Israel +972 phone number formatter

How to write an Israeli number in international format

In international format you write + followed by the country code. Israel's code is 972, followed by the number without its leading 0. This format is called E.164, and it is the same everywhere: in WhatsApp, in a CRM and in mailing systems.

• Mobile: 052-3456789 becomes +972523456789
• Tel Aviv landline: 03-6123456 becomes +97236123456
• 07 number: 072-2123456 becomes +972722123456

Why the 0 is dropped

The 0 at the start of an Israeli number is not part of the number itself. Under the Ministry of Communications numbering plan, a leading 0 signals a call outside your area code, for example from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv or to a mobile. Someone calling Israel from abroad has already chosen the country by dialling 972, so under section 2.2.7 of the plan they dial the number "omitting the first digit". That is why 972 followed by 0 is a mistake, and the WhatsApp Help Center warns that leading zeros can cause errors.

For WhatsApp

In your phone contacts, save the number in full international format, for example +972 52 345 6789. According to the WhatsApp Help Center, an international number includes a plus sign, the country code and the local number, with any leading zeros removed.

In a chat link use digits only, with no + or dashes: https://wa.me/972523456789. A landline can be registered only in the WhatsApp Business app, with a verification code delivered by phone call.

For customers abroad and business cards

On your website, email signature and English business card, write the number with spaces so it is easy to read: +972 52 345 6789. On a mobile, type + with a long press on 0. From a landline abroad, dial that country's exit code instead of +, for example 00 in most of Europe or 011 in the United States and Canada. A call button on a website uses a link like tel:+972523456789, and thanks to the country code it works from abroad too.

For a CRM

In a CRM, store every number in one field and in the same format, preferably E.164: +972523456789. When all numbers are written the same way, the system spots duplicates and attaches a new enquiry to the right customer record. When the same number is saved once as 052-3456789 and once as 972523456789, the system sees two different customers.

Israeli number types under the numbering plan

The Ministry of Communications numbering plan sets what each prefix means and how many digits each type of number has. The tool checks every number against the formats in the plan and the ministry's allocation list, as updated on 14 September 2026.

A few more rules from the plan and the allocation list that the tool checks:

• In a landline or 07 number, the digit after the prefix is 2 to 9. A number like 03-1234567 does not exist.
• In a mobile number, when the digit after the prefix is 0 or 1, for example 050-1234567, the number belongs to the M2M range, that is SIM cards in devices.
• The 06 prefix is reserved for future use, and 057, 070, 071, 075 and 078 are not currently allocated to any company.
• Short numbers such as 100 or 144 are short service codes and have no international form.

You cannot tell the carrier from the prefix

In the Ministry of Communications allocation list you can see, for example, that 052 was allocated to Cellcom and 054 to Partner. But since 2 December 2007 Israel has had number portability: you can switch carriers and keep your number. The numbering plan itself says the prefixes have "no meaning for the actual allocation, since the number may have been ported to another licensed provider". So the tool identifies the type of number, not the carrier.

Numbers you cannot dial from abroad

Under section 2.2.7 of the plan, only a geographic (landline), mobile or 07 national number can be dialled from abroad after 972. Service numbers starting with 1, such as 1-800 and 1-700, and business star numbers are not included, so they have no international form and no WhatsApp link. If you have customers or suppliers abroad, publish a regular number in international format next to the short number.

Common mistakes and cleaning lists for marketing

Common mistakes

• 972 and a 0. +9720523456789 is wrong: no 0 comes after 972.
• 0 without 972. wa.me/0523456789 is not in international format, and the link needs the full international number. Correct: wa.me/972523456789.
• Excel dropped the 0. When an Excel column is formatted as a number, 0523456789 is saved as 523456789. The tool spots this and restores the 0, but it is better to format the phone column as text in advance.
• Scientific notation. A long number like 972523456789 sometimes shows in Excel as 9.72523E+11, and copying the cell gives the shortened text. Format the column as a number with no decimal places and copy again.
• 1-800 or star numbers for customers abroad. These numbers have no international form, and callers abroad cannot reach them.
• Two numbers in one cell. A cell like 052-3456789 / 054-7654321 should be split into two rows, or two CRM fields.

Cleaning a phone list before importing it into a CRM

1. Copy the column, or the whole table, from Excel or Google Sheets and paste it into the tool in A list of numbers mode. If there are several columns, choose the phone column.
2. The tool converts every number to E.164 and removes duplicates, even when the same number is written in different ways, such as 052-3456789 and +972 52-345-6789.
3. Go through the rows that were left out. Each one says why: a missing digit, a prefix that does not exist, a 1-800 number or a row with no number.
4. Download the CSV file and import it into your CRM. The file is UTF-8 with a BOM, so Hebrew text is preserved. If you open it in Excel before importing, Excel may show the numbers without the + or in scientific notation, and if you save the file the change sticks. So it is better to import the file as it is.

Technical clean-up does not replace consent. Under section 30A of the Communications Law, advertising may not be sent by SMS, electronic message or automatic dialler without the recipient's explicit prior consent. There is a narrow exception for customers who gave their details during a purchase and were given the chance to refuse, and anyone who asks to be removed must come off the list. For advertising knowingly sent in breach of the section, a court can award statutory damages of up to ₪1,000 per message, without proof of harm.

WhatsApp Business policy also allows contacting only people who gave you their number and agreed to receive messages from you. So it is worth recording in your CRM, next to each number, when and how consent was given, and flagging who asked to be removed.

Sources

• Ministry of Communications: Numbering Plan for telephony, ancillary and value-added services in Israel, edition 4 of 2 February 2023: section 2.1.1 (dialling prefixes, including the reserved 06 and a note on portability), 2.1.2 (number formats, including M2M and 10-digit service numbers), 2.2.7 (dialling Israel from abroad without the 0), 3 (number portability) and 4 (business star numbers)
• Ministry of Communications: numbering ranges allocated to providers (Israel Numbering Plan), government open data, updated 14 September 2026: prefixes in use, M2M ranges and prefixes allocated to operators in the Palestinian Authority
• WhatsApp Help Center: about international phone number format: plus sign, country code and local number, removing leading zeros, and landlines only in the WhatsApp Business app
• WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy: contact only people who gave the business their number and opted in to receive messages
• Communications (Telecommunications and Broadcasting) Law, 1982, updated text on Wikisource (Hebrew): section 30A: prior consent to advertising, the existing-customer exception, refusal notices and statutory damages of up to ₪1,000 per message

The prefixes, rules and sections on this page and in the tool were checked against the sources on 23 October 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.