Is an Israeli employer required to give a departing employee a certificate of employment?

The certificate of employment is a small but enforceable statutory right. Section 8 of the Advance Notice for Dismissal and Resignation Law 5761-2001 requires the employer to hand the employee a certificate setting out the dates employment began and ended, whether the worker resigned or was dismissed. By regulation the employer must deliver it within 14 days of the end of employment, or within seven days of the employee's request if that is later. The document is meant to be neutral, recording the period of service and, if the employee asks, the position held, so the worker can prove their record to the next employer, to the National Insurance Institute, or to the employment service. It is not a reference, and the law does not let the employer use it to record complaints.

For foreign nationals who have worked in Israel, the certificate is often needed well after they leave, to claim unemployment or other benefits from the National Insurance Institute, to evidence experience to a future employer, or to support a visa application elsewhere. Because the obligation is statutory, an employee whose former employer stalls can demand it in writing and, if still refused, complain to the Ministry of Labor's enforcement arm or claim in the Labor Court. The same law that governs notice periods sits behind this duty, so it is worth requesting the certificate together with the final payslip and severance paperwork. Our guide to employment contracts in Israel for foreign workers sets out the documents every departing employee should collect.

From the full guide: Employment Contracts in Israel for Foreign Workers and Expats

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