Are Israeli stamps public domain?

It depends on the date. In the archive's reading, Israeli stamps issued in 1975 or earlier are public domain in 2026, because the State of Israel owns their copyright and the State's copyright lasts 50 years. The line moves forward a year each January.

Are the 1948 Doar Ivri stamps public domain?

Yes, in the archive's reading. The Doar Ivri set, Israel's first stamps, designed by Otte Wallish, was issued in May 1948, and the State's copyright in Israeli stamps lasts 50 years. Stamps of 1948 fall well before the 1975 cutoff that applies in 2026.

Are British Mandate Palestine stamps public domain?

It is an open question. Commons' note on Israeli stamps does not address the stamps of the British Mandate, used from 1920 until Israel's first issues in May 1948. The archive treats their status as open.

Israel

Are Israel stamps public domain?

Israeli stamps issued in 1975 or earlier are public domain in 2026, in the archive's reading of Wikimedia Commons, and the line moves forward a year each January. Commons says the State of Israel owns the copyright in its stamps, and that the State's copyright ends 50 years after a work is made.

Why 1975?

Commons cites paragraph 51 of Israel's Postal Services Statute of 1986, as revised in 2004, which gives the State full copyright in Israeli stamps.¹ Under the Copyright Act of 2007, copyright first owned by the State lasts 50 years from the date a work was made and runs to December 31 of the final year, so it ends on January 1 of the 51st year.¹ Commons' license tag for such stamps also requires that the State did not give up its copyright by contract with the author.² A stamp from 1975 was protected through December 31, 2025. The law counts from the year a work was made; the archive counts from the year of issue. Commons' note on stamps does not address status in the United States.¹

Postal history and copyright

Israel declared independence on May 14, 1948,³ and its first stamps, the Doar Ivri set designed by Otte Wallish, were issued two days later.⁴ Before that, mail in the region used Ottoman stamps, then British military issues from 1918 and stamps of the British Mandate from 1920.⁴ In May 1948 the provisional government also overprinted Jewish National Fund stamps for postage.⁴ Commons' note on Israeli stamps does not address Mandate issues or the Jewish National Fund designs under those overprints, and the archive treats their status as open.

References 4

↑ Copyright rules for Israel. Wikimedia Commons, October 4, 2026. Accessed October 8, 2026.
↑ Wikimedia Commons license tag (Israel). Wikimedia Commons, February 4, 2025. Accessed October 8, 2026.
↑ Israel (Q801). Wikidata, October 7, 2026. Accessed October 8, 2026.
↑ Postage stamps and postal history of Israel. Wikipedia, September 1, 2026. Accessed October 8, 2026.

Copyright law in Israel

Israel’s own stamps follow the rule below. The historical issuers named here are read under the country’s general copyright law. A design answers Likely yes or Likely no only when every term that could apply agrees, and Unclear when they disagree.

Named designer: 70 years after the designer’s death
Anonymous: 70 years from issue
Work of the state: 50 years from issue
Note: The State owns the copyright in Israeli stamps, which runs out 50 years after creation.

Historical issuers read under this law: German post offices in the Turkish Empire, Jaffa (Russian Post Office), Jerusalem (Italian Post Office), Jerusalem (Russian Post Office), Palestine (British Mandate), Palestine (Egyptian Occupation).

Read from Wikimedia Commons, copyright rules for Israel, revision 1283127636, checked October 8, 2026

The rule by period

PeriodRule

Any datePublic domain 50 years after the end of the year of issue.A stamp becomes free on January 1 of the 51st year after its year of issue, because the State's copyright lasts 50 years.

Israel stamps and the public domain: questions

Are Israeli stamps public domain?: It depends on the date. In the archive's reading, Israeli stamps issued in 1975 or earlier are public domain in 2026, because the State of Israel owns their copyright and the State's copyright lasts 50 years. The line moves forward a year each January.
Who owns the copyright in Israeli stamps?: The State of Israel. Paragraph 51 of Israel's Postal Services Statute of 1986, as revised in 2004, gives the State full copyright in Israeli stamps. Under the Copyright Act of 2007, the State's copyright lasts 50 years from the date a work was made.
Are the 1948 Doar Ivri stamps public domain?: Yes, in the archive's reading. The Doar Ivri set, Israel's first stamps, designed by Otte Wallish, was issued in May 1948, and the State's copyright in Israeli stamps lasts 50 years. Stamps of 1948 fall well before the 1975 cutoff that applies in 2026.
Are British Mandate Palestine stamps public domain?: It is an open question. Commons' note on Israeli stamps does not address the stamps of the British Mandate, used from 1920 until Israel's first issues in May 1948. The archive treats their status as open.