Consumer Protection Law, 5741-1981
חוק הגנת הצרכן, תשמ"א-1981
Published: 1981-04-26Consolidated Hebrew text as of 2026-08-02 · Last amended 2026-07-28✓ Amendment status checked against the Knesset legislation record on 2026-09-28
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Despite these checks, it may contain errors, omissions, or imprecise renderings of legal terminology and cross-references, and it may not yet reflect the latest amendments. It cannot be relied upon as a legal text.
The Hebrew text as published in Reshumot (ספר החוקים) and on the Knesset website is the sole authoritative and legally binding version. In any discrepancy, the Hebrew text prevails.
This translation is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For use in legal proceedings, request a certified Expert Legal Opinion.
Chapter I: Interpretation
Definitions§
1.
In this Law –
"Companies Law" – the Companies Law, 5759-1999;
"administrative enforcement" – a financial penalty, an administrative warning and an undertaking to refrain from infringement;
"default charges" and "shekel interest" – as defined in the Interest and Linkage Law;
"the Advisory Committee" – the committee appointed under section 22a;
"the Commissioner" – the Commissioner appointed under section 19;
"debit authorisation" – as defined in the Payment Services Law;
"the Authority" – the Consumer Protection and Fair Trade Authority, established under section 19a;
"franchisee" – the holder of a right to use the dealer's name who maintains a separate business accounting system from the dealer;
"this Law" – including the Regulations made thereunder;
"Interest and Linkage Law" – the Interest and Linkage Law, 5721-1961;
"Payment Services Law" – the Payment Services Law, 5779-2019;
"sale" – including lease, hire-purchase, display for sale, offer for sale, and exchange;
"identity number" – as defined in section 1 of the Companies Law;
"inspector" – a person whom the Commissioner has authorised as an inspector in accordance with the provisions of section 20a;
"place of business" – a place where the dealer carries on business, including a branch thereof, provided that the branch is not managed by a franchisee;
"asset" – goods, real property, rights, securities as defined in the Securities Law, 5728-1968, and government bonds;
"dealer" – a person who sells an asset or provides a service in the course of business, including a manufacturer;
"transaction" – the sale of an asset or the provision of a service;
"Arrest and Search Ordinance" – the Criminal Procedure Ordinance (Arrest and Search) [New Version], 5729-1969;
"advertisement" – including a publication that was funded or supported by a commercial entity connected to the subject matter of the publication, or for which the publisher received, in advance or after the fact, payment or any other benefit, or an undertaking to receive the same from such a commercial entity;
"consumer" – a person who buys an asset or receives a service from a dealer in the course of the dealer's business for use that is primarily personal, domestic or family in nature;
"name", in relation to an individual – the given name and family name, and in relation to a corporation – the registered name of the corporation in the register maintained in accordance with the law under which it was incorporated, and its address;
"the Minister" – the Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism.
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Contact Us →Chapter II: Misrepresentation and Exploitation of Distress
Prohibition of Misrepresentation§
2.
(a)A dealer shall not do anything – by act or omission, in writing or orally or in any other manner, including after the date of entry into a transaction – that is likely to mislead a consumer in any material matter of the transaction (hereinafter – misrepresentation); without derogating from the generality of the foregoing, the following matters shall be deemed material in a transaction:
(1)the quality, nature, quantity and type of an asset or service;
(2)the size, weight, shape and components of an asset;
(3)the date of supply or the date of provision of the service;
(3a)the place to which the asset or service will be supplied to the consumer, including supply to the area, as defined in the Emergency Regulations (Judea and Samaria – Jurisdiction in Offences and Legal Assistance), 5727-1967, as extended and amended from time to time by law;
(4)the use that can be made of the asset or service, the benefit that can be derived therefrom and the risks involved therein, including a representation on or affixed to the asset attesting to the use, benefit or risks as aforesaid, including a representation or number appearing physically or digitally;
(5)the methods of handling the asset;
(6)the identity of the manufacturer, importer or service provider;
(7)the name or trade designation of the asset or service;
(8)the place of manufacture of the asset;
(9)the date of manufacture of the asset or its expiry date;
(10)the sponsorship, endorsement or authorisation granted for the manufacture, sale or provision of the asset or service;
(11)the conformity of the asset or service with a standard, specification or model;
(12)the existence of spare parts, accessories or materials that are specific to or suitable for the repair or use of the asset;
(13)the regular or customary price or the price previously charged, including credit terms and the rate of interest;
(14)a professional opinion or the results of a test given regarding the quality or nature of the asset or service, the results of its use, and the risks involved therein;
(15)the prior use made of the asset or its being new or reconditioned;
(16)a maintenance service and its terms;
(17)warranty terms for the asset or service;
(18)the quantity of goods in stock of the type that is the subject of the transaction;
(19)the transaction not being in the ordinary course of business;
(20)the origin of the asset sold being in bankruptcy, receivership or winding-up of a company;
(21)the cancellation terms of a transaction.
(b)A dealer shall not sell, import or hold for commercial purposes an asset containing misrepresentation, nor shall he use such an asset in providing a service.
(b1)A dealer shall not erect a sign or give notice in any other manner that he is not responsible for any bodily harm that may be caused to a consumer within the business premises or on its grounds.
(b2)A dealer who gives notice, in any manner, that a consumer has no right to cancel a transaction or to receive a refund, shall qualify such notice in a manner that makes clear that what is stated in the notice does not apply in cases prescribed by law.
(c)The provisions of this section shall apply also to advertising.
Prohibition of Exercising Unfair Influence§
3.
(a)A dealer shall not do, by act or omission (in this section – act), in writing or orally or in any other manner, anything that is likely to impair a consumer's ability to decide whether to enter into a transaction with the dealer, in a manner that constitutes a negation of the consumer's freedom to contract or a material impairment thereof (hereinafter – exercising unfair influence).
(b)Without derogating from the generality of what is stated in subsection (a), a dealer who has committed any of the following acts shall be deemed to have exercised unfair influence:
(1)restricted a consumer's ability to leave a place or created in a consumer the impression that his ability to leave a place is restricted;
(2)prevented a consumer from being able to seek advice regarding entry into a transaction or regarding its terms;
(3)conducted repeated visits to a consumer's home in order to persuade the consumer to enter into a transaction with the dealer, even though the consumer expressed, expressly or by implication, his wish that the dealer refrain from doing so;
(4)made repeated approaches to a consumer or to members of his family in order to enter into a transaction, even though they expressed, expressly or by implication, their wish that the dealer cease doing so;
(5)exploited a mental, intellectual or physical disability of a consumer;
(6)exploited the fact that a consumer does not know the language in which the transaction is being entered into sufficiently to understand the transaction;
(7)threatened or used any means of intimidation against a consumer or against members of his family;
(8)supplied a consumer with an asset or service for payment without an explicit request by the consumer;
(9)created the impression that a consumer has won or will win a prize or other benefit, even though there is no such prize or benefit, or where payment by the consumer or another condition is required in order to receive the prize or the benefit and these were not published in advance;
(10)prevented a consumer from bringing to the place of business or another place managed by a dealer (in this paragraph – place) food or drink of the same type sold at the place, unless the place is in its nature a restaurant; the provisions of this paragraph shall not apply if the police or a security supervisor as defined in the Law for the Regulation of Security in Public Bodies, 5758-1998, have directed that such prevention be imposed for reasons of public security.
Prohibition of Exercising Unfair Influence in a State of Emergency§
3a.
(a)In this section, "state of emergency" – any of the following:
(1)a special situation on the home front under section 9c of the Civil Defence Law, 5711-1951;
(2)a civil emergency event under section 90b of the Police Ordinance [New Version], 5731-1971;
(3)a state of emergency declared pursuant to a law for the purpose of dealing with a dangerous infectious disease.
(b)Where a state of emergency has been declared and the Minister is satisfied that there is a real concern that dealers will exploit the state of emergency in order to raise the prices of essential goods or essential services, the Minister may, in consultation with the Minister of Finance, declare that during a period to be determined under subsection (f)(1), the provisions of this section shall apply, throughout the country or in a part thereof as the Minister may determine (in this section – declaration of the prohibition of unfair influence in a state of emergency); if the position of the Minister of Finance has not been conveyed within seven days from the day on which the Minister approached him regarding the matter, it shall be deemed, upon the expiry of that period, as if the consultation obligation under this subsection has been fulfilled.
(c)
(1)Where the Minister has made a declaration as referred to in subsection (b), the Commissioner and the Budget Commissioner at the Ministry of Finance shall, by notice published in Reshumot (Official Gazette), determine essential goods and essential services, excluding fruits and vegetables subject to the provisions of paragraph (3), all having regard to the characteristics and circumstances of the state of emergency (in this section – the notice); the Commissioner and the Budget Commissioner at the Ministry of Finance may update the notice from time to time;
(2)Where the Commissioner and the Budget Commissioner have not agreed on goods or a service as referred to in paragraph (1), they shall bring the matter without delay for determination by a public representative to be appointed by the Minister and the Minister of Finance (in this subsection – the Ministers), who shall be a senior academic staff member in the field of economics at an institution of higher education recognised under the Council for Higher Education Law, 5718-1958; the provisions applicable to a member of the appeals committee under section 5(a)(3) of the Supervision of Prices of Goods and Services Law, 5756-1996 shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to the appointment and tenure of such public representative; a disagreement as aforesaid shall not prevent the publication of a notice in respect of goods and services on which there is agreement;
(3)Where the Ministers are of the opinion that a particular fruit or vegetable should be included in the notice, they may, in consultation with the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, instruct the Commissioner and the Budget Commissioner to include them in the notice.
(d)
(1)During the period of the declaration of the prohibition of unfair influence in a state of emergency, a dealer shall be deemed to have exercised unfair influence if the dealer offered, displayed or sold to a consumer essential goods or essential services included in the notice at a price that exceeds, in a significant and exceptional manner, as determined in a procedure under paragraph (6), the average price of the said goods or services as sold during the three months preceding the declaration of the state of emergency (in this section – the average price), and in respect of fruits or vegetables – subject to the provisions of paragraph (7);
(2)Where the goods or services were sold by the dealer for a period shorter than the three months preceding the declaration of the state of emergency – the average price shall be calculated on the basis of that period;
(3)Where the goods or services were not sold by the same dealer in the three months preceding the declaration of the state of emergency, or where the dealer did not furnish the Commissioner or the inspector with information or a document under section 21(2) for the purpose of supervising compliance with the provisions of this section – the average price shall be calculated as the average price of the goods or services in the three months preceding the declaration of the state of emergency, as sold by other dealers with characteristics similar to those of that dealer;
(4)Where the goods were not sold by that dealer or by other dealers with characteristics similar to his during the three months preceding the declaration of the state of emergency, the average price shall be calculated as the average price of a product similar to those goods as sold by that dealer during the said period; for this purpose, a product shall be regarded as similar to those goods if its use is similar to the use made of them and it is identical to them in weight and size;
(5)Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs (1) to (4), in respect of a declaration of the prohibition of unfair influence in a state of emergency that the Minister declared after one year has elapsed from the day on which the state of emergency was declared, the three months preceding the date of entry into force of the declaration of the prohibition of unfair influence shall be taken into account;
(6)The Commissioner, in consultation with the Prices Committee as defined in section 3 of the Supervision of Prices of Goods and Services Law, 5756-1996, shall determine by procedure criteria according to which a price increase shall be regarded as an increase in a significant and exceptional manner; criteria in respect of fruits and vegetables shall be determined in consultation with the Prices Committee as aforesaid, with two members who are employees of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; a procedure under this paragraph shall be published on the Authority's website;
(7)Where fruits or vegetables have been included in the notice, the Ministers shall, by Order, in consultation with the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, determine the manner of calculating the average price of a fruit or vegetable included in the notice, and the provisions of paragraphs (1) to (5) regarding the calculation of the average price shall not apply thereto.
(e)Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (d), a dealer shall not be deemed to have exercised unfair influence if one of the following has occurred:
(1)the increase in the price of the goods or services was made pursuant to law or pursuant to a contract between a dealer and a consumer concluded before the declaration of the state of emergency;
(2)the increase in the price of the goods or services results from an increase in the costs that the dealer is required to bear in order to supply the goods or the service;
(3)exceptional circumstances determined by the Minister, with the approval of the Economics Committee of the Knesset.
(f)
(1)A declaration of the prohibition of unfair influence in a state of emergency shall take effect upon its publication in Reshumot (Official Gazette) and shall remain in force for a period not exceeding 45 days, and the Minister may extend its validity for additional periods not exceeding 30 days each, provided that if the total period of the declaration has exceeded 75 days, the Minister shall not extend the validity of the declaration except by Order with the approval of the Economics Committee of the Knesset;
(2)Upon the expiry of the declaration of the state of emergency, the declaration of the prohibition of unfair influence in a state of emergency shall expire; where the circumstances on account of which the Minister declared the declaration of the prohibition of unfair influence in a state of emergency have ceased to exist, the Minister shall revoke the declaration without delay.
Duty of Disclosure to Consumer§
4.
(a)A dealer is obliged to disclose to a consumer –
(1)any defect, inferior quality or other characteristic known to the dealer that materially reduces the value of the asset;
(2)any characteristic of the asset that requires it to be kept or used in a special manner in order to prevent harm to the user or to another person or to an asset during ordinary use or ordinary handling;
(3)any material detail regarding an asset as determined by the Minister with the approval of the Economics Committee of the Knesset;
however, it shall be a defence for the dealer if the dealer proves that the defect, quality, characteristic or material detail of the asset was known to the consumer.
(b)The provisions of subsection (a) shall apply also to a service.
Standard Contract and Other Information Intended for the Consumer§
4a.
The Minister, with the approval of the Economics Committee of the Knesset, may prescribe by Regulations provisions regarding –
(1)the letters, all or some of them, in a standard contract as defined in the Standard Contracts Law, 5743-1982 (in this section – standard contract), or in a term included in other information intended for the consumer, including in advertising, and including provisions regarding the minimum size of the said letters, the ratio between them and the area in which the information is contained, and the manner of writing and presenting them;
(2)a list of material terms in a standard contract, their emphasis and the manner of drafting them, including the obligation to attach a separate document in relation thereto; provisions under this paragraph may be made according to types of dealers or services.
Identity of the Dealer§
4b.
A dealer is obliged to disclose to a consumer the dealer's name and identity number on each of the following:
(1)correspondence on the dealer's behalf directed to a specific consumer; for the purpose of this paragraph, "correspondence" – an order form, a warranty certificate and an installation confirmation;
(2)an offer on the dealer's behalf to conclude a contract;
(3)a contract signed by the dealer;
(4)a credit payment voucher or a tax invoice.
Duty to Disclose Goods Return Policy§
4c.
(a)A dealer who offers, displays or sells goods to a consumer shall display at the dealer's place of business, in a visible location and in clear and legible letters, a notice setting out the dealer's policy regarding the return of goods not on account of a defect; the notice shall state whether goods may be returned as aforesaid, including restrictions on the return of the goods, the conditions of return, and the manner and type of reimbursement that the consumer will receive (in this Law – goods return policy); where the notice states that goods may not be returned, whether generally or in certain cases, the provisions of section 2(b2) shall apply.
(b)Where a consumer has requested to return goods to the dealer, not on account of a defect, in accordance with the goods return policy set out in the notice, and the dealer has not acted in accordance with that policy, the consumer may return the goods to the dealer within seven days from the day on which the consumer was refused, and the dealer shall be obliged to refund to the consumer the full consideration received in the manner in which the consumer paid, provided that there has been no deterioration in the condition of the goods; for this purpose, the opening of the packaging alone shall not be considered a deterioration in the condition of the goods, unless the Minister, with the approval of the Economics Committee of the Knesset, has determined otherwise in respect of goods or types of goods.
(c)Where a dealer has not displayed a notice as referred to in subsection (a), it shall be presumed that the dealer's policy regarding the return of goods not on account of a defect is to allow the consumer to return the goods to the dealer, and the provisions of subsection (b) shall apply for this purpose, mutatis mutandis.
(d)The provisions of this section shall not apply to –
(1)food products or perishable goods;
(2)goods that are capable of being recorded, reproduced or copied, where the consumer has opened their original packaging;
(3)goods that were manufactured especially to the consumer's order;
(4)goods that pursuant to provisions given under law may not be returned;
(5)goods determined by the Minister, with the approval of the Economics Committee of the Knesset.
(e)Nothing in the provisions of this section shall derogate from any right available to a consumer in the event of a breach of a condition of a transaction under any law.
(f)The Minister may prescribe provisions regarding this section, including in relation to the display of the notice at the place of business as referred to in subsection (a), and regarding the size of the letters.
Adequate Display of Supervised Food Products§
4d.
(a)In this section, "supervised food product" – a food product to which the Supervision of Prices of Goods and Services Law, 5756-1996, has been applied by Order, and for which a price or maximum price has been set under Chapter V of that Law or to which supervision under Chapter VI of that Law has been applied.
(b)The Minister, with the approval of the Economics Committee of the Knesset, shall prescribe provisions regarding a dealer's obligation to allocate a designated sales area for supervised food products, of the area, location, manner and at the times to be prescribed, taking into account, inter alia, the size of the dealer, the type of product and the manner of its storage.
Conclusion of a Contract in Writing and Its Delivery§
5.
(a)Where the Minister has reasonable grounds to assume that it is necessary to do so in order to prevent misrepresentation or exploitation of the consumer's distress, the Minister may prescribe by Regulations, in relation to types of businesses or services, that a dealer is obliged to conclude a contract in writing with the consumer and to specify therein the particulars prescribed in the Regulations.
(b)A dealer who is about to sign a contract with a consumer is obliged to give the consumer a reasonable opportunity to read the contract before signing it, and also to deliver a copy thereof to the consumer after signing.
Liability for Misrepresentation in Packaging§
6.
(a)Where there is misrepresentation in the design of the asset or in its packaging, on the packaging or attached to it, the manufacturer, importer, packer and designer shall also be deemed to be in breach of the provisions of section 2.
(b)In an action for a civil wrong under this section, the manufacturer, importer, packer and designer shall have a defence if the defendant proves that the defendant is not responsible for the misrepresentation but rather a named person whose name and address the defendant has specified.
Liability for Misrepresentation in Advertising§
7.
(a)Where there was misrepresentation in an advertisement, the following shall be deemed to have infringed the provisions of section 2 –
(1)the person on whose behalf the advertisement was made and the person who brought the matter to publication and thereby caused its publication;
(2)if the advertisement was misleading on its face, or if they knew it was misleading – also the distributor or the person who actually decided on the publication.
(b)Where an advertisement contained facts regarding the properties of an asset or a service, or regarding the findings of a test carried out on them, or regarding the expected results of their use, the Commissioner shall be entitled to require the person on whose behalf the advertisement was made, or the person who brought the matter to publication and thereby caused its publication, to present evidence proving those facts; if such evidence was not presented to the satisfaction of the Commissioner, that shall constitute prima facie evidence that the advertisement was misleading, but it shall be a defence for the person on whose behalf the advertisement was made and for the person who brought the matter to publication and thereby caused its publication, that they did not know and were not required to know that the advertisement was misleading.
(c)
(1)An advertisement likely to lead a reasonable person to assume that what it contains is not an advertisement shall be deemed misleading advertising even if its content is not misleading;
(2)A person who publishes an advertisement in the form of a news feature, article or journalistic item without clearly indicating that it is an advertisement shall be deemed to have published misleading advertising, even if its content is not misleading;
(3)For the purposes of this subsection, the participation of a journalist, including a presenter, announcer or host on any media outlet, in an advertisement shall be deemed misleading advertising if there is no clear distinction between their professional work and the advertisement;
(4)The Minister, with the approval of the Economics Committee of the Knesset, may prescribe rules regarding the wording and manner in which the advertiser must indicate or broadcast that the matter is an advertisement.
(d)An advertisement is presumed to have been made by the person named therein as the offeror of the asset or service, unless otherwise indicated in the advertisement itself.
(e)An advertisement likely to mislead a consumer in Israel – it is immaterial, for the purposes of this section, whether it was made in Israel or outside it.
Advertisements or Other Marketing Methods Directed at Minors§
7a.
(a)A person shall not publish an advertisement and shall not employ any other marketing method if the advertisement or such marketing method is likely to mislead a minor, to exploit their age, naivety or lack of experience, or to encourage activity that may cause harm to their body or physical or mental health.
(b)The Minister may prescribe by Regulations, with the approval of the Economics Committee of the Knesset, principles, rules and conditions for advertisements as well as for other marketing methods directed at minors; such Regulations may relate to minors generally, or up to a specified age.
Restrictions on the Use of a Name§
7b.
(a)A person in whom any one of the conditions set out in subsection (b) is fulfilled shall not present or advertise themselves, directly or indirectly, as one whose sole purpose is to protect the consumer or to advise the consumer, and shall not call or designate themselves by a name from which it may be inferred that they act for such a purpose.
(b)
(1)acts on commercial grounds or for profit purposes;
(2)is funded or supported by a commercial entity;
(3)their income, in whole or in part, is –
(a)from the publication of commercial information;
(b)from payments by commercial entities participating in surveys conducted by them;
(c)from periodic or one-time membership fees paid by commercial entities;
(d)from payments by commercial entities for the use of the results of surveys, tests or competitions conducted by them;
(e)from sponsorship of commercial activity;
(4)their publications include advertising, overt or covert, paid or unpaid, by a commercial entity.
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LawCorporate & BusinessCivil Law
חוק הגנת הצרכן, תשמ"א-1981
Consumer Protection Law
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