Free Consultation
Family Law

Can a spouse in Israel change a life insurance or pension beneficiary during divorce proceedings?

Nothing in the policy itself stops a spouse from renaming the beneficiary, because a designation is a contractual instruction to the insurer or provident fund rather than a testamentary gift. An Israeli family court can stop it. Section 11 of the Spouses (Property Relations) Law 5733-1973 lets the court order protective measures where there is reasonable concern that one spouse will act to defeat the other’s claim to a balancing of resources. An injunction restraining a change of beneficiary is a standard form of that relief, and urgent applications are heard within days.

Two separate questions get confused here. The first is who owns the savings: amounts accumulated in a pension, provident fund or savings policy during the marriage form part of the resources balanced between the spouses under Section 5 of the statute, whoever is named on the paperwork. The second is who receives payment on death, which the fund decides by looking at the designation on file. Changing the beneficiary does not shrink the marital pot, but it can leave a surviving spouse fighting a third party for money the court had already treated as shared. Section 11 exists precisely to freeze that position while the financial claim is being decided.

A foreign spouse in Israeli divorce proceedings should establish early who is named on every Israeli policy and fund, because the institutions will not disclose that to a spouse without a court order. Ask for the restraining order at the same time as the property claim rather than after a change has already been made, and make sure the order is served on the insurer or fund itself, since an order the institution has never seen does not stop it paying out. An Israeli order also does not automatically bind a foreign insurer, which usually needs separate proceedings where that company sits. Our guide to freezing marital assets during divorce in Israel covers the wider toolkit.

⚖ In Practice
  • Governing law: Sections 5 and 11, Spouses (Property Relations) Law 5733-1973
  • Competent authority: Family Court (Beit Mishpat LeInyanei Mishpacha), or the Rabbinical Court where property jurisdiction was validly attached
  • Court fee: a property claim in the Family Court carries a filing fee of approximately NIS 600 (2026); interim motions inside an open file carry no separate fee
  • Timeline: urgent motions are commonly heard within 24 to 72 hours, and an order granted without notice is followed by a return hearing within days
  • Practical point: the order takes effect against an insurer or provident fund only once it has been formally served on that institution

From the full guide: Freezing Marital Assets During Divorce in Israel

Related Questions

Related Guides

Need legal help with this topic?
Get a Free Consultation with Adv. Eli ShimonyPrepared under the direction of Adv. Eli Shimony, Eli Shimony Law Office · Editorial policy

← Browse all Q&A