Israeli Standard 5568
Israeli Standard 5568 (IS 5568) is Israel's official technical standard for digital accessibility, defining the requirements that websites, web applications, and digital documents must meet to be usable by people with disabilities - requirements based on WCAG 2.0 Level AA and incorporated into law through the Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities Law, 5758-1998. Compliance with IS 5568 is legally mandatory for both public-sector entities and private businesses serving the Israeli public, making it one of the most enforceable digital accessibility regimes in the Middle East.
What is IS 5568?
Israeli Standard 5568 (IS 5568) is the national technical standard governing the accessibility of web content, web applications, and digital documents in Israel. Published by the Standards Institution of Israel (SII) and comprising two parts - Part 1 (website accessibility, most recently updated September 2023) and Part 2 (accessible digital documents, published May 2020) - the standard is substantially based on the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 at Level AA, with alignment toward WCAG 2.1 in later revisions. IS 5568 was mandated by the Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities (Service Accessibility Adjustments) Regulations, 5773-2013, enacted under the Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities Law, 5758-1998, giving it the force of binding national law. Its purpose is to ensure that people with visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive disabilities can perceive, operate, understand, and interact with digital services on equal terms.
Who must comply?
IS 5568 applies to virtually all Israeli service providers - both public-sector bodies and private-sector organizations - that offer services or information to the general public through a website or digital channel. Medium and large businesses with average annual revenue of NIS 300,000 or more that were established after the standard's October 2017 entry into force were required to comply immediately; those established before 2017 had until October 2020. Small businesses with average annual revenue below NIS 300,000 were also required to comply by October 2020. Only private contractors with average annual income of NIS 100,000 or less are statutorily exempt. Covered industries span health, finance, banking, insurance, telecommunications, education, e-commerce, transportation, tourism, culture, hospitality, and government services, among others.
Key requirements
- Websites and web applications must conform to WCAG 2.0 Level AA success criteria (perceivable, operable, understandable, robust).
- All non-text content - including images, buttons, and icons - must have descriptive text alternatives for screen readers.
- All functionality must be operable via keyboard alone, without requiring a mouse or pointer device.
- Video content must include Hebrew-language subtitles; pre-recorded audio must have text transcripts.
- Text must maintain a minimum color contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
- Organizations must publish an accessibility statement disclosing their conformance level and listing a designated accessibility coordinator with contact details.
- Digital documents (PDFs, Word files, etc.) must meet IS 5568 Part 2 requirements, including semantic tagging, logical reading order, and text alternatives for non-text elements.
Key dates & deadlines
- October 2017IS 5568 entered into force; immediate compliance required for medium and large businesses (NIS 300,000+ annual revenue) established from 2017 onward.
- October 2020Full compliance deadline for all remaining covered organizations, including small businesses and entities established before 2017. No grace period remains - all covered organizations are expected to be in compliance.
Penalties & enforcement
Under the Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities Law, a person with a disability who encounters a non-compliant website may file a civil claim and seek statutory damages of up to NIS 50,000 without needing to prove that they personally suffered any harm - proof of non-compliance alone is sufficient. Additional fines may apply under Section 61(a)(3) of the Penal Law, 5737-1977, including a 5% daily surcharge on any fine for each day a violation continues, with corporate penalties doubled. Enforcement and oversight are exercised by the Commission for Equal Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CERPD) at the Ministry of Justice.
How IS 5568 relates to WCAG
IS 5568 is explicitly and substantially based on the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 at Level AA, which the standard's opening section identifies as its primary international source; the standard also aligns with ISO/IEC 40500:2012, the ISO adoption of WCAG 2.0. Part 1 of IS 5568, updated in September 2023, incorporates alignment toward WCAG 2.1, though the statutory baseline embedded in Israel's Service Accessibility Regulations remains WCAG 2.0 Level AA. Organizations that achieve WCAG 2.1 Level AA conformance therefore exceed the current legal minimum and are well-positioned for any future regulatory updates to the standard.
How EqualWeb helps you meet IS 5568
EqualWeb's AI Accessibility Widget provides a one-line installation that automatically remediates approximately 80% of common WCAG 2.0/2.1 Level AA issues in real time - directly addressing the technical baseline that IS 5568 mandates - while its profile-based accessibility menu supports users with visual, motor, and cognitive needs as required by the standard. For organizations seeking the full certified conformance that IS 5568's legal obligation demands, EqualWeb's Managed Compliance service pairs IAAP/CPWA-certified experts with continuous client-side remediation, delivering a signed Accessibility Compliance Certificate, a VPAT/Accessibility Conformance Report, and a documented evidence pack that supports a demonstrated record of due diligence. EqualWeb's Continuous Monitoring tracks a live 0-100 compliance score with regression alerts, helping Israeli businesses maintain conformance over time and address the ongoing daily penalty exposure that IS 5568 enforcement allows. The PDF Tools module addresses IS 5568 Part 2 obligations by enabling organizations to check, remediate, and serve accessible PDFs aligned with PDF/UA requirements - critical for any covered entity that publishes digital documents to the public. Together, these services help Israeli organizations work systematically toward the full WCAG 2.0 AA conformance that IS 5568 requires, backed by auditable evidence.
IS 5568 - frequently asked questions
What is IS 5568 and what does it require?
Who is required to comply with IS 5568?
What is the compliance deadline for IS 5568?
What are the penalties for non-compliance with IS 5568?
Is IS 5568 the same as WCAG, and which version applies?
Official sources & further reading
Related standards & laws
Meet IS 5568 with confidence
Talk to a certified specialist about bringing your site to IS 5568 conformance - and getting the documentation to prove it.