Quick Answer: Israel has no single database of a deceased person's assets. To locate assets in an Israeli estate, foreign heirs must search the Land Registry for property, the Bank of Israel's dormant-accounts system for financial accounts, the national pension-tracing service for retirement savings, and the insurance regulator's records for life insurance policies. An Israeli attorney with a power of attorney can conduct most of these searches and deal with institutions on your behalf without you travelling to Israel.

When a relative dies leaving assets in Israel, one of the first practical questions heirs face is simply: what did they actually own? This is harder to answer than it sounds. Unlike some countries, Israel does not publish a unified estate inventory, and institutions such as banks and pension funds are bound by confidentiality rules that prevent them from disclosing information without the right legal documentation.

For heirs living abroad — in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, or anywhere outside Israel — the challenge is compounded by distance, language, and unfamiliarity with Israeli administrative systems. This guide walks through every major category of Israeli asset, explains which authority holds the relevant records, and describes how to access those records as a foreign heir. Where existing guides on this site cover a specific asset type in depth, links are provided so you can go further.

1. Why There Is No Central Asset Registry in Israel

Many heirs arrive at an Israeli attorney's office expecting a single government database — something like a national estate inventory — that will tell them exactly what their relative owned. No such database exists in Israel.

Instead, different categories of asset are registered and tracked by different authorities:

  • Real property is recorded in the Land Registry (*Tabu*), managed by the Ministry of Justice.
  • Bank accounts and securities are held by licensed financial institutions supervised by the Bank of Israel and the Israel Securities Authority (ISA).
  • Pension rights and provident funds are tracked by individual pension fund managers and the national pension-tracing service operated by the Ministry of Finance.
  • Life insurance policies are held by insurance companies regulated by the Capital Market, Insurance and Savings Authority (*Rashut Shuk HaHon*).
  • Company shareholdings are recorded in the Companies Registrar (*Rasham HaChevrot*) at the Ministry of Justice.

This fragmented structure means that locating all assets in an Israeli estate typically requires parallel searches across several systems — and that each institution will demand formal legal proof of your status as a beneficiary before releasing any information. The succession order (*tzav yerusha*) or probate order (*tzav kiyum tzava'a*) issued by the Israeli Registrar of Inheritances is the key that unlocks most of these disclosures. Because obtaining that order takes time, the asset-tracing process and the legal inheritance application usually proceed in parallel rather than sequentially.

2. Tracing Real Property in the Land Registry (Tabu)

Real estate is typically the most valuable Israeli asset and the easiest to verify. Israeli land is registered in the Land Registry (*Tabu*), which is administered by the Ministry of Justice Land Registration Bureau (*Lishkat Rishuim*). The registry is a public record: anyone can search it, and no court order is needed simply to look up whether a property is registered in a given person's name.

How to search:

  • Searches are conducted by parcel coordinates — known as *gush* (block) and *helka* (plot). If you have an address, an Israeli attorney can convert it to the correct coordinates using the online cadastral map maintained by the Survey of Israel.
  • The Ministry of Justice operates an online Land Registry portal where registered owners, encumbrances, and mortgages on a specific parcel can be viewed for a small fee. The interface is in Hebrew, but an attorney can pull the relevant extracts on your behalf.
  • A full *nesach tabu* (land registry extract) for a parcel shows the owner's name, identity number, share held (relevant in co-ownership situations), and any charges or caveats registered against the property.

Israel State Land: Not all land in Israel is privately registered in Tabu. Approximately 93% of land in Israel is owned by the state and administered by the Israel Land Authority (*Rashut Mekarkei Yisrael*). Where the deceased held leasehold rights on state land rather than freehold title, those rights appear in a separate register maintained by the Israel Land Authority — another place to check.

Unregistered property: A small amount of property in Israel is registered in older systems — the *Minhala* (administered land records) or the *Tabu* predecessor systems from the Ottoman and British Mandate eras. For properties in older urban neighborhoods or Arab towns, an attorney may need to search these legacy records separately.

Once property is identified, the process of transferring title to heirs requires the succession order plus a formal inheritance transfer application filed with the Land Registry. See our guide on selling inherited property in Israel for what happens after the estate is settled.

In Practice: Under Section 74 of the Land Law 1969 (*Hok HaMekarim*), a *nesach tabu* (land registry extract) is a public record accessible to any person. In practice, the Land Registry (*Lishkat Rishuim*) at the Ministry of Justice charges NIS 11–24 per parcel extract for online searches. Your Israeli attorney can pull extracts for all parcels associated with an address within 1–2 business days — before a succession order is even obtained — giving heirs a confirmed picture of the property holdings before any legal process begins.

3. Tracing Bank Accounts and Financial Assets

Bank accounts are often the most urgently needed asset for an estate — families need funds to cover funeral costs, ongoing property expenses, or the attorney's fees for the inheritance application itself. Unfortunately, Israeli banks are among the most privacy-protected institutions an heir will encounter.

The Bank of Israel Dormant Accounts Registry

The Bank of Israel (*Bank Yisrael*) operates a public registry of dormant bank accounts — accounts that have had no activity for at least seven years. Under the Dormant Assets Law (*Chok Nechasim Uvdo'im*), 5770-2010, financial institutions are required to transfer dormant assets to the state after a defined period, but before doing so they must list them in a searchable public database. Foreign heirs can search this database by the deceased's Israeli identity number (*mispar zehut*) or full name to check whether any dormant accounts exist.

This registry is a useful starting point but has real limitations: it only covers accounts dormant for seven or more years and does not reflect active accounts the deceased was using up until their death. For recently deceased individuals, it is unlikely to be the primary source of information.

Approaching Banks Directly

For active accounts, the process works as follows:

  • Once you have obtained a succession order or probate order from the Israeli Registrar of Inheritances, your Israeli attorney presents it to each bank branch where the deceased may have held accounts.
  • Banks are then legally obligated to disclose what accounts exist and to freeze those accounts pending distribution.
  • If you do not know which banks the deceased used, your attorney can send inquiry letters to all major Israeli banks — Bank Hapoalim, Bank Leumi, Mizrahi Tefahot, Israel Discount Bank, and First International Bank — along with a copy of the succession order.
  • Banks typically respond within 30–60 days confirming whether any accounts were held.

For a full guide to inheriting Israeli bank accounts, including how to transfer funds abroad, see Inheriting Israeli Bank Accounts.

Brokerage Accounts and Securities

Investment portfolios and securities accounts held with Israeli brokers (or through bank investment divisions) are treated similarly to bank accounts. Your attorney sends a disclosure request with the succession order to each institution. The Israel Securities Authority does not maintain a centralized registry of individual investor accounts, so the search must go institution by institution.

4. Pension Funds, Life Insurance, and Provident Funds

Israeli pension and insurance assets are a major source of value in many estates — and the category most commonly overlooked by families who did not know what pension arrangements their relative had made.

The National Pension-Tracing Service (*Sherut Itur Kaspei Gemulim*)

The Ministry of Finance operates a pension-tracing service that allows authorized persons to search for pension savings and provident funds (*kaspei gemulim*) accumulated by a named individual. The service searches across all licensed pension fund managers and provident fund operators in Israel.

  • Access requires the deceased's Israeli identity number and, in practice, the succession order or a court letter authorizing the search.
  • Results show the name of each fund manager holding an account, the type of fund, and the approximate balance.
  • The heir then contacts each fund manager separately with the full succession order to begin the transfer process.

For a detailed guide on this process, including the distinction between pension savings and survivor benefits, see Inheriting an Israeli Pension Fund.

Life Insurance Policies

Life insurance in Israel is regulated by the Capital Market, Insurance and Savings Authority (*Rashut Shuk HaHon, HaVituach v'HaChisachon*). There is no public searchable database of active life insurance policies, but the Authority operates a tracing mechanism through which heirs can submit a formal inquiry. The process:

  • Submit a written request to the Authority including the deceased's identity number, date of death, and your relationship to the deceased.
  • The Authority queries all licensed insurance companies on your behalf.
  • Insurers are required to respond within 30 days confirming whether any policies name the deceased as insured.
  • Once a policy is identified, the heir contacts the insurer directly with the succession order and a death certificate to make a claim.

Note that life insurance proceeds paid to a named beneficiary do not form part of the estate under Israeli law — they pass directly to the beneficiary regardless of what the will or succession order says. This makes it particularly important to check whether any policies exist, because those funds bypass the normal inheritance process entirely.

In Practice: Under the Dormant Assets Law (*Chok Nechasim Uvdo'im*) 5770-2010, Israeli pension funds and provident funds must report dormant balances to the Ministry of Finance's pension-tracing service (*Sherut Itur Kaspei Gemulim*) after 7 years of inactivity. An attorney submitting a tracing request with the deceased's *mispar zehut* (identity number) and the succession order typically receives results within 30–45 days. In estates where the deceased was employed by an Israeli company for 20+ years, undiscovered pension balances of NIS 200,000–800,000 are regularly located — often split across multiple fund managers the family never knew about.

Keren Hishtalmut (Training Funds)

Many Israeli employees have *keren hishtalmut* accounts — short-to-medium-term savings funds. These are held with the same institutions as pension funds and can be traced through the same pension-tracing service. Employers are required to contribute to these funds for eligible employees, so even a deceased person who was not attentive to their financial affairs may have accumulated substantial balances.

5. Business Interests, Digital Assets, and Other Property

Company Shareholdings

If the deceased ran a business or held shares in an Israeli company, the starting point is the Companies Registrar (*Rasham HaChevrot*) at the Ministry of Justice. Company registration records are publicly searchable online by company name or company registration number. A search shows the registered directors and shareholders of each company, making it straightforward to confirm whether a named individual held shares in a registered company.

For privately held companies (*chevra pratit*), the share register is maintained by the company itself and may not be fully reflected in the public Registrar filing. Your attorney may need to send a formal letter to the company's registered office requesting access to the share register on the basis of the succession order.

Transferring company shares to heirs requires a formal share transfer deed and, depending on the company's articles of association, potentially a shareholders' meeting or board resolution approving the transfer.

Vehicles and Movable Property

Vehicle ownership is recorded in the National Vehicle Registry (*Misrad HaTachbura* — Ministry of Transport). A search by the deceased's identity number will reveal any vehicles registered in their name. Transferring vehicle title to an heir requires the succession order plus a standard vehicle transfer form filed at a licensing bureau.

For general movable property — furniture, jewelry, art, household contents — there is no registry. Heirs typically rely on a physical inventory of the property conducted at the time of access to the home or storage unit.

Digital Assets

Israeli law has not yet enacted specific legislation addressing digital assets in inheritance. Under the general principles of the Inheritance Law, 5725-1965, digital assets with measurable monetary value — cryptocurrency wallets, online trading accounts, PayPal or digital payment balances, domain names — form part of the estate and pass to heirs by will or by intestacy rules. Accessing them, however, requires either the private keys (for cryptocurrency) or cooperation from the platform provider, which typically requires a copy of the succession order and proof of death translated into English.

Cryptocurrency wallets for which the private key has been lost are generally irrecoverable regardless of what legal documents you hold. If the deceased left any written record of passwords or seed phrases, securing these at the earliest possible stage is critical.

Foreign Assets

This guide focuses on Israeli assets. If the deceased held assets in other countries — a UK bank account, US brokerage account, or property in France — those assets are governed by the law of the country where they are located, and a separate legal process in each country may be required. An Israeli attorney can assist with coordinating Israeli proceedings and referring you to local counsel in other jurisdictions.

6. The Role of an Israeli Attorney in Tracing Assets

Engaging an Israeli attorney from the outset of the estate process is not just advisable — for foreign heirs, it is effectively mandatory. Israeli banks, pension funds, the Land Registry, and the Inheritance Registrar all operate in Hebrew, require Hebrew-language filings, and maintain working hours that may not align with your time zone. More importantly, the legal status you need to compel disclosure — the succession order — can only be obtained through a formal application to the Israeli authorities, which requires legal representation.

A competent Israeli estate attorney will:

  • Search the Land Registry, Companies Registrar, and dormant-accounts database at the outset to build an initial picture of the estate.
  • File the inheritance application with the Registrar of Inheritances (*Rasham HaYerushot*) to obtain the succession order or petition for recognition of a foreign probate order.
  • Send disclosure requests to all major banks and financial institutions once the succession order is issued.
  • Submit the pension-tracing inquiry and insurance inquiry on your behalf.
  • Coordinate asset transfers to heirs — including international wire transfers for funds that need to be remitted abroad.

For heirs living outside Israel, granting the attorney a power of attorney (*iyeul ko'ach*) allows them to conduct virtually all searches and filings remotely. The power of attorney document must be notarized and apostilled in your country of residence before being used in Israel. Your attorney can prepare the text of the document for you to sign locally. See our guide on powers of attorney in Israel for how this works in practice.

What to bring to the first consultation:

  • The deceased's Israeli identity number (*mispar zehut*) — this is the key identifier for most searches.
  • Full name and date of birth as they appear on official Israeli documents.
  • A copy of the death certificate (apostilled if issued abroad).
  • Any documents you already have: Israeli bank statements, property tax receipts (*arnona*), pension fund correspondence, or a will.
  • Your own identity documents and proof of your relationship to the deceased (birth certificate, marriage certificate, etc.).

Even partial information — a single bank statement or an electricity bill addressed to the deceased — can be enough for an attorney to begin the process. Do not wait until you have a complete picture; the sooner the legal process starts, the sooner assets can be protected from unauthorized access and the estate clock begins running.

An American family whose Israeli-born father died in Haifa in 2024 initially believed the estate consisted only of a single apartment, as the father had retired and appeared to live simply. After obtaining a succession order, the estate attorney submitted a pension-tracing inquiry to the Ministry of Finance's Sherut Itur Kaspei Gemulim using the deceased's mispar zehut. The results, received within five weeks, identified three separate pension fund accounts with two different managers — accumulated during a 28-year career with an Israeli industrial company — with a combined balance of NIS 614,000. The family had been unaware of any pension savings beyond a small savings account. The attorney also queried the Bank of Israel dormant-accounts database and identified a Bank Leumi account that had been inactive for nine years, holding NIS 22,000. In total, the discovered financial assets exceeded the apartment's value. The case illustrated the practical importance of conducting systematic searches across all registries rather than relying on what family members believe the estate contains.