On November 3, 2026, Israel's Ministry of Labor published a notice for everyone who installs or services air conditioners and refrigeration systems: the transition period under the new law ends on January 15, 2027. From that day, any work in the field requires a valid professional license, whether the job is a simple home unit or a commercial or industrial system.
That leaves about 70 days. A technician working without a license today who wants to keep working in mid-January has to apply now, and in many cases complete a course as well.
A law already in force
The law regulating work on refrigeration and air conditioning systems passed the Knesset in January 2025 and took effect on July 15, 2025. The trigger was the shift to new refrigerants. They do less damage to the climate, but some of them are flammable. According to the ministry, a refrigerant such as R32 that leaks and builds up to a high concentration can ignite when it meets an ignition source, mainly during faulty installation or repair. The ministry stresses that a working unit does not catch fire in normal operation.
Since July 2025 a license has already been mandatory for anyone working on systems that use the flammable refrigerants listed in the law's fourth schedule. In January the requirement widens to every system, whatever refrigerant it runs on.
The notice says enforcement will begin on January 15, 2027, or when the easing regulations take effect. The ministry did not say when those regulations are expected.
Who has to hold one
The law covers anyone in Israel who installs or maintains refrigeration or air conditioning systems. That includes a technician working as an osek patur or osek murshe, and a technician employed by an AC company. The license is personal, so a business with several technicians on staff needs each of them to hold their own. The full list of tasks that require a license is in the law's first schedule.
To qualify, an applicant must be at least 18, an Israeli citizen or resident, and have no criminal record that in the registrar's view rules out working in the field. Recognized training is also required, through one of three routes: a refrigeration and AC course at an institution supervised by the ministry's vocational training administration, a technology certificate from the Ministry of Education, or registration in the official register of practical engineers and technicians for the field.
Three grades by system size
Licenses are split by system output. Grade 1 covers systems up to 18 kilowatts, which includes most units in homes and small offices. Grade 2 covers systems up to 70 kilowatts. Grade 3 covers every kind of system.
A technician who installs both home units and large systems in office buildings or restaurants needs the grade that covers the largest job they take on.
Credit for people already in the trade
Those who worked in the field before the law are not starting from zero. Anyone with one year of experience in the last three years, or three years in the last seven, can take a shortened training track. Holders of an electrician's license can be exempted from part of the course hours, subject to the vocational training administration's approval.
People who completed refrigeration and AC studies at the vocational training administration in the past will need 50 to 290 hours of top-up training, depending on the grade they apply for. Registered practical engineers in the field can receive Grade 3 with no further training, or with up to 50 hours of top-up. For graduates of supervised Labor Ministry courses, the license is meant to be granted automatically.
Applying, the fee and renewal
Applications are filed online on the Labor Ministry's site. The ministry recommends gathering professional certificates, proof of experience from employers, and any other relevant details in advance. The notice does not explain how a self-employed technician with no employer proves experience. Until that is clarified, it makes sense to collect documents that show years of work in the trade, such as invoices to customers for installations and repairs.
The license carries a fee that has not been published yet. It is valid for five years, and renewal depends on a short refresher course in the final year. A phone line for questions about the application runs on 073-2088482, Sunday to Thursday, 8:00 to 16:00.
A self-employed technician pays for the course and the fee out of pocket, and both are costs tied directly to the work. Keep the receipts and ask your accountant how to record them.