Does an Israeli company need to appoint a company secretary?

The Companies Law 5759-1999 modernized Israeli company law and stripped out several formal offices that the previous Companies Ordinance had imposed. The company secretary is one of them. Section 119 sets the role out as a power, not a duty: a company is entitled to appoint a secretary and to define their responsibilities, but it commits no offence by operating without one. Where a secretary is appointed, they are an office holder under the law and typically take charge of the register of shareholders and directors, the minute books, convening notices for meetings, and the company's submissions to the Registrar of Companies (Rasham HaChevrot). A private company controlled by a single shareholder usually has no practical need for a separate secretary.

For a foreign investor the takeaway is that you do not need to recruit a dedicated secretary to incorporate or run an Israeli company, and you should not assume the role is required just because it is in your home jurisdiction. What you cannot skip is the underlying compliance. The company must keep accurate statutory registers, hold and minute the meetings its articles require, pay the annual fee, and file the annual report. In practice many foreign-owned companies delegate these tasks to their Israeli lawyer or accounting firm rather than to a formal secretary. Our guide on forming a company in Israel walks through the office holders you actually need.

From the full guide: How to Form a Company in Israel: Guide for Foreign Investors

← Browse all Q&A