Property Registration in Israel
Property and Asset Registration at the Tabu, Title Transfer, Inherited Property and Corrections, in English
Property registration in Israel means recording your ownership of an apartment, a house or land, or another right in it, in the official register, usually the Land Registry (Tabu). Until a sale is registered, the buyer holds a contractual right against the seller, not registered ownership; an heir owns from the death, but cannot sell or mortgage smoothly until the inheritance is registered. Adv. Reut Eliyahu of Eliyahu & Co. checks where your property is recorded, prepares the registration file and follows it through the Tax Authority, the municipality and the Land Registration Office, in English.
For owners in Israel (English-speaking residents, olim, buyers of new apartments) and owners abroad (buyers, heirs and investors living outside Israel), most of whom can complete the registration without traveling to Israel.
How Do You Register Property in Israel?
Property in Israel is registered at the Land Registry (Tabu), and a transfer of ownership is completed only when it is registered there. Under Section 7 of the Land Law, 5729-1969, a transaction in land is completed by registration; until then it is an obligation to make the transaction.
- Check the record: a current Tabu extract, or the Israel Land Authority or developer record.
- Protect the deal: a warning note registered right after signing.
- Collect the approvals: tax certificates and the municipal certificate.
- Register: file the deed of transfer, then obtain an updated extract in your name.
Until Your Name Is in the Tabu, the Property Is Not Fully Yours
Property registration in Israel, also called real estate, title or asset registration, is the recording of ownership and other rights in land at the Land Registry (Tabu). The Land Registry is run by the Land Registration and Settlement of Rights Authority of the Ministry of Justice. A signed contract gives the buyer an enforceable right against the seller. Registration is what makes the buyer the owner, under Section 7 of the Land Law, 5729-1969 (in Hebrew).
The register also decides what third parties can rely on. Settled land is land whose title went through the formal settlement-of-title process, as most urban land in Israel has. In settled land, the register is conclusive evidence of what it records (Section 125(a)), and a person who acquires a right for value, relying in good faith on the register, generally keeps it even if the registration was wrong (Section 10). When the same property was promised to two buyers, the first one usually prevails, unless the second acted in good faith, paid, and registered while still in good faith (Section 9). That is why a buyer protects the deal with a warning note from the day of signing, and why registration should be completed, not left for later.
Israel's Supreme Court has applied these rules in two key rulings. In CA 2643/97 Ganz v. British & Colonial Co. (2003), an expanded panel of seven justices held that a first buyer who left the purchase unregistered, with no warning note, for 17 years could not enforce his contract against a later buyer who checked the register, registered a warning note and acted in good faith. Failing to register the note when nothing prevented it was itself held to be a lack of good faith. In CA 189/95 Bank Otzar Ha-Hayal v. Aharonov (1999), the Court held that a buyer's right under a signed contract generally prevails over a creditor of the seller who later attaches the property, even if the attachment is recorded at the Tabu. Under Section 127(b) of the Land Law, a registered warning note also protects the buyer against a later attachment, insolvency or receivership of the seller. The practical lesson of both rulings is the same: register the warning note on the day of signing, and complete the registration.
This page is about the registration itself: where your property is recorded, what the Tabu extract shows, the steps of registration, inherited property, new apartments and corrections. If you searched for estate registration because a relative died, the inheritance section below is the place to start. For the contract and taxes in a deal, see our pages on buying property in Israel and selling an apartment in Israel.
- A buyer paid in full, but the transfer was never registered. Years later, the seller has debts, and a creditor tries to attach the apartment that is still in the seller's name.
- An inherited apartment is still registered to a parent or grandparent. The heirs want to sell, and the inheritance has to be registered first.
- A new apartment is still recorded with the developer or a housing company. When the owner wants to sell or mortgage it, the missing registration slows the deal.
Each of these can be put right. It is usually simpler, and less costly, when it is done early.
The Same Registration, Two Kinds of Owners
Owners Living in Israel
- Meetings at our Herzliya Pituach office, by Zoom or by phone, in English, Hebrew or Spanish.
- The Tabu extract, the Land Registration Office's queries and the Hebrew forms explained in plain English.
- Coordination with your bank, the developer or the housing company, and the municipality.
- A clear picture of what is missing in an old or incomplete registration, and the order in which to fix it.
Owners Abroad
- A power of attorney signed where you live, before a notary with an apostille or at an Israeli consulate.
- Calls scheduled around your time zone, with documents sent and explained online.
- Registration under your passport details, with a check that the name and number match the register.
- An updated Tabu extract sent to you when the registration is complete.
How remote handling works in practice: owners abroad.
Tabu, Israel Land Authority or Housing Company: Where Is Your Property Registered?
An apartment in Israel is usually recorded in one of three places: the Land Registry (Tabu), the Israel Land Authority, or the books of the developer or housing company that built it. Some older buildings are held through a house company, described below. The first question in every registration is which of these holds your rights, because each one has its own documents and its own way of recording a transfer. Many properties move from one to another over time, for example from a developer's books to the Tabu once the building is registered as a condominium.
The Land Registry (Tabu)
The Land Registry records ownership, long leases, mortgages, warning notes and other rights in registered land. It works through regional Land Registration Offices, and each property is identified by its block (gush), parcel (helka) and, in a condominium, sub-parcel (tat-helka). A Tabu extract shows what is registered today; the section below explains how to read it.
The Israel Land Authority
Most land in Israel, about 93%, is state land managed by the Israel Land Authority (Rashut Mekarkei Yisrael, known as Rami and often still called the Minhal). Many apartments on this land are held on long leases from the Authority, usually for 49 or 98 years, and are registered at the Tabu as leases. Others, especially in newer neighborhoods, are recorded only at the Authority. It issues a confirmation of rights (ishur zchuyot) listing the right-holders and any encumbrances; ordered online, it costs ₪81 as of October 2026. A transfer is recorded by the Authority, and a transfer to a foreign buyer may need its approval, as explained on our page on whether a foreigner can own property in Israel.
A Developer or Housing Company (Chevra Meshakenet)
In a new building, and in some older public housing projects, apartments are first recorded in the books of the company that built or manages the project. They stay there until the building is registered as a condominium and each apartment is registered in its owner's name. The company confirms the owner's rights, and a sale needs its consent and a transfer in its records. A bank that finances a purchase in such a building usually protects its loan with a warning note or a commitment to register a mortgage, until the mortgage itself can be registered.
A House Company (Chevrat Bayit)
In some older buildings, the land is registered to a company and each apartment holder owns shares in it. A sale is a transfer of shares, not of land, and some owners convert the building into a registered condominium. Our real estate lawyer in Israel page explains house companies in more detail.
| Where it is recorded | What proves your rights | How a transfer is recorded | How a bank secures a mortgage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land Registry (Tabu) | A current Tabu extract | A deed of transfer filed at the Land Registration Office | A mortgage registered at the Tabu |
| Israel Land Authority | The Authority's confirmation of rights | Transfer documents filed with, and recorded by, the Authority | A commitment to register a mortgage, recorded by the Authority |
| Developer or housing company (chevra meshakenet) | The company's confirmation of rights | A transfer in the company's books, with its consent | Usually a warning note in the bank's favor, until registration |
| House company | The company's share register | A transfer of shares | A charge on the shares, as the bank requires |
What a Tabu Extract (Nesach Tabu) Shows
A Tabu extract (nesach tabu), often called the title deed in English, is the official record of what is registered on a property at the Land Registry on the day it is produced. There is no separate paper title deed to keep: the extract is the standard proof of registered rights. To order one you need the block (gush), parcel (helka) and, for an apartment, sub-parcel (tat-helka), which usually appear on the purchase contract and can be found on the government GovMap site. It is ordered on the Land Registry's online service for about ₪18, and the digital copy counts as an original. The Land Registry issues three main types: a regular extract, which shows the rights in force today; a historical extract, which also shows entries that were deleted; and a concentrated (consolidated) extract, which summarizes all the owners in a condominium.
A regular extract usually shows:
- The property's identity: block, parcel and sub-parcel, area, and its share in the common property.
- The owners or lessees: names, ID or passport numbers and the share each one holds.
- Encumbrances: mortgages, warning notes, attachments, court orders and leases.
- Attached areas: in a condominium, a parking space, storage room, roof or garden attached to the apartment.
Two practical points. A parking space or storage room is yours only if the register attaches it to your apartment, or the bylaws or a registered right give it to you. Check the extract, not the sales brochure. And a foreign owner registered under a passport number may later renew the passport. If the new number no longer matches the register, it must be linked to the old one before a sale or mortgage, which is simpler to arrange in advance.
Order a fresh extract right before signing a deal, and again before a large payment. An extract from last month will not show an attachment or a warning note registered last week.
How Property Registration in Israel Works, Step by Step
After the resale of an apartment already registered at the Tabu, registration in the buyer's name usually takes about 3 to 6 months from signing. Most of that time goes to the tax and municipal approvals and to releasing the seller's mortgage. These are the six steps of registering real estate in Israel, in the order they happen.
Check the Register and the Seller
We order the Tabu extract, or the Israel Land Authority or developer confirmation, confirm that the seller is the registered owner, and identify any mortgages, notes or attachments that must be cleared before the transfer.
Register a Warning Note
Right after signing, a warning note is registered under Section 126 of the Land Law. While it stands, a conflicting transaction is not registered without the buyer's consent or a court order (Section 127).
Report the Deal and Obtain the Tax Certificates
The sale is reported to the Israel Tax Authority within 30 days (Section 73 of the Land Taxation Law), and the buyer's Purchase Tax is generally paid within 60 days of the sale. The Land Registry does not register the transfer until the Tax Authority's certificates for the buyer and the seller (ishur mas rechisha and ishur mas shevach) are issued (Section 16).
Obtain the Municipal Certificate
For a transfer of rights, the municipality issues a certificate (ishur iriya) confirming that the debts owed to it on the property, such as arnona, fees and levies, including any betterment levy, are paid (Section 324 of the Municipalities Ordinance). Since June 1, 2023, this certificate is no longer needed to register a mortgage.
Release the Mortgage and File the Deed of Transfer
The seller's bank is paid and its mortgage is removed. If the buyer has a mortgage, the buyer's bank registers it. The signed deed of transfer (shtar mecher) is then filed at the Land Registration Office with the approvals. If the office raises a query, it is answered in writing.
Confirm the Registration
Once the transfer is registered, we order an updated extract that shows you as the owner, check that the buyer's warning note has been deleted and that nothing unexpected remains, and send you the extract with a short written summary.
Documents for Registering a Transfer at the Tabu
- A current Tabu extract, or the Israel Land Authority's or the company's confirmation of rights.
- The deed of transfer (shtar mecher), signed by the seller and the buyer or their attorneys.
- Identification of the parties: an Israeli ID card, or a passport for a foreign resident.
- The Tax Authority's certificates for the seller and the buyer (Section 16 of the Land Taxation Law).
- The municipal certificate (Section 324 of the Municipalities Ordinance).
- Where the seller has a mortgage, the bank's documents for its deletion.
- Where a party signs abroad, a power of attorney signed before a notary with an apostille or at an Israeli consulate.
- Payment of the Land Registry's fee.
An inheritance is registered with the Israeli succession or probate order instead of a deed of transfer, and a property recorded at the Israel Land Authority or with a company follows that body's own forms.
Key Facts: Registration Rules and Deadlines
| Item | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| When ownership passes | A transaction in land is completed by registration; until then it is an obligation to make it | Land Law, Section 7 |
| Written form | An undertaking to make a transaction in land must be in writing | Land Law, Section 8 |
| Weight of the register | In settled land, registration is conclusive evidence of its contents | Land Law, Section 125(a) |
| Warning note | Registered on a written undertaking; a conflicting transaction is not registered without consent or a court order | Land Law, Sections 126 and 127 |
| Reporting the deal | Within 30 days, by the buyer and the seller | Land Taxation Law, Section 73 |
| Paying Purchase Tax | Generally within 60 days of the sale | Land Taxation Law |
| Tax certificates | Needed before the Land Registry registers the transfer | Land Taxation Law, Section 16 |
| Municipal certificate | Needed for a transfer of rights; not for a mortgage since June 1, 2023 | Municipalities Ordinance, Section 324 |
| Developer's deadlines | Building: within one year of the parcellation's registration or the handover, whichever is later. Buyer's rights: within six months of the condominium's registration or the handover, whichever is later | Sale (Apartments) Law, Section 6 |
| Heirs | The estate passes to the heirs on the owner's death; registration requires an Israeli succession or probate order | Succession Law, Section 1; Land Registry practice |
Property Registration Services We Handle
Every registration starts from a different point: a completed purchase, an inheritance, a new apartment that is not yet in the Tabu, or an entry that is wrong. We handle the full range, from the first check of the register to the updated extract in your name.
Registration After a Purchase
The registration file after a purchase: tax and municipal certificates, mortgage release, the deed of transfer and the updated extract in the buyer's name. See the registration steps.
Warning Notes
Registering a warning note (he'arat azhara) right after signing, and deleting notes that are no longer needed once the transfer is registered or the deal has ended.
New Apartments and Condominiums
Following up with the developer or housing company until the building is registered as a condominium and your apartment is registered in your name. See new apartments.
Inheritance Registration
Registering the heirs at the Tabu, the Israel Land Authority or the company, on the basis of an Israeli succession or probate order. See inherited property.
Corrections and Deletions
Wrong names or ID numbers, mortgages paid long ago but never deleted, old warning notes and transactions that were never registered. See fixing the register.
Registration for Owners Abroad
The power of attorney, signing instructions for your country, and every step in Israel handled for you in English. See owners abroad.
Registering an Inherited Property (Estate Registration) at the Tabu
To register an inherited property in Israel, the heirs first obtain an Israeli succession order or probate order. They then file it with an application to register the inheritance at the Tabu, the Israel Land Authority or the company where the property is recorded. Under Section 1 of the Succession Law, 5725-1965 (in Hebrew), the estate passes to the heirs on the owner's death, and the order confirms who they are and their shares. An Israeli order is needed even when the will was made abroad or a foreign court has already dealt with the estate. Our pages on the succession order in Israel and the probate order explain that first stage.
Registering the inheritance is not a sale, so Capital Gains Tax and Purchase Tax are not charged at that stage. The tax questions come later, if the heirs sell or one heir buys the others out, and the structure of the heirs' agreement should be checked before it is signed. The registration file usually includes a certified copy of the order, the application to register the inheritance and the heirs' ID or passport copies.
Heirs who live abroad can sign the documents where they live, before a notary with an apostille or at an Israeli consulate. When the heirs want to sell, the registration of the inheritance is usually coordinated with the transfer to the buyer; our page on selling an inherited apartment in Israel explains the heirs' exemption from Capital Gains Tax. When the heirs cannot agree whether to keep or sell the property, see dissolution of co-ownership; when they dispute the will itself, see inheritance disputes in Israel. For the estate as a whole, see our estate lawyer in Israel page.
When a property was never registered after an earlier death, the inheritances are registered in order, one estate after the other, until the register reaches the current heirs. Each step needs its own order, so we map the chain at the start and file the missing orders together where possible.
New Apartments: Condominium Registration and the Developer's Deadlines
A new apartment is usually registered in the buyer's name only after the whole building is registered as a condominium (bayit meshutaf), and the law sets deadlines for the developer at both steps. Under Section 6 of the Sale (Apartments) Law, 5733-1973 (in Hebrew), the developer must register the building as a condominium within one year of the parcellation's registration or the apartment's handover, whichever is later. It must then register the buyer's rights within six months of the condominium's registration or the handover, whichever is later. Delays caused by circumstances beyond the developer's control are not counted.
Under the condominium provisions of the Land Law, a building with two or more apartments may be registered in the condominium register by order of the Land Registration Supervisor. Each apartment then becomes a sub-parcel with its share in the common property, and any agreed bylaws are registered with it; otherwise the model bylaws apply. Until then, your rights are recorded in the developer's or housing company's books and protected by a warning note. For this reason, your own lawyer should check the developer's contract, the specification and the guarantees before you buy, as explained on our page on buying a new apartment from a developer.
When the deadlines pass and the building is still not registered, the first step is usually a formal demand to the developer, with a request for the expected timetable and the reason for the delay. If that does not resolve the delay, the buyers' remedies are a matter for the court, and our page on claims against the developer explains that route. An older building that was never registered as a condominium can also be registered, and some disputes between apartment owners are decided by the Land Registration Supervisor even before registration.
Fixing the Register: Errors, Old Mortgages and Warning Notes
A wrong or outdated entry in the Tabu should be corrected before you sell, mortgage or divide the property, because in settled land the register is conclusive evidence of what it records (Section 125(a) of the Land Law). Some corrections are made by the Land Registrar on application, and others need a court order. The route depends on what is wrong and on what the documents show.
- A clerical error, such as a misspelled name, a wrong ID number or a wrong figure copied from the documents, can be corrected by the Land Registrar on application, under the Land Law and its regulations, on the basis of the original documents.
- A mortgage that was paid off but never deleted is removed by filing the bank's deletion documents at the Land Registration Office. Where the bank no longer exists, the deletion is usually arranged through the bank that took over its business or, failing that, by application to the court.
- An old warning note is deleted by the Land Registrar with the consent of the person it protects, after the transaction is registered, or once the grounds for it no longer exist; a note registered by court order is deleted only by the court (Section 132). Our page on removing a warning note covers the disputed cases.
- A transaction that was never registered, for example an old purchase where the seller has since died or moved abroad, is completed with the documents of the original deal and, where needed, the cooperation of the seller's heirs or a court order.
- A dispute over who owns the property, as opposed to an error in recording it, is decided by the court, as explained on our page on property disputes in Israel.
What Registration Costs: Government Fees and Legal Fees
The Land Registry's own fees are small compared with the value of a property: in 2026, about ₪45 to register a sale and about ₪190 to register a warning note, a mortgage or an inheritance. They are set by the Land Regulations (Fees), 5735-1974, indexed each January and charged separately for each action. The exact amount is shown on the payment page when the application is filed.
| Action | Approximate fee (2026) | Charged |
|---|---|---|
| Tabu extract ordered online | About ₪18 | Per extract |
| Certified extract at a Land Registration Office | About ₪88 | Per extract |
| Registering a warning note | About ₪190 | Per parcel |
| Deleting a warning note at the parties' request | About ₪125 | Per note |
| Registering a sale (transfer of ownership) | About ₪45 | Per transaction |
| Registering a mortgage | About ₪190 | Per mortgage |
| Registering an inheritance | About ₪190 | Per property |
| Israel Land Authority confirmation of rights | ₪81 | Ordered online |
The larger amounts in a deal (Purchase Tax and Capital Gains Tax) are taxes on the transaction, not registration fees, and they are explained on our Purchase Tax and Capital Gains Tax pages.
Our Legal Fees
Legal fees are set by the nature of the work and agreed in writing in advance, plus VAT. Registration after a purchase we handled is included in our fee for that purchase; registration on its own, or a correction of an old entry, is quoted separately after we review the register.
Ordering and reading the extract or the confirmation of rights, with a written note on what is registered and what is missing.
Certificates, deed of transfer, filing and follow-up until the updated extract is issued.
Registering the heirs after the order is issued, including heirs abroad and a chain of older estates.
Correcting an entry, deleting an old mortgage or note, or completing an old unregistered deal, quoted before work begins.
Representation That Goes All the Way to the Final Entry
Registration problems usually begin earlier, in a deal that was signed without a check of the register or a tax approval that was never collected. Because the office handles purchases, sales, inheritances and disputes, we know where a registration file tends to stall and prepare it with that in mind.
Adv. Reut Eliyahu: The Attorney Who Sees the Entire Property Picture
Founder & Managing Attorney | Eliyahu & Co. Law Office
LL.B. · MBA · Notary · Registered Arbitrator
Adv. Reut Eliyahu founded Eliyahu & Co. in 2011 as a civil, commercial and real estate law office. 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 notary and a registered arbitrator.
Registration is the last step of a long process, and problems often start much earlier, with a missed contract clause, tax approval or title check. Because she also handles the purchase, the sale and the inheritance that come before it, she treats the deal and its registration as one responsibility. As a notary, she can also certify the documents a registration requires.
The office acts for English-speaking owners in Israel and abroad. It also handles civil litigation in Israel and estate matters.
Anyone Who Needs Israeli Property Rights Properly Registered
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Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the questions we hear most often from buyers, heirs and owners in Israel and abroad about registering property at the Tabu.
This page is general information about Israeli law as of October 2026, not legal advice for your specific matter. Procedures and fees change, and we confirm the current requirements for each registration.
Legislation cited on this page:
Land Law, 5729-1969 (in Hebrew; Sections 7, 8, 9, 10, 125(a), 126, 127(b) and 132, and the condominium provisions) ·
Land Taxation (Capital Gain and Purchase) Law, 5723-1963 (in Hebrew; Sections 16 and 73) ·
Sale (Apartments) Law, 5733-1973 (in Hebrew; Section 6) ·
Succession Law, 5725-1965 (in Hebrew; Section 1) ·
Israel Lands Law, 5720-1960 (Section 2A) · Municipalities Ordinance (Section 324) · Land Regulations (Fees), 5735-1974. Links lead to Hebrew summaries on our site.
Case law cited: CA 2643/97 Ganz v. British & Colonial Co. Ltd. (Supreme Court, February 5, 2003) · CA 189/95 Bank Otzar Ha-Hayal Ltd. v. Aharonov, PD 53(4) 199 (Supreme Court, August 16, 1999).
Owners Abroad: Registering Property in Israel From Overseas
Many of our clients live in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France and other countries, and most complete the registration without traveling to Israel. The legal steps are the same as for an owner in Israel. What changes is how the power of attorney is signed and verified abroad, how your identity is matched to the register, and how we keep you informed across the time difference. The apostille is issued by the competent authority where you sign; in a country that has not joined the Apostille Convention, the signature is verified at an Israeli consulate. Clients in North America can also call our US line, +1 (310) 735-4210.
Calls Planned Around Your Time Zone
Updates by phone or video call at a time agreed in advance, within office hours (Sun-Thu 08:00-19:00 and Fri 08:00-13:00, Israel time).
Power of Attorney Signed Where You Live
We draft the power of attorney and send signing instructions for your country, before a notary with an apostille or at a consulate, so that it meets the requirements of the Land Registry and the other authorities.
Your Identity on the Register
We check that the name and passport number on the register match your current documents, and fix a mismatch before it blocks a sale or a loan.
English, Hebrew and Spanish
Forms and letters from the authorities are in Hebrew. Each one is explained to you in English (or Spanish) before you sign or decide.
Register Your Property Rights in Israel: Free First Consultation
Just signed a deal, received the keys to a new apartment not yet registered at the Tabu, inherited a property, or found a problem on the extract? Tell us where the property is, where it is recorded if you know, and where you live today, and we will get back to you within one business day. The first consultation is free and without obligation, by phone, video call or at our office.
4 HaOgen Street, Herzliya Pituach 4655102, Israel
Sun-Thu: 08:00-19:00
Fri: 08:00-13:00
Meetings at the office, by Zoom or by phone.
Is your property registered in your name? Let's make sure.
Registration after a purchase, inherited property, new apartments still with the developer, old mortgages and wrong entries at the Tabu, in English, for owners in Israel and abroad. Handled personally by Adv. Reut Eliyahu. The first consultation is free, with no obligation.
Office hours (Israel time) Sun-Thu 08:00-19:00, Fri 08:00-13:00 · Herzliya Pituach office, video calls or fully remote · Fees agreed in writing in advance