What Is an Apostille and When Is It Required for Israeli Property?

An Apostille is an internationally recognized certificate authenticating the seal and signature of a notary or public official on a document, under the 1961 Hague Convention. Israel and over 120 other countries, including the US, UK, and most of the EU, are signatories.

In Israeli property transactions, apostilles are most commonly required on a Power of Attorney signed abroad, affidavits confirming marital status, and foreign court documents such as a divorce decree or probate order.

Why it matters for a buyer: apostille processing time varies enormously by country and can quietly delay a closing if not planned for. Build several weeks into your timeline for any document that needs to be notarized and apostilled outside Israel.

Source: Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (1961)