How to get an apostille in Israel: paper or digital
To get an apostille in Israel, first identify who issued your document. Government documents go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or, if digitally signed, to the Ministry of Justice's digital service. Notarial documents go to the courts.
What an apostille is
An apostille is a certificate that confirms an Israeli public document is authentic, so that authorities in other countries party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention accept it without further legalization. It confirms the signature and seal on the document, not the content.
Israel is a party to the Convention. Documents for countries that are not parties need a different certificate and consular legalization.
Who issues apostilles in Israel
Certificates issued by government authorities, such as birth, death and marriage certificates or population registry extracts, are apostilled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A State Comptroller report published in February 2026 counted about 854,000 apostille certificates issued by the Ministry in 2022 to 2024.
Notarial documents, such as a notarized translation or a signature certification, are apostilled by the courts. As of 1 January 2026 the court fee is NIS 41 per apostille. The court apostille can be issued digitally online or on paper at a court secretariat.
Which authority issues which apostille
| Your document | Who issues the apostille | Form |
|---|---|---|
| Physical population registry document, on a blue sheet or a printout with security markers | Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Paper |
| Physical birth or death certificate, on a blue sheet or with security markers | Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Paper |
| Digitally signed document (PDF with an electronic signature) | Ministry of Justice | Digital only |
| Notarized document or notarized translation | Courts | Digital or paper |
What an apostille costs in Israel
The Foreign Ministry fee is NIS 41 per apostille in 2026, with a maximum of NIS 410 per submission of up to 10 documents. The fee is updated every 1 January. The court fee for an apostille is also NIS 41 as of 1 January 2026.
Who can submit documents for a paper apostille
You can submit documents for yourself or an immediate family member, with proof of the relationship. An attorney can submit for clients, so you do not need to come to Israel. The Ministry also accepts documents by mail, with up to 10 documents per envelope. Our office does not use the mail route: we submit your documents in person at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem.
Digital or paper apostille: the difference
| Digital apostille | Paper (physical) apostille | |
|---|---|---|
| Form | A digitally signed PDF file | A certificate attached to the original paper document |
| Which documents | Government documents on the Ministry of Justice's list, such as birth, death and marriage certificates, the extended registry extract and the criminal record certificate, and digitally signed notarial documents | Original certificates printed at a Population and Immigration Authority office or kiosk, and other public documents apostilled at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
| How you get it | Online, often within minutes | In person in Jerusalem or by mail. Our office submits in person. |
| Printing | A printout of a digital apostille is not valid abroad; the authority must receive the file itself | The paper original is the valid document |
| Checking | Verifiable online on the Ministry of Justice's e-Register | Checked by the receiving authority on the paper |
When a digital apostille is not enough
A digitally signed certificate can only receive a digital apostille. That works when the receiving authority accepts electronic documents. Some authorities abroad, for example in Romanian citizenship files, accept only an original paper certificate with a physical apostille stamp.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs places a physical apostille only on a certificate printed at a Population and Immigration Authority office or service kiosk. A certificate you download at home cannot become a paper-apostilled original. Israeli missions abroad offer an official route, with documents issued in Israel and sent by diplomatic pouch, so timing depends on the pouch. Our service is for clients who want the original collected in Israel, with apostille, translation and courier handled in one process.
Before you order, ask the receiving authority
- Do you accept a digital apostille, or only an original with a paper apostille?
- Do you need a translation, and into which language? Does the translation need its own apostille?
- Must the certificate be recently issued, and how recent?
- Do you need the regular or the extended version of the document?
The paper route, step by step
1. Power of attorney
Unless you are in Israel yourself, you sign a power of attorney for the person who will collect and submit the documents.
2. Collection
The original certificate is printed and collected at a Population and Immigration Authority office, or from the Rabbinate or Rabbinical Court for marriage and divorce certificates.
3. Apostille
The originals are submitted at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem for a physical apostille, and the fee is paid.
4. Translation
If required, a notary prepares a certified translation, which receives its own apostille at the court.
5. Delivery
The apostilled originals are sent by international courier to you or directly to the authority or office handling your file.
Common apostille situations
- You printed a digital apostille. A printed copy is not valid abroad, because the authority must receive the digital file.
- The authority wants paper, but your certificate is a PDF. A digitally signed PDF can only receive a digital apostille. You need a new physical original, apostilled at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- You are preparing a Romanian citizenship file. Romanian citizenship files require original certificates with a physical apostille, so order the paper route from the start.
- Your document is in Hebrew and needs a translation. The certificate and its notarized translation are separate documents. The certificate is apostilled at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the translation at the court.
- You need a marriage or divorce certificate. Rabbinate documents are authenticated before they receive an apostille, which adds a step to the process.
- Your destination country is not a Hague Convention party. An apostille will not be enough, and the document needs consular legalization. Our service does not include this.
Your power of attorney: three ways to sign
To collect documents on your behalf we need your power of attorney. Choose the route that fits you:
Online, in minutes
Israeli citizens and residents aged 18 or over with an active Israeli national digital ID (GovID) can grant us a power of attorney online through the Population and Immigration Authority. No notary and no mail.
At an Israeli embassy or consulate
Israeli citizens abroad can sign the power of attorney directly before the Israeli consul, without a notary.
Before a local notary
Anyone else signs before a notary in their country of residence. The notarized power of attorney must then be authenticated with an apostille. We send you the exact wording.
For the embassy and notary routes we need the original signed document, sent to our office by courier.
Who handles your request: Every request is reviewed by Adv. Yehonatan Pudim, an Israeli attorney and notary (Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2006), with offices in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Rated 5.0 by clients on Google and LawReviews.
Reviewed by Adv. Yehonatan Pudim, Attorney & Notary · Updated November 2026
Frequently asked questions
No. Israel's official guidance states that a printed copy of a digital apostille is not valid abroad. The authority must receive the digital file.
No. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs places a physical apostille only on a certificate printed at a Population and Immigration Authority office or kiosk. A new original has to be collected.
The government charges a fee per apostille certificate; at the courts it is NIS 41 as of 1 January 2026. Fees are updated every January. Our quote lists government fees separately from our service fee.
No. You sign a power of attorney online, at an Israeli consulate or before a local notary, and we handle collection, apostille and delivery in Israel.
The Foreign Ministry certifies the document with a different seal, and the destination country's embassy or consulate in Israel must then certify it. Our service does not include this step.
Usually one to two weeks from receiving your power of attorney, any document you must supply and payment. An Israeli police certificate usually takes three to four weeks. Courier delivery is additional.
The Foreign Ministry accepts physical documents on a blue sheet or with embedded security markers. A digitally signed PDF can only receive a digital apostille from the Ministry of Justice.
Israeli missions can authenticate population registry documents for countries party to the Hague Convention. The documents are issued in Israel and sent by diplomatic pouch, so timing depends on the pouch.
Countries party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. The Hague Conference status table in our official sources lists them.
Official sources
Requirements and fees change from time to time. These are the official pages behind the information here.
- Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs: certification of public documents
- Israel Ministry of Justice: documents eligible for a digital apostille (Hebrew)
- Israeli courts: apostille for notarial documents
- Hague Conference (HCCH): Apostille Convention member countries
- Israel State Comptroller: report on apostille at the Foreign Ministry, February 2026 (Hebrew)
Ready to start?
Send us your request. Adv. Pudim reviews every request personally and replies with a written quote.
The information on this site is general and does not constitute legal advice. Government requirements and fees change from time to time; we confirm the current requirements when we review each request.