Over One-Third of Israeli Government Services Remain Non-Digital Despite Legal Mandates

The National Digital Directorate of Israel has released a comprehensive mapping of 4,562 government and local authority services, revealing that by 2025, only about 65% of these services are available online. Despite the 2018 Digital Communication Law requiring all common public services to be fully accessible digitally from start to finish, hundreds of services remain unavailable online, including key ones like passport applications and changes to identity card attachments.

The report highlights that 1,174 services are classified as common, with high demand such as vehicle license renewals, land registry extracts, identity card requests, and tax reporting. Additionally, 4,255 types of documents are required from the public during government procedures, with 1,866 originating from other government bodies, underscoring inefficiencies in inter-agency data sharing.

Among the 116 services legally mandated to be digital but still not online, critical ones include applying for a new identity card, passport, work visa, and requests for exemptions from military service on religious grounds. Some services are only accessible via email rather than through digital forms, contrary to legal requirements.

Officials attribute delays to the time needed for public sector bodies to implement necessary infrastructure changes, with the goal of full digitalization in the coming years. The mapping initiative aims to provide the government with a clear overview of public services to improve efficiency, reduce bureaucracy, and enhance service delivery.

The report also lists the ten most common digital services, with debt payments and enforcement procedures topping the list. The Ministry of Education leads with 343 digital services, followed by the Ministry of Justice with 325, and the Tax Authority with 298. Overall, the Ministry of Education offers the highest number of services to the public, totaling 562.

This initial report serves as a baseline for ongoing improvements in the digital provision of government services across Israel.