An Israeli couple, Kai Doav and Binyamin Rivlin, have been stranded in Delhi for over a day after Indian authorities blocked them from leaving the country, claiming they had entered illegally. Although their entry into India from Nepal was properly documented, it was done manually—not digitally—leading to confusion at the airport.
The issue arose because the couple crossed into India overland through Nepal, where border officials still use handwritten logs instead of computerized systems. When they attempted to board a flight out of India, no digital record of their entry could be found. Border officials stamped their passports with a red mark and barred them from flying or even leaving the airport. “We’re trapped in India because of a stamp in our passport,” Kai wrote in a social media post.
“We’re just Israeli tourists," she explained. "We crossed the Nepal-India border legally, but when we tried to leave India by plane, we were told we entered the country ‘illegally.’ We’re not even allowed to leave the airport and spend the night at a hotel. We’ve been here since 1:25 a.m., sitting on the floor for seven hours. They won’t even give us a chair—it’s ‘reserved for the disabled and VIPs.’”
Kai recounted how they arrived at the border with valid passports and Indian visas. However, because the entry stamp they received at the Nepal-India crossing wasn’t uploaded to the computer system, Indian authorities considered them as never having entered the country. “We signed the registry, there are our signatures, we even signed for the guy who stood there with his motorbike—but none of that has a digital trail. As far as India is concerned, we never arrived.”
She described dismissive behavior from officials at the Delhi airport and a lack of help from Israeli authorities. “The police here just said there’s nothing they can do. They didn’t believe us at first, were shocked to hear we signed a notebook, and refused to verify anything with Nepal or check the cameras. I’m crying, breaking down, and they’re laughing in my face. We were told we need to contact the FRRO (Foreigners Regional Registration Officers) to ‘try and resolve the issue’—but that could take weeks or even months," she said.
“The Israeli consulate in Delhi confirmed it might take a long time. But I don’t have a visa to stay in India for several months. How can a country both prevent me from leaving and refuse to let me stay? Where is Israel? The response we got from the embassy and consulate was that ‘India made a mistake, it happens,’ but that’s not enough. This red stamp in my passport will cause problems in future travels. I feel helpless, humiliated, and have no idea when I’ll get out,” she wrote.
Kai added: “What needs to happen now is for the Indian government to acknowledge the manual registry at the Nepal border. They need to check the notebooks and camera footage. The Israeli consulate must pressure India to resolve this quickly. I can’t stay here without a visa, without conditions, without knowing when this will end. Please, help us get out of here—this nightmare won’t stop. We’re already mentally broken.”
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Later in the day, Kai and Binyamin were permitted to move to a hotel near the airport. The couple had been traveling in India for about three months, during which they crossed into Nepal and later re-entered India to continue their trip. The problem began when they tried to fly to Thailand. “We couldn’t bribe anyone—they laughed in my face,” Kai said. “They made me sit on the floor for eight hours. I begged in tears just to go smoke a cigarette under escort, and they refused. They said if I stepped outside, they’d arrest me and take me to jail for questioning.”
Speaking to Ynet from the hotel, she added: “It’s just unbelievable. We were detained on the floor for eight hours. I spoke to the foreign minister and his adviser, who tried to help me reach the embassy. But I was told it could take weeks or even months. We were planning to leave India yesterday—we’ve been done with it for a while. We had a flight to Thailand, but now we’re considered illegal residents here.”
They are waiting for developments and assistance from Israel. “We’re worried this could go on for a long time. I’ve spoken to other Israelis who went through this—they said they ended up spending months in jail and paying thousands in fines. We’re just 22 years old. We came to travel. The only thing that ruined it was trying to leave Nepal. They told us we’re being detained at the airport because our luggage was already loaded onto the plane and maybe we sent something illegal," Kai said.
“They waited until the luggage came back, then told us we’re banned from the airport for 24 hours. We found a guesthouse nearby and are afraid to leave the room. Our families know, but there’s not much they can do. We’re all feeling completely helpless. The foreign minister’s adviser is in touch with me, but from the sound of things, there’s nothing to be done at the moment. From what I understand, they call Israelis into the immigration office and demand a ‘fine,’ which is basically a bribe, and jail them until the money is paid. But we don’t want to end up in that situation at all.”