Notarial Services
Notary in Ashkelon
Appointed a notary in 2018, Maayan Abihssira is authorised to draw up and certify the instruments that require notarial form. The firm issues all of them in Hebrew, French and English, and this dual capacity as lawyer and notary spares clients from dealing with several professionals.
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An Israeli notary is not a French or a civil-law notary
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The confusion is common and worth clearing up. In France, and in many civil-law countries, the notaire is a profession separate from that of lawyer, with a monopoly over property and succession instruments. In Israel, a notary is an experienced lawyer authorised by the Ministry of Justice after long years in practice, who exercises an authentication function alongside their work as an advocate.
In practice this means your lawyer can also be your notary - and that the deed closing your file is drawn up by the person who already knows it, without having to explain everything again elsewhere.
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Powers of attorney, including the irrevocable power
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The firm draws up every form of notarial power of attorney, and in particular the irrevocable power used in property transactions. It allows a contract to be signed on behalf of a client living abroad, and secures the performance of registration formalities even if one party fails to cooperate.
For clients based outside Israel, the power of attorney is often what makes the transaction possible without travel. The firm sets out precisely the form required and, where applicable, the apostilles needed.
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Certified translations
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An Israeli notary who is fluent in the language concerned may certify the accuracy of a translation, which gives it official standing before authorities and courts. The firm issues such certified translations between French, Hebrew and English.
The documents most often involved are civil status records, judgments, diplomas, company documents, bank papers and material intended for the French or Israeli authorities. For a French speaker in Israel, this is usually the first notarial need encountered.
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Notarial wills
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A will made before a notary is the form hardest to challenge. The notary verifies the testator's identity, satisfies themselves as to understanding and free will, and keeps the deed. The firm draws up such wills and advises beforehand on their content, in the light of the family and financial situation.
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Affidavits and signature authentications
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The firm also issues sworn declarations intended for court or administrative use, and signature authentications, by which the notary certifies that the document was signed before them by the person identified.
It also issues certificates as to a person's legal capacity or a company's existence, where a foreign body requires them.
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Lawyer and notary: what that changes in practice
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In a property sale, the irrevocable power of attorney is drawn up by the person who drafted the contract. In a marital agreement signed before marriage, the notarial certification is issued by the person who negotiated it. In an estate, the notarial will and the probate proceedings are conducted by the same firm.
The benefit is not only convenience: every handover of a file between professionals is an opportunity to lose information, or time.
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For a notarial deed, contact the firm stating the nature of the document and the authority it is intended for: that allows the required form and the applicable fee, which is fixed by regulation, to be confirmed immediately.