Israeli passport (illustrative)
Israeli passport (illustrative)Flash 90

Interior Minister Aryeh Deri decided to compensate citizens who were forced to pay high prices for temporary passports last summer at Ben Gurion Airport.

The citizens had been forced to shell out for temporary passports due to the long waiting time for the new biometric passports.

"Following intensive work by us and the staff of the Population and Immigration Authority, more than 2 million biometric passports have been issued and the issue continues at a high rate this summer," said Deri.

"I decided to order the return of the surplus money that was paid to the bank accounts of citizens who paid a temporary passport. They are not to blame for the gridlock, and it is time to return the surplus money they paid," Deri added.

Last summer, biometric passports became mandatory. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis swamped the Interior Ministry in an attempt to exchange their passport, causing delays. As a result, Israelis seeking to fly overseas were forced to buy temporary passports at the airport.

In the coming days, a form will be published on the website of the Population and Immigration Authority. A person who paid a large sum for a temporary passport can apply to get a refund for his passport.