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שירותי נוטריון
Notary Services for Israel and Abroad
Please be aware
that all Notary fees in Israel are fixed by law, so there is no price
competition between Notaries.
Foreigners coming to Israel are often puzzled by the expense and formality of Israeli Notary services, since in Israel a Notary is a lawyer with special training and licensing, while in America and many other countries a Notary is not even a lawyer. The difference emanates from two different tracks in which notarization developed; Israel goes after the European model, which is different than the American.
Please be aware that quite often, due to the above distinction, entities abroad who asked you for “notarization” of a given document may actually be asking for something less than the full Israeli notarization, and they may suffice with a lawyer’s certification which is less expensive. This is often true regarding affidavits. In other cases, they may be satisfied with an Israeli Notarization without the need for the additional step of the Apostille. Before ordering notary services, it would be wise to consult with Mr. Greiff as to the nature of the document in question and clarify ahead of the appointment the actual expectations of the foreign entity asking for “notarization”. You may save yourselves time and money by clarifying exactly what degree of notarization is required, and asking them if a lawyer’s confirmation would suffice, or if they will waive the Apostille requirement and accept just the Notary’s approval.
Two alternatives exist for someone who needs a document to be notarized in Israel for foreign use: either he must bring the document to the appropriate Embassy or Counsel of the target country requiring the document, or he can obtain Notarization by a local Notary.
“Consularization” requires going to the US or other foreign Consulate and receiving notarization there from the official of the government. (Consulates and embassies serve as mini-branches of the home country, and are empowered to do official notarizing.) However, this can be inconvenient, expensive, and time consuming. It requires an appointment at the foreign embassy, which may take several weeks to obtain.
Therefore, a local Notary is usually the preferred alternative.
Since a Notary may only act in the jurisdiction where he is licensed, in Israel there is actually no Notary who can legally provide service as an “American Notary.” However, Israeli notaries may notarize documents by Israeli law, and if they are to be accepted abroad, his notarization usually requires the extra step of “Apostille”.
An “Apostille” is a way of gaining international recognition of a local Notary, whereby a document already notarized by an Israeli notary, is brought to an Israeli court (in our area to the Jerusalem Magistrate Court in the Russian Compound), which certifies the legitimacy of the Israeli notary, making the Israeli notarized document legally acceptable in most countries in the world. (The Hauge Convention, of which Israel, the US, and the European Community are signatories, allows foreign notaries to officially notarize documents from other signatory countries by attaching the extra “Apostille.” Note: Canada is not a signatory to the Hauge Convention.)
The standard Israeli notarized document is decorated with the Israeli notary seal, a red sunburst with red ribbons attached. By contrast, The Apostille is a square sticker or additional page, which the Israel Court affixes to the notarized document. (In the U.S. it is a separate page that is attached.) The Apostille certifies that the document was properly notarized by a licensed Israeli notary. An Apostille can be obtained theoretically in one business day, without need for an appointment.
An Apostille, in addition to being quicker to obtain and more convenient than consularization, is also less expensive.
While notary services normally require an appointment and are not a walk-in service, clients may make special appointments with Mr. Greiff for notary services during evening or Friday afternoon hours.
At Greiff & Koven, Tom (Yakov) Greiff, is a registered Israeli Notary Public, and provides full notary services for documents for use in Israel and abroad. Since he is also a licensed attorney in New York and California, he is familiar with the expectations of American institutions which require notarized documents.
He is authorized to notarize official documents, create official document translations, and notarize Powers of Attorney (Please note: both Messrs. Greiff and Koven are registered to create the new Israeli Durable Power of Attorney. Please check our website entry on Durable Powers of Attorney.) Notary services also include taking “sworn statements” ( ishur hatzhara) and “certification of signature” ( imut chatima) for legal documents.
Foreigners coming to Israel are often puzzled by the expense and formality of Israeli Notary services, since in Israel a Notary is a lawyer with special training and licensing, while in America and many other countries a Notary is not even a lawyer. The difference emanates from two different tracks in which notarization developed; Israel goes after the European model, which is different than the American.
Please be aware that quite often, due to the above distinction, entities abroad who asked you for “notarization” of a given document may actually be asking for something less than the full Israeli notarization, and they may suffice with a lawyer’s certification which is less expensive. This is often true regarding affidavits. In other cases, they may be satisfied with an Israeli Notarization without the need for the additional step of the Apostille. Before ordering notary services, it would be wise to consult with Mr. Greiff as to the nature of the document in question and clarify ahead of the appointment the actual expectations of the foreign entity asking for “notarization”. You may save yourselves time and money by clarifying exactly what degree of notarization is required, and asking them if a lawyer’s confirmation would suffice, or if they will waive the Apostille requirement and accept just the Notary’s approval.
Two alternatives exist for someone who needs a document to be notarized in Israel for foreign use: either he must bring the document to the appropriate Embassy or Counsel of the target country requiring the document, or he can obtain Notarization by a local Notary.
“Consularization” requires going to the US or other foreign Consulate and receiving notarization there from the official of the government. (Consulates and embassies serve as mini-branches of the home country, and are empowered to do official notarizing.) However, this can be inconvenient, expensive, and time consuming. It requires an appointment at the foreign embassy, which may take several weeks to obtain.
Therefore, a local Notary is usually the preferred alternative.
Since a Notary may only act in the jurisdiction where he is licensed, in Israel there is actually no Notary who can legally provide service as an “American Notary.” However, Israeli notaries may notarize documents by Israeli law, and if they are to be accepted abroad, his notarization usually requires the extra step of “Apostille”.
An “Apostille” is a way of gaining international recognition of a local Notary, whereby a document already notarized by an Israeli notary, is brought to an Israeli court (in our area to the Jerusalem Magistrate Court in the Russian Compound), which certifies the legitimacy of the Israeli notary, making the Israeli notarized document legally acceptable in most countries in the world. (The Hauge Convention, of which Israel, the US, and the European Community are signatories, allows foreign notaries to officially notarize documents from other signatory countries by attaching the extra “Apostille.” Note: Canada is not a signatory to the Hauge Convention.)
The standard Israeli notarized document is decorated with the Israeli notary seal, a red sunburst with red ribbons attached. By contrast, The Apostille is a square sticker or additional page, which the Israel Court affixes to the notarized document. (In the U.S. it is a separate page that is attached.) The Apostille certifies that the document was properly notarized by a licensed Israeli notary. An Apostille can be obtained theoretically in one business day, without need for an appointment.
An Apostille, in addition to being quicker to obtain and more convenient than consularization, is also less expensive.
While notary services normally require an appointment and are not a walk-in service, clients may make special appointments with Mr. Greiff for notary services during evening or Friday afternoon hours.
At Greiff & Koven, Tom (Yakov) Greiff, is a registered Israeli Notary Public, and provides full notary services for documents for use in Israel and abroad. Since he is also a licensed attorney in New York and California, he is familiar with the expectations of American institutions which require notarized documents.
He is authorized to notarize official documents, create official document translations, and notarize Powers of Attorney (Please note: both Messrs. Greiff and Koven are registered to create the new Israeli Durable Power of Attorney. Please check our website entry on Durable Powers of Attorney.) Notary services also include taking “sworn statements” ( ishur hatzhara) and “certification of signature” ( imut chatima) for legal documents.
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