How and why does one get an apostille from an Israeli court?

In order to submit notarizations of documents such as a power of attorney, will, notarized translation, contract, etc., to a foreign country you must obtain an authentication (apostille stamp) in court. To do so, you must come to the nearest court that provides apostille services, with the original notarized document whose authentication is required. The court official will verify compliance with the conditions, and subject to the payment of an apostille fee, the document will receive official authentication.

What does the term “Apostille” mean?

Apostille is a stamp granted by an official government entity for the purpose of authenticating public documents and various notarial certificates issued in one country, for use in another country. Today, most countries in the world, including Israel, are signatories to an international convention (the Hague Convention) that allows international document authentication via an apostille stamp. The authentication of the document allows it to be officially recognized in other countries, and so it may be required in a wide variety of procedures. These procedures include marriage or divorce conducted abroad, admission to academic studies or authentication of certificates issued by academic institutions, obtaining foreign citizenship, and more. For more information on the subject, see an article published on our office’s website on authentication of official documents in Israel and abroad.

What is the difference between an apostille from the court and an apostille from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?

Each country has different laws and procedures regarding the authentication of documents via an apostille stamp. Accordingly, there are different official authorities responsible for authenticating documents in this way. In Israel, the main authorities responsible for authenticating documents via an apostille stamp are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and some of the courts. There is a clear division of powers between these authorities. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for authenticating public documents, i.e. documents issued by one of the state’s public authorities. These include birth certificates, marriage certificates, certificates from the Ministry of Education (regarding secondary or academic education), etc.

On the other hand, the courts that carry out authentication procedures and issue apostille stamps deal with the authentication of non-public documents. These documents may be power of attorney documents, wills, and various agreements, as well as notarized translations of documents. If you arrive at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with these documents, the Ministry will refuse to authenticate them, as they are not official documents. Therefore, it is important to know these differences and seek out the relevant official authority to perform the apostille stamp authentication that you need.

Which Israeli courts provide apostille services for notarized certificates?

Apostille authentication through the court can be done in some of the magistrates’ courts and district courts spread throughout the country. The magistrates’ courts that offer apostille services include (as of 2023) those in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem, Be’er Sheva, Herzliya, Rehovot, Ramla, The Krayot, Tiberias, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Akko, Hadera, Kfar Saba, Afula, Safed, Dimona and Beit Shean. It is important to note that apostille stamps are not always issued during all operating hours of the courts, and it is necessary to check in advance the operating hours at the specific court where you intend to go for the purpose of authentication.

How is the apostille procedure performed?

Authentication using an apostille stamp in court is a procedure consisting of two steps. In the first step, the requested document must be authenticated before a notary certified to do so. You can read about the authentication procedure in another article published on our office’s website on notarial authentication. It is usually also necessary to have a notarized translation of the document done before it is approved. After that, you have to bring the document to the court for it to be authenticated with an apostille stamp.

The court officials will verify that the document has indeed been notarized, and that the notary who performed the authentication appears in the list of active and authorized notaries in Israel. The court official will verify which country the required authentication is intended for. After all the above steps, and subject to the payment of an apostille fee, the official apostille stamp will be affixed to the certificate or the notarized translation.

Note that our law office, which deals with providing notarial certificates and notarial translations, can carry out the process for those who require it, thus saving time and bureaucratic dealings, as well as making sure that the procedure is carried out in accordance with all the requirements of Israeli law and the laws of the country for which the document is intended.

Contact an attorney and notary specializing in Israeli immigration law

In this article, we have explained which documents require authentication in order to receive an apostille stamp in court, which courts provide this service and how the process is carried out. If you need any assistance in this matter, you can contact our office and we will be glad to help. In our law office, in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, you will find attorneys and notaries who provide services of document authentication, notarial translations, drawing up power of attorney documents and more.