How can UK heirs trace an Israeli life insurance policy left by a relative?

A relative in Israel dies, the family in London finds an old premium notice from Migdal or Clal among the papers, and nobody knows whether the policy still exists. Israel has solved this better than most countries. Two free state search engines will tell you within days whether a policy or a savings product is sitting there in the deceased's name, and neither of them requires a lawyer, an Israeli address, or a fee.

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Detailed Answer

The insurance search is Har HaBituach at harb.cma.gov.il, operated by the Capital Market, Insurance and Savings Authority (Rashut Shuk HaHon, Bituach VeHisachon), which regulates Israeli insurers under the Supervision of Financial Services (Insurance) Law 1981. It covers private policies, life cover included. Alongside it sits Har HaKesef at itur.mof.gov.il, a Ministry of Finance service that sweeps pension funds, provident funds, study funds and dormant bank savings. An heir can search in the name of a deceased relative, not only their own. Both are free, and a warning is worth stating plainly: commercial sites impersonate them in search results and charge for what the state gives away, so type the government address rather than clicking an advertisement. Our answer on finding a lost Israeli pension or provident fund covers the savings side of the same search in more detail.

What happens after a hit depends on one line in the policy. Under Section 147 of the Succession Law 1965, money payable under a life insurance policy, a pension fund or a provident fund to a named beneficiary does not form part of the estate, and passes to that beneficiary directly. No Israeli succession order, no Inheritance Registrar, no probate at all. Where no beneficiary was ever named, or the named beneficiary predeceased, the proceeds drop into the estate and the ordinary Israeli succession route applies. For a family in the UK the practical work is documentary rather than legal: the insurer will want a death certificate carrying an apostille from the issuing country, a Hebrew translation certified by an Israeli notary, identification for the claimant, and bank details for a foreign account, which many insurers accept only after additional compliance checks. On the UK side the position turns on domicile. If the deceased was UK-domiciled, the Israeli policy is a foreign asset to be reported to HMRC on form IHT417 with the IHT400; if the deceased was Israeli-domiciled, it falls outside UK inheritance tax and a UK beneficiary receives a capital sum with no income tax charge on receipt.

In Practice: Under Section 147 of the Succession Law 1965 insurance and pension money payable to a named beneficiary bypasses the estate, so a UK heir named on the policy needs no succession order from the Inheritance Registrar (Rasham HaYerushot). Searches at Har HaBituach, run by the Capital Market, Insurance and Savings Authority, return results within days at no charge. Once the insurer holds everything it needs to establish liability, Section 27 of the Insurance Contract Law 1981 requires payment within 30 days, with interest running afterwards under Section 28. The documentary bundle is the slow part: an apostilled UK death certificate plus a notarial Hebrew translation costs about NIS 550 at the 2026 notary tariff, which starts at NIS 251 plus VAT for the first hundred words.

When to Consult a Lawyer

• The policy names a beneficiary who has since died, or names "my heirs" without identifying them. The proceeds then fall back into the estate and an Israeli succession order becomes necessary, which changes the timetable from weeks to months.
• The insurer disputes the claim on grounds of non-disclosure or an unpaid premium. Complaints go to the Capital Market, Insurance and Savings Authority's public enquiries unit, and a claim presented badly at that stage is hard to rescue later.
• The deceased held Israeli policies and the UK estate has already been distributed. Late-discovered foreign assets can require a corrective account to HMRC, and the Israeli claim and the UK filing need to be handled together rather than in sequence.

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Speak With an Israeli Attorney

An Israeli lawyer can run the searches, work out whether Section 147 keeps the money out of probate, and assemble the apostilled and translated bundle an Israeli insurer will accept from abroad.

Contact us for a confidential initial consultation.