Quick Answer: A payment order (tzav tashlum) is an Israeli court order directing a debtor to pay a specific sum within 30 days — obtained from a Magistrate's or District Court without a full trial, based on documentary evidence alone. If the debtor neither pays nor contests the order in time, it converts automatically to an enforceable judgment. This procedure is by far the fastest legitimate route to a court judgment in Israel for clear-cut monetary debts.

You delivered goods, provided services, or lent money to someone in Israel. They haven't paid. You've sent demand letters. You've called. Nothing has moved. Now you're wondering whether you need to commit to months (or years) of full-blown Israeli litigation just to get what you're plainly owed.

In many cases, no. Israeli civil procedure has a mechanism specifically for creditors who can prove a debt through documents rather than live testimony. Used correctly, it can cut the time from filing to enforceable judgment from years to weeks. This guide covers how it works, who qualifies, and what to do when things don't go smoothly.

1. What Is a Payment Order Under Israeli Law?

A tzav tashlum (payment order) is an order from an Israeli court telling a named defendant to pay a fixed sum within 30 days. The court issues it on the basis of the creditor's written application and supporting documents, without summoning the debtor to a hearing first.

The governing rules are Regulations 79 through 83 of the Civil Procedure Regulations 5779-2018 (Takanot Seder HaDin HaEzrahi), which replaced the older 1984 regulations. The order goes out ex parte: the creditor presents their case in writing, and the debtor's right of reply comes afterward, not before.

Compare that to a standard Statement of Claim (*ktatv tviya*), where the parties exchange pleadings, potentially go through discovery, and only reach judgment after months or years. The payment order exists because some debts are so well-documented that putting them through a full trial wastes everyone's time.

In Practice — Regulation 79, Civil Procedure Regulations 2018:

A creditor may apply for a payment order when the claim is for a liquidated sum of money and is supported by documentary evidence. The court registry (the clerk of the relevant Magistrate's or District Court) receives the application, stamps it, and the file is assigned to a judge for review. Most payment orders are reviewed and issued within two to four weeks of correct filing — without any hearing.

2. When Can You Use the Payment Order Procedure?

Not every debt qualifies. The procedure is for liquidated monetary debts — the amount owed must be fixed, documented, and not genuinely in dispute. Courts look at three things: whether the claim is for a specific NIS sum (or a foreign currency amount that converts cleanly to NIS), whether you have written proof of the obligation, and whether liability depends on live witness testimony or just documents.

On the documentation front, you need signed contracts, invoices, promissory notes (*shtarot hov*), cheques, bank statements, or other written evidence establishing both the obligation and the amount. On the factual-dispute question, the mere fact that a debtor might object later does not disqualify the procedure. The court looks at your documents at the outset, not at what the debtor might eventually argue.

Common debt types that routinely succeed through this procedure include:

  • Unpaid invoices for goods delivered or services rendered
  • Dishonored cheques (*chekim be-lo kavua*) and bounced bank transfers
  • Promissory notes (*shtarot hov*) that have fallen due
  • Unpaid rent arrears supported by a signed lease agreement
  • Loan repayments where the original loan agreement is in writing
  • Condominium maintenance fees (*dmei vaad bayit*) backed by the building's management agreement
  • Unpaid purchase price installments for a property or business sale
In Practice — Court Jurisdiction by Claim Amount:

The correct court depends on how much you are claiming:

  • Up to NIS 35,500: Small Claims Court (*Beit Mishpat Le-Tviot Katanar*) — simplified procedure with lower fees, no lawyers required.
  • NIS 35,501 to NIS 2,500,000: Magistrate's Court (*Beit Mishpat Shalom*).
  • Over NIS 2,500,000: District Court (*Beit Mishpat Mehozi*).

Foreign creditors must file in the court for the district where the debtor is located or where the cause of action arose — typically Tel Aviv, Central, Haifa, or Jerusalem Districts.

3. How to File for a Payment Order Step by Step

Each step must be completed correctly or the court registry will reject the filing and ask you to start over.

Step 1: Prepare the Claim Documents

Draft a Statement of Claim setting out: who you are, who the debtor is, the nature of the debt, the exact NIS amount claimed, the legal basis (contract, statute, or other), and a calculation of interest accrued. Attach all documentary evidence as numbered exhibits. Every document in a language other than Hebrew must be accompanied by a certified Hebrew translation (*tirgum me'ushar*) signed by a licensed translator.

Step 2: Include the Payment Order Application

File a separate Application for a Payment Order (*bvakasha le-tzav tashlum*) alongside the Statement of Claim. The application states that the claim is for a liquidated sum, that the debt is documented, and that the creditor is entitled to judgment without a full trial. Under Regulation 79 of the 2018 Regulations, this application must be submitted simultaneously with the Statement of Claim — it cannot be added later.

Step 3: Pay the Court Filing Fee

Filing fees are set by the Courts Regulations (Fees) 5767-2007 and are calculated as a percentage of the amount claimed:

  • Magistrate's Court: approximately 2.5% of the claimed amount, subject to a minimum of around NIS 450 and a maximum of approximately NIS 91,000 for very large claims.
  • District Court: slightly higher percentage for the first tier, with graduated scales for larger amounts.
  • Small Claims Court: a flat fee of approximately NIS 150–300 depending on the claim amount.

Fees are paid online through the Ministry of Justice portal (the Nevo system or the courts' e-filing gateway) or in cash at the court registry. Foreign entities without an Israeli bank account can arrange payment through their Israeli attorney.

Step 4: Serve the Debtor

Once the court issues the payment order, you must serve it on the debtor together with the Statement of Claim. Service in Israel is governed by Regulations 461–482 of the Civil Procedure Regulations 2018. Personal service (*masira ishit*) is preferred — a process server (*shamash*) physically delivers the documents to the debtor. For a debtor residing abroad, service follows the rules in the applicable bilateral treaty or the Hague Service Convention, which Israel has ratified.

In Practice — Response Deadlines Under Regulation 80:

Once served, the debtor has a strict window to respond:

  • 30 days from service if the debtor resides in Israel.
  • 60 days from service if the debtor is located abroad.

Missing this window is fatal to the debtor's right to contest the order — courts will only grant an extension in narrow circumstances (e.g., documented medical incapacitation or proven failure of service). The creditor's attorney should track service dates carefully and move to convert the order to a final judgment the day after the deadline expires.

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4. What Happens After the Payment Order Is Issued?

The payment order notifies the debtor of the claim and gives them a fixed window to respond or pay. During that window it is neither a final judgment nor an immediately enforceable instrument. Three things can happen once it's served.

The debtor pays in full. The creditor files a notice of satisfaction with the court, the file is closed, and the creditor also recovers attorney's fees and court costs that the court fixed when issuing the order.

The debtor ignores the order. Once the response deadline passes with no payment and no opposition, the creditor applies to the court for a Certificate of Final Judgment (*teudat psikat din*). This converts the payment order into a fully enforceable judgment, and no hearing is required. The resulting judgment carries interest and CPI linkage from the date the original debt fell due.

The debtor files an opposition. The case moves into standard adversarial proceedings, covered in Section 5 below.

In Practice — Interest and CPI Linkage Under the Adjudication of Interest and Linkage Law 5721-1961:

A converted judgment does not merely order repayment of the face debt. Under the Adjudication of Interest and Linkage Law, the court-awarded sum is subject to:

  • CPI linkage (*haftzanat madad*): The debt is adjusted upward in line with the Israeli Consumer Price Index from the date the debt fell due to the date of actual payment.
  • Interest (*ribbit psika*): Set by the Minister of Justice under Section 4 of the same law — currently approximately 6% per year above the Bank of Israel prime rate (the *richit bnl*). As of mid-2026 this translates to a total annualised judgment interest rate of roughly 10.5–11% p.a., though you should verify the current rate with your attorney.

In practice this means a debtor who ignores a payment order and allows it to mature into a judgment ends up paying substantially more than the original debt — a genuine incentive to settle early.

5. When the Debtor Challenges the Payment Order

A debtor who disputes the claim has the right to file an Opposition to the Payment Order (*hitnagedut le-tzav tashlum*) within the response window. Under Regulation 81 of the Civil Procedure Regulations 2018, this opposition must:

  • Be filed with the court registry in writing before the deadline expires
  • State the specific grounds on which the debtor disputes the debt — a general denial is insufficient
  • Be accompanied by a Statement of Defence (*ktatv hagana*) if the debtor intends to raise affirmative defences

Once an opposition is filed, the payment order is automatically suspended and the case is rescheduled as an ordinary civil lawsuit. The parties exchange pleadings, the court may order mediation, and the matter proceeds to a hearing — potentially months or years away.

However, the mere filing of an opposition does not end the creditor's options. If the opposition is clearly frivolous — filed only to delay payment rather than to raise a genuine defence — the creditor may apply to the court for a summary judgment (*psika mekutzevert*) under Regulation 154 of the 2018 Regulations. If granted, the court strikes the opposition and enters final judgment without a trial.

This is where the quality of the creditor's original documentation matters most. A signed contract, a clear invoice, and a record of delivery or performance make it very difficult for a debtor to articulate a credible defence. Courts routinely dismiss oppositions that amount to nothing more than "I don't think I owe this" without any supporting evidence.

6. Enforcing the Payment Order Through the Execution Office

A court judgment, whether produced by a converted payment order or a contested trial, has no automatic enforcement mechanism. You still need to collect it. In Israel, judgment enforcement runs through the Execution Office (*Lishkat HaBitzu'a*), a Ministry of Justice division with offices in every judicial district.

The enforcement process works as follows:

  1. Open an Execution File (*tik bitzu'a*). File the judgment at the Execution Office together with a completed application form and pay the opening fee — currently approximately 1% of the judgment amount, subject to a minimum of NIS 600 and a maximum of around NIS 30,000. The Execution Registrar (*raShem HaBitzu'a*) assigns a case number and opens the file.
  2. Request a financial disclosure order (*tzav geluyi nekassim*). Under Section 7 of the Execution Law 5727-1967, the Execution Registrar can order the debtor to appear and declare all their assets — bank accounts, property, vehicles, business holdings, pension rights, and income. Failure to comply is punishable under the same law.
  3. Apply for specific enforcement measures. Based on the financial disclosure, or on information you already hold, apply for:
    • Bank account attachment (*ikul heshbon bank*): The Execution Office sends a freeze notice to the debtor's banks, blocking and redirecting funds up to the judgment amount.
    • Wage garnishment (*ikul maskoret*): The debtor's employer is ordered to deduct up to one-third of net salary per month and remit it directly to the Execution Office on behalf of the creditor.
    • Property lien (*mishkanta be-mekarka'in*): Registered against the debtor's real estate at the Israel Land Authority (*Rashut Mekarka'ei Yisrael*), blocking any sale until the judgment is satisfied.
    • Exit travel ban (*tzav itur yetzia*): Prevents the debtor from leaving Israel until the judgment is paid or secured. Applied for under Section 11A of the Execution Law — a powerful tool that frequently prompts immediate negotiation.
    • Vehicle attachment (*ikul rehev*): Targets the debtor's registered vehicles, which can be seized and sold by the Execution Office.
In Practice — Execution Office Timeline and Key Authorities:

Once an Execution File is opened:

  • Bank attachment orders typically reach the debtor's banks within 5–10 business days of the application.
  • The National Insurance Institute (*Bituach Leumi* / NII) can be compelled to disclose the debtor's registered employer and pension contributions, enabling wage garnishment and pension attachment applications.
  • The Israel Land Authority (*ILA / Minhal Mekarka'im*) processes property lien registrations within approximately 3–7 working days.
  • Exit ban requests go to the Population and Immigration Authority (*Rashut HaOlim Ve-HaMehagrim*) and the Border Control Authority — typically activated within 48–72 hours of the court's approval.

All enforcement measures under the Execution Law are subject to debtor-protection rules: a basic minimum wage exemption applies to wage garnishments, and certain pension rights enjoy partial protection under the Pension Law 5768-2008.

7. Practical Tips for Foreign Creditors

Foreign nationals and companies run into a few procedural requirements that Israeli creditors don't face. Worth knowing before you file.

Appoint an Israeli Attorney

Under Israeli court rules, a foreign corporation or an individual who is not an Israeli resident must generally be represented by a licensed Israeli advocate (*orech din*) for proceedings in Israeli courts. Self-representation by foreign entities is not permitted in Magistrate's or District Court proceedings. The attorney handles service logistics, court communications, and the Execution Office process on your behalf.

Prepare for a Security Deposit

Under Regulation 519 of the Civil Procedure Regulations 2018, an Israeli court may order a foreign plaintiff to deposit security for costs (*pikadon hotzaot*) before a case proceeds. The amount is at the court's discretion — often NIS 5,000 to NIS 25,000 for mid-range commercial claims — and is held pending the outcome. If you win, it is returned. If you lose, the court may apply it to cover the defendant's costs. Build this into your cost-benefit calculation before filing.

Document Everything in Hebrew or with Translations

Israeli courts conduct proceedings in Hebrew. Every foreign-language document submitted as evidence must be accompanied by a certified Hebrew translation (*tirgum me'ushar*) from a sworn translator. This applies to contracts, invoices, correspondence, and corporate resolutions. Untranslated documents are routinely struck from the record, so invest in professional translation before filing.

Check Whether Your Jurisdiction Has a Treaty with Israel

If you already hold a judgment from a court in the United States, UK, France, Germany, or several other countries, you may be able to register it directly in Israel under the Foreign Judgments Enforcement Law 5718-1958 rather than starting fresh proceedings. This is often faster than filing a new claim. See our related guide on enforcing foreign judgments in Israel for a full breakdown of that procedure.

Consider Whether Arbitration Is Faster

If the underlying contract contains an arbitration clause referencing the Israel Centre for Commercial Arbitration (*Lishkat HaBorrerut HaMischarit Hayisraelit* / ICCA) or the Israeli Bar Association arbitration rules, pursuing arbitration may actually be faster than court proceedings — particularly for complex commercial disputes. Arbitration awards can be enforced through the courts with minimal additional procedure. See our guide on arbitration versus litigation in Israel for a comparative analysis.