Does a foreign heir's signature on an Israeli succession order application need to be verified by a notary or consul?

The Succession Law 5725-1965 places succession and probate applications with the Registrar of Inheritance Affairs, and the Succession Regulations set out the paperwork the Registrar will accept. Regulation 14 requires the applicant's signature to be confirmed by a judge, a Registrar, a notary, or an Israeli attorney, and a signature given outside Israel may be confirmed instead by an Israeli consular official. The confirming official records the date, the identity document produced, and their own capacity. Where a foreign notary does the confirmation, the document sits outside the Israeli chain of authority, so it must carry an apostille from the competent authority in that country. Applications with unverified signatures are returned rather than decided.

For an heir who lives abroad, the practical choice is between a consular appointment and a local notary plus apostille. Israeli consulates confirm signatures on inheritance documents by appointment, and that confirmation is accepted without further legalization. A local notary is usually faster to book but adds the apostille step and, where the notarial certificate is neither in Hebrew nor English, a certified translation. Heirs planning to sign a renunciation should watch the calendar, because a renunciation only works before the estate is distributed. Our guide to claiming an Israeli inheritance from abroad sets out the full document list.

From the full guide: Claiming an Israeli Inheritance from Abroad

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