The UK has joined the Hague Judgments Convention. Can I now use it to enforce my English judgment in Israel?

No. The 2019 Hague Judgments Convention entered into force for the United Kingdom on 1 July 2025, but a convention only operates between countries that are both bound by it, and Israel signed it on 3 March 2021 without ratifying. An English money judgment is therefore still enforced in Israel under the Foreign Judgments Enforcement Law 5718-1958. The United Kingdom has one advantage that many countries lack: a bilateral convention with Israel on the reciprocal enforcement of judgments in civil matters, signed in 1970 and in force since 1971. The application goes to an Israeli District Court, and Section 5 requires it to be made within five years of the date of the judgment.

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Detailed Answer

Section 3 of the 1958 Law sets the gateway conditions. The judgment must have been given by a court competent under the law of its own country, it must no longer be open to appeal, its terms must be enforceable in Israel and not contrary to public policy, and it must be enforceable in the country where it was given. Section 4 adds reciprocity, which defeats judgments from some countries and is not a live issue for England because of the 1970 convention. Section 6 lets the debtor resist on limited grounds, and the ones that matter in practice are fraud, the lack of a reasonable opportunity to defend, and a foreign court that lacked jurisdiction. The Israeli court does not reopen the merits. Once the District Court declares the judgment enforceable, it is collected through the Enforcement and Collection Authority exactly as if it had been given in Tel Aviv: attachment of bank accounts, a charge registered against the debtor's apartment at the Land Registry, and attachment of an inheritance share due to the debtor. The Hague development changes none of this. Even if Israel ratified tomorrow, the Convention applies only where the original proceedings were started after it had taken effect for both countries, so a judgment you already hold would stay on the domestic route.

For a creditor in England the delays come from paperwork, not from the law. The Israeli court needs a copy of the judgment certified by the English court, proof that it is final, and, for a default judgment, evidence of how the debtor was served, because a debtor who was served badly in England will raise the Section 6 defence first. The documents are apostilled through the FCDO Legalisation Office and translated into Hebrew by an Israeli notary, whose fee is fixed at NIS 251 for the first 100 words and NIS 197 for each further 100 words, which adds up on a long reasoned judgment. The five years under Section 5 run from the judgment itself, so a creditor who spends years negotiating a payment plan in England can find the Israeli door closed. Locate the assets before filing. An Israeli lawyer can search the Land Registry for property in the debtor's name and, once the judgment is declared enforceable, move quickly against bank accounts before the money is moved. Our guide to enforcing a foreign judgment in Israel as a UK creditor walks through the full process.

In Practice: Under Section 3 of the Foreign Judgments Enforcement Law 5718-1958 an Israeli District Court declares a final English money judgment enforceable, and Section 5 requires the application within 5 years of the judgment. The 2019 Hague Judgments Convention, in force for the UK since 1 July 2025, does not apply because Israel has not ratified it. Budget for a notarial Hebrew translation at NIS 251 for the first 100 words and NIS 197 per further 100 under the Notaries Regulations (Service Fees) 5738-1978, plus the FCDO apostille.

When to Consult a Lawyer

• Your English judgment is more than three years old, since the five-year limit in Section 5 leaves little room for the certification, apostille, translation and filing stages, and a missed deadline is very hard to repair.
• The judgment was given in default or after service abroad, where the debtor's first line of defence under Section 6 will be that they never had a fair chance to defend.
• The debtor is selling Israeli property or moving money out of Israel, because interim attachment has to be sought early and the application must be framed for the Israeli court from the start.

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Speak With an Israeli Attorney

An Israeli litigator can prepare the enforcement application, trace the debtor's Israeli assets and run collection through the Enforcement and Collection Authority once the judgment is declared enforceable.

Contact us for a confidential initial consultation.