Seam Zone is a term used to refer to a land area in the West Bank located east of the Green Line and west of Israel's unilaterally constructed separation barrier.

This area was declared a "closed military zone" by way of a Military Order issued on 2 October 2003.^[1] The order stipulates that "no person will enter the seam area and no one will remain there". The regulation however, does not apply to Israelis, including Israeli settlers, whereby an Israeli is defined "as a citizen of the State of Israel, a resident of the State of Israel registered in the population registry in accordance with the Population Registry Law and anyone who is eligible to emigrate to Israel in accordance with the Law of Return."^[1]

Palestinians who live in the seam zone are allowed to enter and stay if they possess a written permit authorizing permanent residence. Palestinians who are not residents of the seam zone can apply for personal permits if they have a specific reason. Permits must be applied for in advance. There are 12 different categories of personal permits, including for farmers, employees, business owners and employees of the Palestinian Authority. Specific criteria for the acceptance or refusal of personal permits is not outlined in the regulations.

Permit holders must apply for special permission if they wish to travel by automobile, bring in goods or stay overnight in the seam zone. Even those holding permanent or personal permits are limited to crossing the barrier at the single gate specified in the permit. Personal permits granted, even those issued to farmers who wish to access their land, are often only valid for a limited period. Access to the seam zone even for permit holders is further limited by the specific operating regimes of the gate in question. Procedures and their opening hours differ from gate to gate and are not always entirely predictable.