Notary & Apostille Services in Israel: English-Speaking Notary in Herzliya
Signatures, Powers of Attorney, Certified Translations and Apostilles, in English
A notary in Israel (in English often called a notary public) is a lawyer with at least ten years of practice, licensed by the Ministry of Justice to authenticate signatures, certify copies and translations, and take affidavits, so that a document is accepted in Israel and abroad. Adv. Reut Eliyahu of Eliyahu & Co. is a licensed notary in Herzliya Pituach, north of Tel Aviv, who works in English and Hebrew, prepares documents for use abroad, and arranges the apostille they need.
This page is for clients in Israel, including English-speaking residents, olim and companies, who need a document for use abroad, and for clients abroad who need a document certified in Israel or a power of attorney that Israel will accept.
How Do You Get an Apostille in Israel?
In Israel, a notarized document gets its apostille at a court secretariat, which confirms the notary's signature. The court fee is NIS 41 per certificate in 2026 (Israel Courts Administration). Israeli public documents, such as birth certificates, are apostilled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or through the government's digital apostille service.
- Check: the receiving authority's rules and Convention membership.
- Notarize: the signer appears in person before the notary.
- Apostille: court secretariat, or digital for electronic certificates.
- Deliver: collected, or sent by courier worldwide.
What a Notary in Israel Does, and How It Differs from a Lawyer
Every notary in Israel is a lawyer, but only a lawyer with at least ten years of practice who holds a notary license from the Ministry of Justice licensing committee is a notary. Section 2 of the Notaries Law, 5736-1976, sets the conditions, and Section 7 sets the powers: authenticating a signature, confirming that a person is authorized to sign for another, certifying a true copy, certifying the accuracy of a translation, taking affidavits and declarations, certifying that a person is alive, certifying a prenuptial property agreement, and other acts that Israeli or foreign law requires a notary to perform.
The difference that matters in practice is the weight of the certificate. Under Section 19 of the law, a notarial certificate is sufficient evidence in legal proceedings, without further proof, of what the notary did and of what was said and done before the notary. This is why foreign consulates, banks and authorities abroad often ask for a notarial certificate rather than an ordinary lawyer's signature. A notary confirms who signed, and that the signature was made in the notary's presence; the notary does not confirm that the content of the document is correct or advisable. Under Section 10, a notary may not act in a matter of their own, of a relative, partner or employee, or of a company under the notary's control.
Eliyahu & Co. is a law office and notary in Herzliya Pituach. Adv. Reut Eliyahu performs each notarial act herself, and because the office also handles real estate, inheritance and company work, she can draft the document as well as certify it. Where the office itself is a party to the document or the appointed attorney, Section 10 applies and another notary certifies it. Any Israeli notary's license can be confirmed in the Ministry of Justice public register of notaries.
The same notary, two kinds of clients
Clients in Israel
- Appointments at our Herzliya Pituach office, with parking; the notarial certificate is usually ready the same day, and within 48 hours at most.
- Home, hospital or office visits in Herzliya, Tel Aviv and the Sharon area, at the out-of-office rate set by regulation.
- Documents explained in plain English before you sign, and drafted in English or Hebrew where needed.
- The apostille arranged for you, so the document leaves the office ready for use abroad.
Clients Abroad
- A power of attorney drafted in Israel, in English and Hebrew, for you to sign where you live.
- Clear instructions for signing before a local notary and getting an apostille, or signing at an Israeli consulate.
- Certified translations prepared from a scan you send, with no visit needed; for a true copy, the original can reach us by courier.
- Originals sent by courier to you, or to the bank, registry or lawyer that needs them.
Notarial Services at Our Herzliya Pituach Office
Most clients come to a notary for one of six things: a signature on a document going abroad, a power of attorney, a true copy, a certified translation, an affidavit, or a will or prenuptial agreement. Each has its own form of certificate under the Notaries Regulations, 5737-1977, and its own fee under the Notaries Regulations (Fees), 5739-1978.
Signature Authentication
You sign before the notary after your identity is checked against a passport or ID card. Used for contracts, consents, bank forms and documents for foreign authorities.
Powers of Attorney
General and special powers of attorney, including for a property sale or a mortgage, and for heirs and companies. See signing a power of attorney abroad.
Certified True Copies
The notary compares the copy with the original, such as a passport, diploma or company certificate, and certifies that it is a true copy.
Notarized Translations
Hebrew to English and English to Hebrew, certified by the notary herself. No office visit needed. See the two kinds of translation certificate.
Affidavits and Declarations
Sworn statements for courts and authorities abroad, life certificates for pension funds, parental consent for a child traveling abroad, and declarations required by foreign registries.
Wills, Prenuptial Agreements and Company Documents
A will made before a notary, a prenuptial property agreement signed before the wedding, and company resolutions and signatory confirmations for use abroad.
Key Facts: Notarial Acts in Israel
| Item | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who can be a notary | A lawyer with at least ten years of practice, licensed by the Ministry of Justice licensing committee | Notaries Law, 5736-1976, Sections 1-2 |
| Weight of the certificate | Sufficient evidence in legal proceedings, without further proof | Notaries Law, Section 19 |
| Signature authentication | The signer appears in person, is identified and signs before the notary | Notaries Law, Section 11 |
| Translation accuracy | Certified only by a notary who knows both languages and translated or checked the text | Notaries Law, Sections 7(4) and 15 |
| General power of attorney, or for a land transaction | Drawn up or authenticated by a notary, except one given to a lawyer and authenticated under Section 91 of the Bar Association Law, or one given abroad under local law | Notaries Law, Section 20 |
| Will before a notary | A form of will before an authority; the notary counts as a judge for this purpose | Succession Law, 5725-1965, Section 22 |
| Prenuptial property agreement | Before the marriage, a notary may certify it; at the wedding, the marriage registrar; after the marriage, only a family court or a competent religious court | Spouses (Property Relations) Law, 5733-1973, Section 2 |
| Notary's fee | Fixed by regulation, the same for every notary, plus VAT; updated each January | Notaries Regulations (Fees), 5739-1978 |
Wills and prenuptial agreements are the two notarial acts with the most legal consequence. A will made before a notary is one form of "will before an authority" under Section 22 of the Succession Law, 5725-1965, which gives it strong evidential weight, although it can still be challenged, for example for undue influence; our page on making an Israeli will before a notary explains when it is the right choice. A prenuptial agreement may be certified by a notary only before the marriage, after the notary is satisfied that both spouses signed freely and understood it (Section 2 of the Spouses (Property Relations) Law).
Apostille in Israel: Court Secretariat or Ministry of Foreign Affairs
An apostille is the certificate, under the Hague Apostille Convention of 1961, that confirms the signature on an Israeli document so that another member country accepts it without further legalization. Israel acceded to the Convention in 1977, and it has been in force for Israel since August 14, 1978 (HCCH). In Israel, the authority that issues it depends on who signed the document.
| Document | Who issues the apostille | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| A notarial certificate (paper) | The secretariat of an Israeli court, which checks the notary's signature against the notaries register. Fee: NIS 41 per certificate in 2026 | Power of attorney, affidavit, certified translation, true copy, company resolution |
| A digital notarial certificate | An electronic apostille through the Ministry of Justice system, attached to the notary's digitally signed certificate | Translations and copies sent to a country that accepts electronic documents |
| An Israeli public document | The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (paper), or the government's digital apostille service for many certificates, for a separate government fee | Birth, marriage and death certificates, population registry extracts, Land Registry extracts, company certificates |
| A court judgment or decision | A court secretariat (not the Supreme Court, the National Labor Court or a local affairs court), or digitally through Net HaMishpat | Divorce judgment, court decision |
| A succession or probate order of the Registrar of Inheritance Affairs | A digital apostille through the Ministry of Justice system | Succession order, probate order |
Many documents need two apostilles. A foreign authority that asks for an apostilled English translation of an Israeli birth certificate usually needs one apostille on the certificate itself, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the digital service, and a second from the court on the notary's translation certificate. We plan the order at the start, so that both are done together. Sometimes one apostille is enough: an Israeli citizen can obtain a bilingual Hebrew-English birth certificate from the Population Authority through the government's personal area and add a digital apostille, with no translation, if the receiving authority accepts it. We check that before a translation is ordered. Before choosing between a paper and a digital certificate, we check that the receiving authority accepts electronic documents.
Countries That Are Not Parties to the Convention
An apostille is accepted only in countries that are parties to the Convention; the status table of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) listed 130 contracting parties in autumn 2026 (see the Apostille Convention overview), and for Thailand it takes effect only on February 28, 2027. For a country outside the Convention, the document goes through consular legalization: a court secretariat or the issuing authority certifies it, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs adds its own certification, and then the consulate of the receiving country in Israel legalizes it. The steps differ by country, so we confirm them with you before the document is signed.
A notarial certificate has no expiry date in Israeli law, but many foreign authorities accept only recent documents, often issued within the last few months. Ask the receiving authority before you order, and do not notarize too early.
Signing an Israeli Power of Attorney Abroad
A person who lives abroad can sign a power of attorney for use in Israel in two ways: before a local notary, followed by an apostille from the competent authority in that country, or in person at an Israeli consulate. Section 20 of the Notaries Law requires a notary for a general power of attorney and for a power of attorney for a land transaction registered at the Land Registry, except one given to a lawyer and authenticated under Section 91 of the Bar Association Law. It also exempts a power of attorney made abroad under the law of the place where it was signed. Where the country is not a party to the Apostille Convention, the consulate route is usually the practical one.
What goes wrong is rarely the signature. It is the wording: a power of attorney that a bank or the Land Registry in Israel will not accept because it does not describe the property, the account or the powers precisely. We therefore draft the document here, in English and Hebrew side by side, send it to you with signing instructions, and check the signed original when it arrives. This is how clients abroad usually handle buying an apartment in Israel from abroad, selling property in Israel without flying in, or applying for a succession order as an heir abroad.
What a Bank or the Land Registry Expects to See
- Full identification of the person giving the power and of the attorney: names as in the passport, with ID or passport numbers.
- The exact asset: for property, the block, parcel and sub-parcel (gush, chelka, tat-chelka) or the Israel Land Authority file; for a bank, the account numbers.
- Specific powers, such as signing the sale agreement, registering the transfer, receiving the price or transferring funds abroad.
In a property sale, the powers of attorney given for registering the transfer are often irrevocable, because they secure the other side's rights; under Section 14(b) of the Agency Law, 5725-1965, such a power cannot be revoked without the consent of the person it protects. We explain this before you sign, so you know what you are agreeing to.
Signing at an Israeli Consulate
An Israeli consulate or embassy can authenticate your signature on a power of attorney or a declaration for use in Israel. You sign in person before the consul, with your passport, usually by appointment, and no apostille is needed afterwards. Where the nearest consulate is far away or appointments are scarce, a local notary with an apostille is usually faster.
What Cannot Be Done by Video
An Israeli notary authenticates a signature only when the signer stands before the notary, is identified and signs in the notary's presence (Section 11 of the Notaries Law). There is no remote or video notarization in Israel, so a client abroad signs before a notary or consul where they are. What can be done remotely is everything around the signature: the consultation, the drafting, certified translations made from a scan, true copies of originals you send by courier, and the apostille on our certificates.
Foreign Documents for Use in Israel
A document issued abroad, such as a birth certificate, a death certificate or a foreign power of attorney, is apostilled in the country that issued it, and usually translated into Hebrew in Israel. In the United States, federal documents, such as an FBI background check, are apostilled by the US Department of State, and state documents, including documents signed before a US notary, by the competent authority of that state, usually the Secretary of State. In the United Kingdom, apostilles are issued by the FCDO Legalisation Office. The Convention has applied to Canada since January 11, 2024, so Canadian documents now receive an apostille instead of consular legalization.
Enduring Power of Attorney Is Different
An enduring power of attorney, which takes effect if a person loses capacity, is not a notarial act. Under the Legal Capacity and Guardianship Law it is made before a lawyer who completed the Administrator General's training and is filed online with the Administrator General. We explain the difference and the right route at the first consultation.
Companies and Registries
Foreign companies need apostilled corporate documents and Hebrew translations for the Israeli Companies Registrar; see registering a foreign company's branch in Israel and opening an Israeli company from abroad.
Heirs abroad usually need the same chain in the other direction: a foreign death certificate apostilled where it was issued, a Hebrew translation certified in Israel, and an Israeli succession or probate order before the estate can be transferred. Our pages on probating a foreign will in Israel and on foreign law opinions for Israeli courts and registrars explain the steps after the documents are ready. Clients in North America can also call our US line, +1 (310) 735-4210.
Notarized Translation: Two Kinds of Certificate
In Israel, a "notarized translation" (sometimes spelled notarised) can mean two different certificates, and a foreign authority that asks for one may reject the other. In a certificate of translation accuracy, the notary personally confirms that the translation is correct. Under Sections 7(4) and 15 of the Notaries Law, a notary may give it only if the notary knows both languages and translated or checked the text. In a certificate of a translator's declaration, the notary certifies only that a translator declared the translation correct. Under Regulation 14A of the Notaries Regulations, that certificate must state that it is not the notary's certification of accuracy. Israel has no system of sworn translators; for official use abroad, the notary's certificate plays that role.
Adv. Reut Eliyahu certifies the accuracy of translations between Hebrew and English herself; the office works in these two languages only. Because no signature of yours is involved, this service needs no visit: you send a scan, we confirm the word count and the fee before we start, and the certified translation is collected or sent by courier, with an apostille if it is going abroad. We spell every name as it appears in the passport, because a name spelled differently on two documents is a common reason for rejection abroad.
Documents We Translate Most Often
- Birth, marriage and divorce certificates and population registry extracts
- Diplomas, transcripts and professional certificates
- Succession and probate orders, wills and court judgments
- Company certificates, articles, resolutions and bank letters
Before You Order
- Ask the receiving authority which certificate it needs: accuracy or translator's declaration.
- Check whether the original document also needs its own apostille.
- Plan to translate the whole document, including stamps and margin notes, unless the authority says otherwise.
- Order all the copies you need at once: an extra certificate for the same translation costs less.
How a Notarial Appointment Works, Step by Step
Most notarial matters are completed in one appointment, and the notarial certificate is usually ready the same day, within 48 hours at most. These are the five steps most clients go through.
Send the Document for a Free Check
Send a scan by email or WhatsApp and tell us where it will be used. We tell you which certificate is needed, whether an apostille is required, and the fee under the regulations.
Drafting or Translation, If Needed
Where the document is not ready, we draft it, for example a power of attorney in English and Hebrew, or prepare and check the translation before it is certified.
The Appointment
Each signer comes with a valid passport or Israeli ID card. The notary checks identity, explains the document, and you sign in her presence. A copy is certified against the original you bring.
The Apostille
For use abroad, the notarial certificate receives an apostille at a court secretariat, or digitally where the certificate is electronic and the receiving country accepts it. We arrange it for you.
Delivery
You collect the certified original from the office, or we send it by courier to you or directly to the bank, registry or lawyer that needs it, in Israel or abroad.
What to Bring to the Notary
- A valid passport or Israeli ID card for every person who signs.
- The original document for a true copy, and the full document, unsigned, for a signature.
- For a company: a current company extract and proof of who may sign for the company.
- For a signer who cannot read the language of the document: tell us in advance, so the document can be explained or translated before the appointment.
Notary Fees in Israel (2026)
Notary fees in Israel are fixed by the Notaries Regulations (Fees), 5739-1978, and are the same at every notary in the country. The amounts are linked to the consumer price index, and VAT (18% in 2026) is added. A notary may not charge more or less, except in the few cases the regulations allow: a client without means, a new immigrant within seven years of aliyah or a returning resident within two years, with a Ministry of Aliyah and Integration certificate, or the correction of the notary's own error. An act performed between 19:00 and 08:00 or on a rest day carries a 50% surcharge, which does not apply to acts outside the office.
| Notarial act | Fee 2026 (NIS) | Each additional |
|---|---|---|
| Signature authentication | 197 (first signer) | 77 per additional signer |
| Affidavit or declaration | 200 (first declarant) | 80 per additional declarant |
| Certified true copy | 77 (first page) | 13 per additional page |
| Translation accuracy | 251 (first 100 words) | 197 per 100 words up to 1,000; 99 per 100 words above 1,000 |
| Additional certificate of the same translation | 77 | - |
| Will before a notary | 293 (first testator) | 147 per additional testator |
| Prenuptial property agreement | 446 | - |
| Life certificate (proof that a person is alive) | 197 | - |
| Notarial act outside the office | 645 (first hour), in addition to the fee for the act | 197 per additional half hour, plus travel |
Two costs are not part of the notary's fee. The apostille is a separate government fee: NIS 41 per certificate at a court secretariat in 2026, and a separate fee at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for public documents. Legal work beyond the notarial act itself, such as drafting a power of attorney or a will, is set by the nature of the work and agreed in writing in advance. Example: a power of attorney signed by two people, with an apostille, costs NIS 197 + NIS 77 in notary fees, plus VAT, plus the NIS 41 court fee, about NIS 364 in total in 2026.
Why Clients Choose Eliyahu & Co. for Notarial Work
The notary's fee is fixed by regulation. What can differ is whether the document is accepted the first time, and that depends on the wording, the type of certificate and the apostille route.
Adv. Reut Eliyahu
Founder & Managing Attorney | Eliyahu & Co. Law Office
LL.B. · MBA · Notary · Registered Arbitrator
Adv. Reut Eliyahu founded Eliyahu & Co. in 2011 as a law office and notary in Herzliya Pituach. She has 19+ years of legal experience, is a member of the Israel Bar Association, holds an LL.B. and an MBA, and is a licensed notary and a registered arbitrator.
Her notarial work serves the office's main practice areas: powers of attorney for property transactions, translations and declarations for heirs, and corporate documents for companies working between Israel and other countries. The office also handles inheritance matters for families abroad and real estate work in Israel.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the questions we hear most often from clients in Israel and abroad.
This page is general information about Israeli law as of October 2026, not legal advice for your specific matter. The receiving authority decides which certificate it accepts.
Legislation cited on this page:
Notaries Law, 5736-1976 (Sections 1, 2, 7, 10, 11, 15, 19 and 20) · Notaries Regulations, 5737-1977 (Regulation 14A) · Notaries Regulations (Fees), 5739-1978 ·
Succession Law, 5725-1965 (Section 22) ·
Spouses (Property Relations) Law, 5733-1973 (Section 2) ·
Legal Capacity and Guardianship Law, 5722-1962 · Agency Law, 5725-1965 (Section 14(b)) · Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, 1961.
How We Work With Clients Outside Israel
Clients abroad usually need one of three things from an Israeli notary: a document certified here and sent to them, a power of attorney they can sign where they live, or a foreign document made ready for an Israeli bank, court or registry. The legal rules are explained earlier on this page; this is how the work runs in practice.
Calls Planned Around Your Time Zone
We agree a time for a phone or video call within the office's working week (Sun-Thu, and Friday mornings, Israel time), and confirm every step by email.
Documents by Scan and by Courier
Scans for checking and translation, originals by courier when a true copy or your signed document must reach Israel, and the certified result sent back the same way.
A US Line for North America
Clients in the United States and Canada can call +1 (310) 735-4210 or write on WhatsApp; California clients can also see our Israeli lawyer in Los Angeles page.
English Throughout
Every document is explained in English before you sign it, and Hebrew documents you receive from Israeli authorities are summarized for you in English.
Book a Notary Appointment or Send a Document for a Free Check
Tell us what the document is, where it will be used, and whether you are in Israel or abroad. We will reply within one business day with the certificate you need, the apostille route and the fee. You can also send the document itself by email or on WhatsApp.
4 HaOgen Street, Herzliya Pituach 4655102, Israel. Parking available.
Sun-Thu: 08:00-19:00
Fri: 08:00-13:00
Appointments at the office, or a visit to you by arrangement.
Need a document notarized or apostilled in Israel?
Signatures, powers of attorney, Hebrew-English translations and apostilles, in English, for clients in Israel and abroad. Handled personally by Adv. Reut Eliyahu, notary. The notarial certificate is usually ready the same day, within 48 hours at most. Send the document for a free check of the certificate and the fee.
Office hours (Israel time) Sun-Thu 08:00-19:00, Fri 08:00-13:00 · 4 HaOgen Street, Herzliya Pituach, parking available · Notary fees fixed by regulation