Persons seeking to relocate to Israel will in most cases be required to gather and present various official documents according to the different stages of the relocation process. In most cases, official documents may be certified in the applicant’s home country. There are a number of requirements that should be considered.
Certification of public documents is divided into two main categories in accordance with the person’s country of origin:
- Certified Public Documents from countries who are parties to The Hague Convention
- Certified Public Documents from countries who are not parties to The Hague Convention
Certified Public Documents from countries who are parties to The Hague Convention
The Hague Convention, amongst other things, regulates the certification of public documents between participating countries. In these cases, documents must be certified with an Apostille Stamp.
Certified Public Documents from countries who are not parties to The Hague Convention
Certifying public documents from countries which are not parties to The Hague Convention will require other certification by the Branch for Certification of Public Documents at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, this certification alone will not suffice. The document must first be certified by the competent authority in the foreign country (generally the Foreign Ministry or the Ministry of Justice), and then certified by the Israeli consular representative.
The Branch for Certification of Public Documents at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the authority in charge of certifying public documents, and the service includes government fees, which are subject to change. The documents to be certified should be presented as originals, and the Apostille Stamp or certification stamp (in accordance with the rules) will be placed on the original document. Certification of documents is relevant for public documents only, such as certificates from the Ministry of Interior, Marriage Certificates, Divorce Certificates, Academic Certificates, Licensing Certificates, Inheritance Orders, Court Orders, Military Documents, etc.
The above explains the process of certification of Public Documents to be presented in different countries in the world. In addition to that, Notarized documents require public certification as well in order to be accepted by the destination country. Certification of Notarized documents is divided into two categories as follows:
- Notarized Documents from countries which are parties to The Hague Convention
- Notarized Documents from countries which are not parties to The Hague Convention
Notarized Documents in countries who are parties to The Hague Convention
Notarized documents from countries which are parties of The Hague Convention require an Apostille Stamp as well, and the certification and stamp may be given at several different courts in Israel. It should be noted that the service is not available at every court.
Notarized Documents from countries which are not parties to The Hague Convention
Notarized documents to destination countries which are not parties to The Hague Convention must be certified by different courts in Israel as well. However, the court certification alone will not suffice, and the document should be certified by the origin country’s relevant office, as well as by the consular representative in Israel.
The above is general information only, it should be noted that every case is considered individually. If you have additional questions regarding the process, please contact us for further information.
All said and explained in this article does not constitute a legal opinion and does not replace legal advice. Responsibility for using the wordings and opinions conveyed in this article relies solely and entirely on the reader.
This article was written by Dotan Cohen Law Offices, working in the field of immigration law in the United States, Canada, Australia and England.
