Accessibility law · Middle East & Africa

Israel IS 5568 → WCAG 2.0 AA

In Israel, the standard to meet is IS 5568 → WCAG 2.0 AA. It binds public bodies and most businesses that serve the public online, except the smallest. This page was reviewed against primary sources on 30 September 2026.

Standard
IS 5568 → WCAG 2.0 AA
Private sector
Covered
Accessibility statement
Required
Latest
Oct 2017
Reviewed
30 September 2026
The 38 criteria All jurisdictions Checklist

Scope

Who it applies to

Any public body or business that offers a public service, or information about one, online must make its websites, documents and apps meet Israeli Standard 5568 (based on WCAG 2.0) at level AA and display an accessibility statement. Businesses with average yearly turnover up to NIS 100,000 are exempt. Courts can award up to NIS 50,000 per tort without proof of harm (index-linked), and since August 2023 the Commission can also impose administrative fines.

  • Public sector

    Every public body that serves the public. The law's 'public authorities' include listed public bodies, state health service providers, official educational institutions and public institutions more than 30% funded by the state. Public authorities must also caption prerecorded video, whatever their size.

  • Private sector

    Covered

    Very broad. The duty covers anyone providing a 'public service', which includes the sectors in the law's Second Schedule: health, entertainment, education and leisure, welfare, sport, tourism, transport, culture, hospitality, commerce, religion, energy, telecommunications, and banking, credit, insurance, pensions and other financial services. Businesses that are VAT-exempt dealers or have average annual turnover up to NIS 100,000 are exempt, and captions are required only above NIS 5 million average turnover.

Coverage

What it covers

Websites are only part of it. Each tile says whether these rules reach that kind of product, with the detail.

  • Websites

    Covered

    Must meet IS 5568 at level AA.

  • Mobile apps

    Covered

    Israeli app standard if one exists, otherwise the web standard's criteria on at least two common operating systems; exempt if the same service is on an accessible mobile site.

  • Documents

    Covered

    Documents such as PDFs prepared from 26 October 2017 must be accessible; online forms regardless of date.

  • Software

    Not covered

    Desktop software is not addressed by the internet rules.

  • Kiosks and terminals

    Covered

    Regulation 25 covers vending, payment, information and banking machines: IS 1918 Part 4, plain-language and audio instructions, at least a third of identical machines.

  • Public procurement

    Unclear

    No procurement rule found in the sources checked.

Timeline

Deadlines

Every date here is already in force.

Dates move, so check the linked source before you plan around one.

  1. 7 Oct 2005 In force

    The accessibility chapter of the law (Amendment 2) takes effect, including damages without proof of harm.

    Source

  2. 25 Oct 2013 In force

    The Service Accessibility Regulations take effect, six months after publication on 25 April 2013.

    Source

  3. 13 Oct 2016 In force

    An amendment moves the deadline for existing websites from 25 October 2016 to 26 October 2017.

    Source

  4. 26 Oct 2017 In force

    Deadline for existing sites; new regulations 35A to 35F take effect (standard, documents, apps, captions, statement, exemptions).

    Source

  5. 26 Oct 2020 In force

    The temporary exemption for businesses with turnover up to NIS 300,000 ends.

    Source

  6. 1 Jan 2022 In force

    Personal documents behind a login prepared from this date must be accessible.

    Source

  7. 10 Aug 2023 In force

    Administrative fines and warnings under Amendment 23 become available to the Commission.

    Source

Instruments

The law in Israel

4 laws, rules and rulings, oldest first. Each links to its primary source.

Every fact points at a primary source. Dates move, and several moved in 2025 and 2026, so check the source before you rely on one.

  1. 1998

    Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities Law, 5758-1998

    Chapter E1 (accessibility) added by Amendment 2, 2005; administrative enforcement added by Amendment 23, 2022

    Gives disabled people a right of access to public services offered by public bodies and listed private sectors, and makes breaches of the accessibility rules a civil tort with damages of up to NIS 50,000 without proof of harm. Since 2023 the Commission can also impose administrative fines.

    Primary source

  2. 2013

    Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities (Service Accessibility Adjustments) Regulations, 5773-2013

    K.T. 7240, 25 April 2013; made under s. 19L (19יב) of the law

    Detailed accessibility duties for public services. The original regulation 35 required internet services to follow the Israeli standard, or else W3C WCAG, at level AA; regulation 25 covers self-service machines.

    Primary source

  3. Oct 2017 Latest

    Regulations 35A to 35F (35א–35ו), internet services

    K.T. 7876, 26 October 2017, replacing regulation 35

    The current web rules: websites and documents must meet the internet accessibility standard, IS 5568, at level AA; apps follow the app standard or the web criteria on two common platforms; accessibility statement; captions for public bodies and entities above NIS 5 million turnover; turnover and technology exemptions; 60-day notice-and-fix rule.

    Primary source

  4. May 2021

    IS 5568 Part 1 (2021): Guidelines for accessibility of internet content

    Standards Institution of Israel; regulations refer to it as amended from time to time

    The May 2021 edition of Part 1 adopts WCAG 2.0 (11 December 2008) with some Israeli changes, including to the time-based media criteria. Level AA is what the regulations require.

    Primary source

Enforcement

Enforcement and penalties

  • Who enforces

    The Commission for Equal Rights of Persons with Disabilities, headed by the Commissioner.

  • How

    The Commissioner can issue accessibility orders. Since 10 August 2023 a senior Commission official can impose administrative fines or give administrative warnings, and the Commission can also sue. Disabled people can bring civil claims, including class actions.

  • Penalties

    Courts can award up to NIS 50,000 per tort without proof of damage; the amount is index-linked to the consumer price index from February 2005, and senior officers can be personally liable unless they show they did not know and took reasonable steps. Administrative fines for website and app failures (Eighth Schedule, Part C) are NIS 3,940 for micro, NIS 14,220 for small and NIS 41,030 for other entities; for a missing accessibility statement (Part A) they are NIS 1,310, NIS 3,830 and NIS 13,680. Fines are indexed every 1 January.

  • Individuals

    Yes. Breaching the accessibility rules is a civil tort, and a disabled person can sue without proving damage; class actions are possible. Under regulation 35A(d), a deviation from the web rules is not a breach unless the entity was notified and failed to fix it within a reasonable time of no more than 60 days.

Accessibility statement

A statement is required

Required

Every covered website and app must display, in a prominent place, an accessibility statement that follows IS 5568. It must describe the adjustments made, give the contact details of the accessibility coordinator where the law requires one, and explain how to report missing accessibility or request an adjustment. Any exemption and the alternative arrangements must also be published there. No update deadline is set.

Exemptions

What is exempt

Exemptions are narrow and usually have to be claimed and explained, not assumed.

  • VAT-exempt dealers and entities with average annual turnover up to NIS 100,000.
  • Average turnover up to NIS 300,000: temporary exemption, ended 26 October 2020.
  • Average turnover of NIS 1,000,000 or less: exempt for a site or app it began operating before the rules took effect, if its contact details for getting the service are published accessibly; valid three years and renewable.
  • Technological limits certified by a service accessibility auditor on expert opinion: up to three years, renewable once, with alternative access and disclosure in the statement.
  • Features a social network platform does not allow.
  • Services open only to pre-registered users with at most 500 simultaneous participants, unless a disabled person asks.
  • Documents prepared before 26 October 2017, except online forms and documents explaining them prepared after 26 October 2015.
  • Third-party content the entity does not edit or produce, provided it offers accessible tools such as an image-description field.
  • Captions are required only from public bodies and entities with average turnover above NIS 5 million; recorded conferences and lectures may use a transcript.
  • Advertising, if an accessible alternative for the service information exists.
  • Undue burden and other exemptions under the law, with alternative adjustments where reasonable.

The standard

What WCAG 2.0 Level AA asks for

38 success criteria: 25 at Level A and 13 at Level AA. 4.1.1 Parsing counts in this version, but WCAG 2.2 removed it as obsolete, so it has no page here.

1. Perceivable

2. Operable

3. Understandable

4. Robust

Beyond the law

18 Level A and AA criteria in WCAG 2.2 that these rules do not require yet. Meeting them now costs little and is where the rules are heading.

Meeting it

Where to start

The standard named here is WCAG 2.0 Level AA.

  1. Audit your pages against WCAG 2.0 Level AA: 38 success criteria at Level A and AA.
  2. Check text and control contrast in the Contrast Checker.
  3. Run the URL Analyzer for the problems a machine can find, then test with a keyboard and a screen reader.
  4. Publish an accessibility statement that says what does not meet the standard yet, and how to report a problem.
  5. Work through the Accessibility Checklist and keep a record of what you tested.

This is a summary to orient you, not legal advice. For a decision that matters, read the primary sources and ask a lawyer who practices there.

Questions

Common questions

  • Does it apply to private companies?

    Yes, unusually broadly. Any business that provides a public service in the listed sectors, such as commerce, banking, insurance, telecoms, health, tourism or entertainment, and offers it or information about it online must comply, unless its average annual turnover is NIS 100,000 or less or it is a VAT-exempt dealer.

  • Which WCAG version applies?

    The regulations require IS 5568 at level AA, 'as amended from time to time'. The 2021 edition of IS 5568 Part 1 is based on WCAG 2.0 with Israeli changes. The regulations do not name a newer WCAG version.

  • Can we be sued over a single accessibility bug?

    Under regulation 35A(d), a deviation from the web rules is not a breach unless you were notified and did not fix it within a reasonable time, no later than 60 days, and you must offer an alternative in the meantime. Once it is a breach, a court can award damages without proof of harm, up to NIS 50,000 per tort, index-linked.

  • Do apps have to be accessible?

    Yes. Apps must meet an Israeli app standard if one exists; until then they must meet the web standard's success criteria as far as relevant, on at least two common operating systems. An app is exempt if the identical service is available on an accessible mobile website and the app links to it.

  • Do we need an accessibility statement?

    Yes. It must be prominent on the site and in any app, describe the adjustments made, give the accessibility coordinator's details where one is required, explain how to report problems or request adjustments, and disclose any exemption.

Sources

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from one of these; the few secondary sources are marked. Reviewed 30 September 2026.

Elsewhere

Other jurisdictions