Guidelines for Bringing Arba Minim into Israel and the U.S.

With Sukkos fast approaching, many travelers have raised questions regarding the transport of Arba Minim. In response, Chaim V’Chessed reached out to the office of Israel’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Moshe Abutbul, to clarify the ministry’s current rules for passengers arriving at Ben Gurion Airport.

Ministry officials explained that travelers are permitted to bring one esrog for personal use. However, the other three minim – lulav, hadassim, and aravos – are prohibited from being imported into Israel. Any such items found during inspections will be confiscated. To mitigate the inconvenience, the Agriculture Ministry has assured travelers that confiscated sets will be replaced with a new set of Arba Minim, free of charge. At Chaim V’Chessed’s behest, the Ministry published updated guidelines for 2024, available here.

For those traveling to the United States for Sukkos, the TSA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have issued specific guidelines for transporting Arba Minim. Rabbis Ariel Sadwin and A.D. Motzen of Agudath Israel of America have issued recommendations based on these guidelines, to help travelers avoid complications at U.S. airports.

For full details on travel regulations with Arba Minim in the U.S., travelers can consult a comprehensive guide provided by Agudath Israel, available here.