Putting the Official Stamp on Middle East Border Crossings : Passports: Policies are changing, but some Arab countries still ban travelers who carry Israeli visas.

Israeli and Palestinian leaders may be talking at last, but travelers between Israel and its Arab neighbors still need to pay close attention to their passports.

Many Middle Eastern nations for years have refused to admit travelers bearing Israeli stamps in their passports. And even though relations between governments have been fitfully improving, U.S. State Department officials say some immigration agents may still cling to old policies.

But which immigration agents? That’s the big complication, because reliable information is hard to come by. In many Arab nations (as in the United States), two different government representatives may answer the same question in opposite ways. Lacking reliable information, U.S. State Department officials say, they can’t even offer a specific list of countries that ban Israeli stamps.

This isn’t a problem in Egypt, the most common neighboring destination of American travelers to Israel. Egypt has accepted Israelis and travelers with Israeli passport stamps since soon after the Camp David Accords of 1978.

But tourism officials say a longtime ban officially remains in effect--at least for now--in other Arab nations, including Bahrain, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. (There does, however, appear to be growing flexibility in some quarters. Jordanian officials, for instance, say they now make their admissions decisions “on a case-by-case basis.”)

The State Department’s advice is that travelers “consult the nearest U.S. Passport Agency for guidance.” The Passport Agency’s Southern California office is at 11000 Wilshire Blvd., Room 13100, Los Angeles 90024-3615; tel. (310) 575-7070. (Since the Jan. 17 earthquake, its hours have changed from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. to 8 a.m.-3 p.m.) But that office’s phone number provides recorded information, and officials there may be too busy for detailed consultations. Here are some options:

* Ask Israeli immigration agents to stamp a separate piece of paper, rather than your passport itself. Officials commonly go along with such requests, but travelers should remember that this is a judgment call; Israel notes that the decision “is at the discretion of authorities.”

* Get a temporary second passport from the U.S Passport Agency. Until 1992, U.S. officials issued second passports specifically for travel to Israel. Since then, the U.S. has issued second passports that don’t specifically name Israel, but serve the same purpose and are good for two years. U.S. officials require a lot of paperwork to issue such a passport, and often counsel against it; if you have two passports, you are far more likely to lose one, or hand over the wrong one at the border.

* Make Israel the final stop on your itinerary. This is by far the best option, and if there’s any uncertainty about passport approvals, travelers should take this measure either alone or in addition to one of those above. The worst that can happen is that you see all the countries you intended to, get stamped in Israel, and come home to the U.S., where you can decide at leisure whether you care to replace the passport.

(For decades, South African passport stamps have posed the same problems in Africa that an Israeli stamp did in the Arab world. But now, as South Africa emerges from its former pariah status and approaches its first post-apartheid election in April, many of those sanctions have eased. Within the last 18 months, both Egypt and Kenya have changed policies and started admitting travelers with South African stamps on their passports. Tourism officials of all but a handful of Africa’s 50-some nations have made similar changes.)

No matter what your passport strategy, it behooves travelers to Africa and the Middle East to make advance contact with foreign embassies in the U.S. to discuss visa requirements and other details. Travelers should also take particular care to stay apprised of unrest and political developments that could affect tourism. Recorded country-by-country updates are available from the State Department at (202) 647-5225.

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Travelers should also remember that the busiest season for passport applications is March to July, when processing time can stretch from the usual two weeks to three or four or even longer. Applicants need not apply through the Passport Agency’s Wilshire Boulevard office; many people can apply by mail, and most people can apply through the “acceptance facilities” at post offices and county courthouses throughout the state.

Generally, passport applicants need to provide proof of citizenship (such as a previous passport, birth certificate or certificate of naturalization), two photographs (each two inches square, in either color or black-and-white), evidence of identity (such as a driver’s license or a military ID card), a $65 fee (or $40 for travelers under 18) and an application form.