Do I Need a Certified Translation When Submitting Foreign Documents to Israeli Courts?

A marriage certificate from New York, a death certificate from London, a court judgment from Sydney — each of these arrives in Israel in English, and each will be returned to the submitting party if it is not accompanied by a certified Hebrew translation. Israeli official proceedings take place in Hebrew. The courts, the Inheritance Registrar, the Land Registry, the Ministry of Interior, and virtually every other Israeli authority that receives foreign documents operates in Hebrew and requires that foreign-language documents be rendered into Hebrew before they can be processed. This is not a technicality that can be waived by explaining that the originals are in English.

---

Detailed Explanation

The legal basis for the Hebrew translation requirement flows from the practical reality that Israeli judicial and administrative proceedings operate in Hebrew under the Official Languages Law 1950 and applicable court procedure rules. Israeli courts have inherent authority to refuse to admit documents in foreign languages without translation. In inheritance proceedings before the Inheritance Registrar (Rasham HaYerushot), the applicable Regulations of the Succession Law 1965 specify that foreign documents must be submitted in Hebrew or accompanied by a certified translation. The Land Registry (Tabu) and the Israel Tax Authority have equivalent internal requirements.

Who qualifies as a sworn translator in Israel:

The key figure is the meturgeman moshba — a sworn translator appointed by the Israeli Ministry of Justice. Sworn translators are certified for specific language pairs (English-Hebrew, French-Hebrew, and others) and are authorized to prepare translations that carry official documentary weight in Israeli legal proceedings. A sworn translation includes the translator's declaration of accuracy, their personal signature, their Ministry of Justice appointment number, and their official stamp.

A regular professional translation — by a translation company, a freelance linguist, or even a bilingual attorney — does not carry the same legal status in Israeli court proceedings, although some administrative authorities, particularly the Israel Tax Authority, will accept notarized declarations of accuracy from qualified translators in less formal contexts.

In Practice: Under the Regulations of the Succession Law 1965 issued by the Ministry of Justice, foreign documents submitted to the Inheritance Registrar (Rasham HaYerushot) in Israeli probate proceedings must be in Hebrew or accompanied by a certified Hebrew translation prepared by a Ministry of Justice-recognized translator. For standard English-language documents — wills, death certificates, birth certificates — a sworn translator's turnaround from receipt of clear scans to a completed certified translation is typically 5–10 business days. Rush services are available in Israel at a premium. Many sworn translators provide remote services for non-residents who transmit scans electronically, dispatching the physically stamped certified translation by courier to the Israeli attorney handling the proceedings.

Apostilles do not replace translations:

This is the single most common misconception among non-residents preparing documents for Israeli proceedings. An apostille, issued under the Hague Convention of 1961, authenticates that a document is genuine — it confirms that the seal or signature on it belongs to the authority it purports to be from. An apostille does not translate the document. A US death certificate bearing a Secretary of State apostille is still in English. The Inheritance Registrar receiving an apostilled English death certificate will require a certified Hebrew translation in addition to the apostille. Both elements — apostille and certified translation — are routinely required together for foreign documents used in Israeli inheritance proceedings. For a full explanation of what an apostille covers and how the authentication process works in the Israeli context, see our guide on what an apostille is and how it applies to Israeli proceedings.

Practical mechanics for non-residents:

Non-residents who need certified Hebrew translations of their foreign documents have several options:

An Israeli attorney handling the matter can arrange for a trusted sworn translator to prepare the translation upon receiving clear scans. This is the most common approach in inheritance and real estate transactions conducted remotely from abroad.

Some sworn translators in Israel accept instructions directly from non-residents, require only scanned copies, and forward the completed physical certified translation and a scanned version to the Israeli attorney handling the case — bypassing the need for the non-resident to manage the translation themselves.

In some countries, Israeli consular services can direct inquirers to locally available translators whose Hebrew certifications are recognized by Israeli authorities, though this requires verification in the specific proceeding and authority involved.

One important practical point: the original foreign document (with its apostille) typically must be physically available in Israel for the relevant proceeding. The certified translation accompanies the original — it does not replace it.

Common documents requiring certified translation in Israeli proceedings:

• Death certificates (for inheritance proceedings before the Registrar or Family Court)
• Marriage and divorce certificates (for family law matters and citizenship determinations)
• Wills and foreign probate grants submitted in Israeli succession proceedings
• Powers of attorney executed abroad for use before Israeli authorities
• Foreign court judgments submitted for recognition in Israel
• Corporate documents in company registration or real estate acquisition transactions

Key Considerations

• Israeli legal proceedings require documents in Hebrew — a certified translation by a sworn translator (meturgeman moshba) recognized by the Ministry of Justice is the standard requirement
• An apostille authenticates a document's origin; it does not translate it — both apostille and certified translation are typically required together
• Sworn translator certification is language-pair and sometimes document-type specific — verify the translator's specific authorization for the document type you are submitting
• Remote translation arrangements are practical and widely used: scans of originals are typically sufficient for preparation of the certified translation, with physical certified copies sent to the Israeli attorney
• The Inheritance Registrar and the Land Registry are the most formalistic — accept no substitute for a sworn translator's stamped certification for submissions to these bodies

When to Consult a Lawyer

This question typically requires professional legal advice when:

• You are submitting foreign documents in an Israeli inheritance proceeding and need to confirm which specific documents require sworn translation and which may be accepted in another form by that particular Registrar office
• The original document is in a language other than English — Hebrew sworn translators are certified for specific language pairs, and availability for less common languages can extend the timeline significantly
• A document has been rejected by an Israeli authority because the translation format or certification did not meet their specific standard — determining precisely what failed and what is needed to correct it
• You need to understand whether your foreign court judgment or power of attorney requires apostille, certified translation, or both before it will be accepted in a specific Israeli proceeding

A qualified Israeli attorney can coordinate the apostille and certified translation processes, arrange for appropriate sworn translators, and ensure documents are submitted in the exact form required by each Israeli authority.

---

Speak With an Israeli Attorney

Getting the translation requirement wrong delays proceedings — sometimes by months, if a submission is rejected and must be reprocessed from the beginning. Understanding what each specific Israeli authority requires, before submitting, prevents that delay.

Contact us for a confidential initial consultation.