General Information

Important Dates

Conference Dates: Monday-Thursday, 17-20 February, 2020

Deadlines for Abstract Submission to be considered for an oral presentation and e-poster abstract submission: 5 September, 2019

Deadline of Payment from abstract submitters/speakers: 15 September, 2019, in order to be included in the final Program

Early Registration rates until 15 September, 2019

Late Registration rates from 16 September, 2019

Language

The official language of the Conference is English.

Israel’s official languages are Hebrew and Arabic.

Most Israelis speak English, and most of the signposts are in English as well.

Clothing

Business casual for all occasions.

Internet Access

Most hotels have wireless access point (WiFi) available.

Smoking Policy

This is a non-smoking event.

Currency

The unit of currency in Israel is the New Israeli Shekel (NIS), commonly known as the Shekel. The Shekel consists of 100 Agorot.
As of May 2019;
$1 USD = approximately NIS 3.57
1 EUR = approximately NIS 4.01

Exchange rates are fluctuating daily.

Electricity

Electricity in Israel is supplied at 220V, 50Hz and has a three-pin connecting plug.

Liability and Insurance

The conference organizers cannot accept responsibility whatsoever for injury or damage involving persons and property either during or indirectly arising from the conference. Participants are advised to make their own arrangements with respect to personal health and travel insurance.

Value Added Tax Reimbursement

According to the Value Added Tax (VAT) Law, a foreign tourist is able to benefit from a zero rate of VAT on a vast array of services obtained during a stay in Israel. In addition, a special arrangement exists whereby a tourist may also request a VAT refund on purchases made during a stay. For more details please visit the official website of the Ministry of Finance, Israeli Department of Customs and VAT.

Tourist Visas

All visitors to Israel must hold a passport that is valid for at least six months from the date they enter the country. Individuals holding national passports of the following countries are not required to obtain a visa prior to their arrival at Israel:

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea (south), Latvia, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom and the United States of America.

(Note: this is a partial list, compiled from the list of countries from which the Conference website was visited; for a complete list of the countries with visa exemption agreements with Israel, please look here).

Letters of invitations will be issued by the Conference Secretariat to bona fide participants only. Requests should be sent on the official letterhead of the Applicants company / organization.

Individuals from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel, should write to the Conference Secretariat, ilanit@ortra.com, no later than three months prior to the Conference, giving their full name, date and place of birth, passport number, date of issue and expiry, date of arrival and flight details. The Conference Secretariat will do its best efforts to arrange for a visa to be issued at the airport upon arrival; however, granting of such requests is at the discretion of the authorities in Israel.

Note: Passport and visa requirements are liable to change at short notice. Travelers are advised to check their entry requirements with the Israeli Embassy/Consulate or with their travel agent.

For any question relating to visas, please contact the Conference Secretariat at: ilanit@ortra.com.

More Information about Israel on the Internet in the following web sites:

Ministry of Tourism
Visit Tel Aviv
iTravel Jerusalem
Ministry of Foreign Affairs