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What is an irrevocable power of attorney (yipui koach bilti chozer) in an Israeli property sale?

It is a notarised authority the seller signs so that the buyer's lawyer can complete registration of the transfer without the seller taking any further step. Section 14(b) of the Agency Law 5725-1965 makes an agency given to secure a third party's right immune to unilateral cancellation, and it does not expire on the grantor's death or loss of capacity. Israeli conveyancing depends on it because title registration at the Land Registry often happens many months after the price has been paid and the keys handed over. It must be signed before an Israeli notary, or abroad before an Israeli consul or a local notary with an apostille.

An ordinary Israeli power of attorney can be withdrawn at will and lapses automatically if the grantor dies or becomes incapacitated, which is the rule in Section 14(a) of the Agency Law 5725-1965. That default is unworkable in a property sale, where the buyer pays in full at handover while registration waits for tax clearance certificates, discharge of the seller's mortgage and municipal approvals. Section 14(b) creates the exception for an agency given to secure a right of another person, and the Land Registry accepts such a power as the seller's continuing consent to register the transfer. In most transactions both sides sign one: the seller in favour of the buyer's lawyer, and the buyer in favour of the seller's lawyer so the caveat can be removed if the deal collapses.

For a non-resident, this single document usually decides whether a trip to Israel is necessary at all. A power signed abroad must be executed before an Israeli consul, or before a local notary and then apostilled under the 1961 Hague Convention, and a Hebrew translation is normally attached. Registrars reject powers that fail to identify the property by block and parcel or that do not state on their face that they are irrevocable and given to secure a third party's rights. Our guide to the Israeli property purchase contract sets out where the power sits in the closing sequence. A frequent mistake is signing a generic all-purpose power instead of a property-specific one, which the Land Registry will not accept.

⚖ In Practice
  • Governing law: Section 14(b), Agency Law 5725-1965; registration under the Land Law 5729-1969
  • Competent authority: Land Registry (Lishkat Rishum HaMekarke'in, commonly called Tabu); notarisation under the Notaries Law 5736-1976
  • Fees: notary fee for a property power of attorney approximately NIS 200 to 400 (2026) under the Notaries Regulations tariff; consular or apostille fees are additional
  • Formal content: must identify the property by block (gush), parcel (helka) and sub-parcel, and state that it is irrevocable and given to secure a third party's rights
  • Timeline: signed at or before closing; registration of the transfer typically follows 1 to 6 months later, once tax clearance certificates are issued
  • Signing abroad: Israeli consulate, or a local notary plus apostille, with a Hebrew translation attached

From the full guide: Israeli Property Purchase Contract (Chozeh Mechar): A Complete Legal Guide for Foreign Buyers

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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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