Updated 24.09.2026 · Foreign documents
Foreign documents you need to submit in Israel
Alla Flat · Notary #224143 · Bar #49324 · advocate since 2008
The key point: an Israeli apostille is placed only on documents issued or certified in Israel. A foreign birth or marriage certificate, a diploma or another certificate cannot be apostilled at the Israeli MFA or a court. The apostille or other legalisation is done in the country of issue. Most of this site is about the path "Israeli document → abroad". This page is the reverse path: foreign document → the Ministry of Interior, a bank, a school, a university or another authority in Israel. After certification abroad, a notarised translation into Hebrew is often needed, if the receiving authority says so. Before any paid work I look at a photo of the document and at the text of the requirement. If a notary is not needed, I will tell you straight away. Payment: once the documents are ready. The notarial part is charged at the official tariff (ק"ת 12158).
01 / 10 · Who it is for
Who this page is for
- Olim, spouses, students, family reunification: when a foreign public document is submitted to an Israeli authority.
- You need to understand the order: first certification in the country of issue, then what is done in Israel.
- You already have a letter or a list from an authority in Israel and do not know where to start.
If the document was issued in Israel and is going abroad, see Apostille in Israel. This page does not repeat that path.
02 / 10 · Path
The general path
- In the country of issue. The document is prepared for use abroad: an apostille (if the country is party to the Hague Convention and that route applies) or other legalisation / a chain of certifications, under that country’s rules.
- Original to Israel. The certified original is brought or sent to Israel.
- In Israel. Often a notarised translation into Hebrew, if the authority asks for it. A court apostille on the notarial act: only if that authority asks for an apostille on the translation / notarial act.
- Submission. To the authority that requested the document, in the form it described.
03 / 10 · Abroad
Apostille abroad and the "chain": no country recipes
If the country of issue is party to the 1961 Hague Convention: the apostille is usually issued by that country’s competent authority. The Israeli MFA and the Magistrate Court do not apostille that foreign document.
If the apostille does not apply: other legalisation is usually needed, a chain of local and consular certifications under the rules of the country of issue and of Israel. The exact steps differ; there is no universal "three stamps for everyone" list here. I look at your written requirement and do not copy other countries’ schemes.
The two channels of the Israeli apostille (the MFA and the Magistrate Court) apply to Israeli documents, briefly on the Apostille page. They are not to be confused with an apostille issued abroad on a foreign document.
04 / 10 · Translation
The role of a notarised translation into Hebrew
After certification abroad, an Israeli authority often asks for the text in Hebrew.
- Between Hebrew, Russian and English I translate and certify the accuracy of the translation myself.
- Which kind of certification is needed: we read it in the authority’s requirement.
- A court apostille on a notarised translation: only if the authority asks for it. The court fee is ₪41 per certificate from 1 January 2026 (updated annually); notarial work is separate. MFA / electronic apostille fees on gov.il do not apply to the foreign original.
More: notarised translation. First: the text of the recipient’s requirement.
05 / 10 · Requirement
First: the Israeli authority’s requirement
The most common mistake: doing it "the way friends did" without opening the letter from the bank, the school or the office you are submitting to.
The requirement usually shows: whether an apostille / legalisation in the country of issue is needed; whether a translation into Hebrew is needed; whether a copy is accepted; whether there is a freshness period. Until there is the text of the requirement (or a clear information sheet from the authority), I do not start paid work "blind".
06 / 10 · Before payment
What I check before payment
- the document is foreign: an Israeli apostille is not placed on it;
- whether the country of issue seems to need an apostille or another route (without a ready recipe by country);
- what translation / certification the Israeli recipient asks for;
- whether I can do a notarised translation in your language pair;
- what is done by me, and what in the country of issue or by the authority itself.
If a notary is not needed, I will say so. If the certification abroad has to be completed first, I will also say so before any work here.
07 / 10 · How to start
How to start
Send on WhatsApp:
- a clear photo of the foreign document (all pages, seals, apostille / marks, if already there);
- where in Israel you are submitting it;
- the text of the requirement, as they wrote it.
First we go through the route and the Israeli part. Then I will give you the price of my work. Meetings by appointment in Petah Tikva and Tel Aviv, or at the client's location in Gush Dan.
08 / 10 · Questions
Frequently asked questions
- Can a foreign document be apostilled in Israel?
- No. An Israeli apostille is only for documents issued or certified in Israel.
- Do I always need an apostille from the country of issue?
- Not always. It depends on the country and on what the Israeli authority wrote. We look at your requirement, without ready "all countries" schemes.
- Do I need a notarised translation if the document has English in it?
- Sometimes the authority still asks for a translation into Hebrew. The text of their requirement decides.
- Do I need a court apostille on the translation?
- Only if the Israeli authority asks for it. Not automatically.
- Do you arrange the apostille abroad?
- No. Abroad: the local competent authorities. Me: checking the requirement, the notarised translation and related notarial acts in Israel.
- Is this the same as the "Apostille in Israel" page?
- No. That one is about Israeli documents going abroad. This one is about foreign documents for use in Israel. The outgoing path: Apostille.
- Will the Ministry of Interior accept my set?
- The decision is with the particular authority and its written requirement. I do not promise the outcome and do not publish made-up form numbers.
- How much does it cost?
- I give the price of the notarised translation and related acts before work starts, after seeing the document and the requirement. Fees and steps in the country of issue: separate. If a court apostille is needed on a notarial act in Israel: the ₪41 state fee (from 01.01.2026, updated annually).
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09 / 10 · Out of scope
What this page does not do
- It does not place an Israeli apostille on a foreign document.
- It does not guarantee acceptance by the Ministry of Interior, a bank, a school or another authority.
- It does not publish country "recipes" for the legalisation chain.
- It does not invent Ministry of Interior fees or fixed translation packages.
- It does not replace the Apostille page.
- It does not make the comparison of a "translator’s declaration" and a notarised translation its main topic.
- It does not publish a street address.
10 / 10 · Basis
Legal basis
- Hague Apostille Convention 1961, the basis for apostille recognition abroad.
- Israeli Notaries Law 1976, the framework for notarial acts in Israel.
- Court apostille state fee, Judicial Authority (2026)
“An Israeli apostille is placed only on documents issued or certified in Israel.”
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