; the Population and Immigration Authority retains the legal power to grant the immigration status. The official page describes the benefit as a B/2 stay permit and says an approved entrepreneur may apply for a period tied to the venture, up to two years.
This is not a universal startup-founder or self-employment visa. It is a technology/R&D program with specific program criteria and a supporting framework.
Compare the High-Tech Expert B/1 route, U.S. Investor B/5 route, Israel hub, business visas, Middle East, methodology, and the legal disclaimer.
Official and supporting sources
- Official Israeli sourcegovernment · accessed 2026-10-01