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Inheritance & Probate

Can a blind or illiterate person make a valid will in Israel?

Yes. The Succession Law 5725-1965 provides a specific route for a testator who cannot read, write, or see. Section 22 allows a will to be made before an authority, meaning a judge, the Registrar of Inheritance Affairs, a member of a religious court, or a notary. The testator states the will orally or hands over a prepared text, the authority reads it back aloud, and the testator confirms it. The authority then certifies on the document that this was done, and that certification is what makes the will valid.

Israeli succession law recognizes four forms of will. A handwritten will under Section 19 must be written, dated and signed in the testator's own hand, which rules it out for someone who cannot write. A will before two witnesses under Section 20 still requires the testator's own signature. Section 22 removes both obstacles by shifting the formality onto a public officer. A judge, a Registrar of Inheritance Affairs, a religious court judge, or a notary takes the testator's instructions, reads the finished text back, and certifies on the face of the will that the testator declared it to be their will.

For a diaspora testator with Israeli assets the notarial route is usually the practical one, because a notary can attend a hospital bedside or a private home and can work through a certified translator when the testator does not read Hebrew. The Notaries Law 5736-1976 bars a notary from certifying a document the signatory cannot read unless the notary reads it aloud or has it translated, and records that step in the certificate. Attach a physician's confirmation of mental capacity dated the same day, since a will signed by someone who was blind or bedridden invites a later capacity challenge. Every other requirement of a valid Israeli will still applies.

⚖ In Practice
  • Governing law: Sections 18, 19, 20, 22 and 25, Succession Law 5725-1965
  • Competent authority: a notary (notaryon), a Family Court judge, or the Registrar of Inheritance Affairs (Rasham LeInyanei Yerusha)
  • Notary fee: approximately NIS 250 for the first signatory and about NIS 80 for each additional signatory (2026), set by the Notaries Regulations (Fees)
  • Extra safeguard: a doctor's certificate of capacity dated the same day, which a notary must obtain where the testator is hospitalized or bedridden
  • Curing defects: Section 25 lets a court validate a will carrying a formal flaw if satisfied it reflects the testator's genuine wishes, but the declaration before the authority cannot be supplied afterwards
  • Safekeeping: the signed will can be deposited with the Registrar of Inheritance Affairs for a fee of roughly NIS 100 (2026)

From the full guide: Israeli Will Requirements: How to Write a Valid Will in Israel

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Get a Free Consultation with Adv. Eli ShimonyPrepared under the direction of Adv. Eli Shimony, Eli Shimony Law Office · Editorial policy

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