Leaving Israel from Ben Gurion Terminal 3, step by step
Every step from the level 3 curb to your boarding gate, based on the Israel Airports Authority’s own guidance.
At Ben Gurion Airport (TLV), departing passengers are dropped at the Terminal 3 check-in hall on level 3. From there you go through security questioning, check-in and bag drop, hand-luggage screening and passport control before the duty-free hall and the gates. The Israel Airports Authority recommends arriving three hours before an international flight. Travellers with hand luggage only and an online boarding pass can use the Zone W fast lane. Check your terminal before you set off, because since July 2026 some flights leave from Terminal 1.
Before you leave for the airport
A few checks at your hotel or apartment save time at the counters later.
- Confirm your terminal
Look up your flight number on the flight board or in your airline’s app. The airline name alone is not enough, because some airlines fly from both terminals.
- Check in online if your airline allows it
With a boarding pass on your phone and only hand luggage, you skip the airline counter and go straight to Zone W, the fast lane through security.
- Plan to arrive three hours before your flight
That is the IAA recommendation for international flights. If you are going by taxi, book your Ben Gurion airport taxi ahead and include the flight number and terminal.
- Pack for the screening rules
Lithium batteries, power banks included, may not go in checked baggage, so keep them in your hand luggage. Scissors, knives, nail files, pepper spray and tools may not go in hand luggage. Lock your suitcase only with a TSA-approved lock.
- Keep VAT-refund goods within reach
If you are claiming a VAT refund on goods that will travel in your suitcase, keep them and their invoices easy to get at. They are stamped on level 3 before you check in.
From the curb to the gate
This is the route through Terminal 3 for an international flight, following the IAA guidance.
- Drop-off on level 3
Taxis and private cars drop you at the departures entrance on level 3, which opens into the check-in hall. Stopping or waiting on the roadside anywhere at the airport is banned and enforced by cameras, so a friend who drives you cannot wait outside.
- Find your check-in area
Screens in the hall show the check-in area for each flight. The information desk is opposite Gate 32, and paid porters can be booked there too.
- Security questioning
Before the airline counter, a security agent checks your passport and ticket or boarding pass and asks a few questions about your trip. Have both documents in your hand while you wait in line.
- Check-in and bag drop
At the airline counter your suitcase is tagged and sent through automatic hold-baggage screening. If the system flags something, the bag goes for a manual check.
- Hand-luggage screening and passport control
Have your passport and boarding pass ready. Take your laptop out of the bag beforehand, and walk through the metal detector while your bags go through the scanner. The millimetre-wave body scanner is optional, and you can ask for a physical search instead, which takes longer. At passport control, the self-service kiosks are for Israelis with biometric passports, and staffed booths work alongside them.
- Duty free and the gates
After these checks you reach the duty-free hall, with the gate concourses marked by letters. Your gate appears on the screens. If the overhead bins fill up, the airline may send your carry-on to the hold at the gate, so keep your passport, medication, valuables and electronics in a small separate bag.
Where things are for departing passengers
Most of your time before passport control is on level 3. After it, everything is in the duty-free hall.
| Where | What you find there |
|---|---|
| Level 3, check-in hall | Airline counters, the information desk and paid porters opposite Gate 32, the first VAT-refund counter across from the information desk, and a currency exchange branch before hand-luggage screening |
| Duty-free hall, after passport control | Shops, the second VAT-refund counter at the entrance to Concourse E, a synagogue, a Muslim and Christian prayer room at Concourse E, a baby-care room with first aid beside it, and play areas in Concourses B, C and D |
| Level G | The free shuttle to Terminal 1 and the long-term car park, near Gate 01 |
Claiming a VAT refund as a tourist
The refund at the airport works in two steps, one on each side of passport control.
- Who can claim
Passengers who are not Israeli citizens, on goods bought in Israel.
- Step one, before check-in
Goods packed in your suitcase are stamped at the refund counter on level 3, across from the information desk, before you hand the suitcase over.
- Step two, after passport control
The second refund counter is in the duty-free hall, at the entrance to Concourse E.
Travelling with children, older relatives or a wheelchair
- Baby care and play areas
After passport control, a baby-care room is signposted from the duty-free hall, and there are play areas in Concourses B, C and D.
- Passengers aged 80 and over
They get priority in the security and check-in lines, and signs at passport control point them to a shorter line.
- Wheelchair or other assistance
Tell your airline in advance, then contact its ground-handling company at the airport. A marked path leads from the level 3 entrance to the assistance desk at Gate 32, and an electric buggy from passport control to the gate can be reserved at check-in.
- Child seats in the taxi
We have child seats for every age. Write how many children are travelling and how old they are when you book; see taxi with a child seat.
- A lot of luggage
Paid porters are booked at the information desk on level 3. For the ride, tell us how many large suitcases and trolley bags you have, and we match the vehicle, for example a large taxi.
Sources, checked on 18 October 2026
- Arrival time, security and screening
- Online check-in and Zone W
- Terminal 1 and the terminal split
- Services and accessibility at Terminal 3
Terminal 3 services (opens in a new tab) and IAA accessibility information (opens in a new tab)
- The shuttle to Terminal 1
- Passport control kiosks
State Comptroller report on border control, in Hebrew (opens in a new tab)
Questions and answers
What will the security agent ask me?
After checking your passport and ticket, the agent asks questions about your trip and your flight. Answer plainly and keep your documents in your hand.
Who can use Zone W?
Passengers with hand luggage only who checked in online and hold a boarding pass, printed or on their phone. Your other travel documents are checked at the gate.
Do I have to go through the body scanner?
No. You can ask for a physical search instead, which takes longer. The IAA says its description of the scanner is not a recommendation to use it, and leaves the choice to you.
Can I carry duty-free liquids on a connecting flight?
Liquids bought at Ben Gurion duty free and sealed in the special bag are allowed on flights to Europe and on connections within Europe or to the USA. On a US route, put the sealed bag in your suitcase at the first stop in the USA. The rule does not cover products from home.
Can my power bank go in my suitcase?
No. Lithium batteries may not travel in checked baggage, so carry power banks and spare batteries in your hand luggage.
My flight leaves from Terminal 1. How do I get there from Terminal 3?
Take the free shuttle from Level G, near Gate 01. Our Terminal 1 guide explains what departs from there.
Book on WhatsApp or by phone
Send us where from, where to and when on WhatsApp, and the taxi will be there on time.