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Notaries Law, 5736-1976

חוק הנוטריונים, תשל"ו-1976

Published: 1976-06-11Last amended 2026-02-03✓ Amendment status checked against the Knesset legislation record on 2026-09-29
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Unofficial English translation — for reference only. It may contain errors or omissions and cannot be relied on as a legal text. Only the Hebrew text published in Reshumot is legally binding.More

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Despite these checks, it may contain errors, omissions, or imprecise renderings of legal terminology and cross-references, and it may not yet reflect the latest amendments. It cannot be relied upon as a legal text.

The Hebrew text as published in Reshumot (ספר החוקים) and on the Knesset website is the sole authoritative and legally binding version. In any discrepancy, the Hebrew text prevails.

This translation is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For use in legal proceedings, request a certified Expert Legal Opinion.

Chapter VII: Disciplinary Jurisdiction

Disciplinary Offences§

34.

A notary is guilty of a disciplinary offence if—

(1)he has contravened the rules of professional ethics as prescribed in Chapter V;
(2)he has failed to fulfil what is incumbent upon him under the provisions of this Law and the Regulations made thereunder, or has been negligent in fulfilling what is incumbent upon him as aforesaid;
(3)he has performed, in the discharge of his duties as a notary, an act for which he was not authorised by legislation;
(4)he has issued a certificate that he knew or ought to have known to be false;
(5)he has collected or demanded for his services a fee exceeding that prescribed pursuant to this Law, or has collected or demanded, without sufficient reason, a fee below that prescribed pursuant to this Law;
(6)he has been convicted, in Israel or outside it, of an offence involving moral turpitude.

Jurisdiction of the Bar Association Court§

35.

Proceedings in respect of disciplinary offences under this Chapter shall be before the District Disciplinary Court established under the Bar Association Law (hereinafter – the Court), and its composition for this purpose shall include at least two notaries.

Complainant§

36.

The Attorney General or his representative may, whether on their own initiative or on the complaint of another person, file a complaint with the Court in respect of a disciplinary offence and appear and argue in any proceeding under this Chapter.

Application of the Bar Association Law§

37.
(a)The powers of the Court and the rules of procedure in proceedings under this Chapter shall be as the powers and rules of procedure in proceedings under Chapter VI of the Bar Association Law, unless otherwise provided in or under this Law; sections 64 and 80 of the Bar Association Law shall likewise apply with the necessary modifications.
(b)The Minister of Justice may prescribe by Regulations special rules of procedure for proceedings under this Chapter.

Search Order§

38.

If the Court considers that a search should be conducted in order to secure the production of a certificate or document required for the investigation of a disciplinary offence or for the proceedings, it may issue a search order; the Order shall be executed in the manner of a search order under the Criminal Procedure Ordinance (Arrest and Search) [New Version], 5729-1969.

Disciplinary Measures§

39.
(a)The following are the disciplinary measures that the Court is empowered to impose on a notary:
(1)a warning;
(2)a reprimand;
(3)a fine not exceeding 20,000 liras for each offence;
(4)suspension of the licence for a fixed period not exceeding five years;
(5)revocation of the licence.
(b)A fine imposed under this Section shall be collected as a fine imposed by a court in criminal proceedings.

Ancillary Measures§

40.

In addition to what is stated in section 39, the Court shall also have the powers referred to in section 69 of the Bar Association Law; sections 73 and 74 of the Bar Association Law shall likewise apply.

Appeal§

41.
(a)The notary and the Attorney General or the Attorney General's representative may appeal against the judgment of the court before the National Disciplinary Court established under the Bar Association Law, at the time and in the manner in which an appeal is brought against a judgment of the court given in proceedings under the Bar Association Law.
(b)The composition of the National Disciplinary Court on an appeal under this Section shall include at least two notaries.
(c)Against the judgment of the National Disciplinary Court under this Section, the notary and the Attorney General or the Attorney General's representative may appeal before the District Court in Jerusalem within thirty days from the day on which the judgment of the National Court was notified to them.
(d)(Repealed)

Suspension of a Notary§

42.
(a)The Disciplinary Tribunal may suspend a notary –
(1)against whom an indictment has been filed in a court in respect of a criminal offence committed in the performance of the notary's duties and which, in the circumstances of the matter, involved moral turpitude;
(2)who has been brought before it for trial under this Law in a matter in which the Disciplinary Tribunal may decide to suspend or revoke the licence.
(b)The suspension of a notary under subsection (a)(1) shall be until the judgment of the court, and if the notary was convicted and the fact of the conviction was brought before the Disciplinary Tribunal – until the judgment of the Disciplinary Tribunal under this Law; if the matter was not brought before the Disciplinary Tribunal within thirty days from the day on which the convicting judgment became final, or if the conviction was quashed – the suspension shall lapse.
(c)The suspension of a notary under subsection (a)(2) shall be until the delivery of the judgment of the Disciplinary Tribunal.
(d)(Repealed)
(e)A notary may appeal against the decision of the Disciplinary Tribunal to suspend the notary as if it were a judgment, and Section 41 shall apply with the necessary modifications; however, the filing of the appeal shall not stay the suspension.

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Chapter VIII: Termination and Suspension of Office

Cancellation of Licence§

43.

A notary's licence is void if one of the following has occurred:

(1)the Minister of Justice has cancelled the licence at the request of the notary;
(2)the notary has ceased to be an Israeli citizen;
(3)the notary's membership of the Bar Association has lapsed.

Voluntary Suspension of Licence§

43a.

A notary who wishes not to serve as a notary may notify the Licensing Committee thereof in writing, and upon giving such notice and for so long as the matter referred to in section 44a(b) has not occurred, the notary's licence shall be suspended.

Cessation of Membership of the Bar Association§

44.

A notary in respect of whom one of the following has occurred:

(1)the notary's membership of the Bar Association has been discontinued by virtue of the provisions of section 52a of the Bar Association Law;
(2)the notary has restricted the notary's membership of the Bar Association as referred to in section 52b of the Bar Association Law;
(3)the notary's membership of the Bar Association has been suspended, under section 49 of the Bar Association Law;
(4)the notary has been temporarily suspended under section 78 of the Bar Association Law;

the validity of the notary's licence shall be suspended for so long as the discontinuation, restriction of membership or suspension remains in effect, and for so long as the matter referred to in section 44a(b) has not occurred.

Consequences of Suspension of Licence and Renewal of Licence after Suspension§

44a.
(a)A notary whose licence has been suspended under section 39(a)(4), 43a or 44 shall be subject to the provisions of this Law and the following provisions:
(1)the notary shall not serve during the period of suspension as a notary and shall not present himself or herself as such;
(2)the notary shall not perform acts reserved for notaries;
(3)the notary shall continue to be subject to disciplinary jurisdiction before the court in respect of matters that occurred before or during the suspension;
(4)the notary is not liable for fees imposed on notaries, for the period commencing on the first January following the commencement of the suspension period and until the renewal of the notary's licence.
(b)A notary's licence that has been suspended under section 43a or 44 shall be renewed if all of the following conditions are met:
(1)the notary has given notice that the notary wishes to resume serving as a notary;
(2)the notary has paid a fee as referred to in section 6(a2)(2);
(3)none of the eligibility conditions listed in the paragraphs of section 2(a) has ceased to be satisfied in respect of the notary, as detailed below:
(a)paragraphs (1) to (3), and if the condition in paragraph (3) has ceased to be satisfied — the Licensing Committee has decided as referred to in the opening words of section 2(b);
(b)paragraph (5), provided however that the words "except for those referred to in paragraph (4)" shall not be read.

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Chapter IX: Authentication of a Notary's Signature

Authority to Authenticate§

45.
(a)The signature of a notary, in the capacity of the notary's office under this Law and the Regulations made thereunder, on a document intended for use outside Israel, shall be authenticated, at the request of an interested party, by a Registrar of a Magistrate's Court or a State employee appointed for that purpose by the Minister of Justice.
(b)(Repealed)

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Chapter X: Miscellaneous

Regulations regarding Rates of Fees, Services and Charges§

46.

The Minister of Justice may prescribe by Regulations —

(1)the rate of the fee that a notary shall receive for the notary's services under this Law and the cases of exemption from fees;
(2)the charges to be paid for the services of the central archive for notarial documents.

Aiding an Offence§

47.

A notary who exercises the notary's authority in relation to a document knowing that the document is intended for the commission of a criminal offence or that its preparation constitutes a criminal offence, is liable to imprisonment of three years or to the same penalty as the person guilty of that offence, whichever is the more severe.

Impersonation§

48.

A person who is not authorised to serve as a notary or whose licence has been suspended under sections 39(a)(4), 43a or 44 and has not yet been renewed, and who impersonates a notary, is liable to imprisonment of three years.

Performance of an Act Reserved for a Notary§

49.
(a)A person who performs an act from among the acts reserved under section 8 for a notary without being authorised to do so under law or whose licence has been suspended under sections 39(a)(4), 43a or 44 and has not yet been renewed —
(1)is liable to a fine of 10,000 liras;
(2)is not entitled to a fee for the act, and if a fee was paid — shall return it to the person who paid it.
(b)The burden of proof lies on a person who claims to be authorised to perform the act.

Acting in Place of a Notary§

50.

In the area of a local authority in which there is a Magistrate's Court and in which there is no notary's office, the Minister of Justice may appoint a State employee performing a function in that court to exercise the powers of a notary, in whole or in part, and an act performed by the State employee by virtue of these powers shall have the same effect as an act of a notary.

Powers of State Representatives§

50a.
(a)Diplomatic representatives and consular representatives of Israel within the meaning of section 29 of the Evidence Ordinance [New Version], 5731-1971, are authorised to exercise the powers of a notary abroad, and an act performed by such a representative by virtue of these powers shall have the same effect as an act of a notary; such a representative shall not exercise notarial powers except after participating in a short training course, in the format to be determined by the Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or a person authorised by the Director General for that purpose, in consultation with the Licensing Committee.
(b)Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a), the Minister of Justice may, with the consent of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, prescribe by Regulations the rate of the fee to be received by a diplomatic or consular representative for the representative's services under this Law, in a manner different from the fee prescribed under section 46(1); such a fee shall be paid to the State Treasury and may differ in the various countries in which it is collected and may be fixed in the currency of the country in which it is collected.

Repeals§

51.

The following are repealed —

(1)the Ottoman Law concerning Notaries of the 27th of Dhul Qa'da 1331 (1913);
(2)section 18 of the Registrars Ordinance [New Version], 5731-1971;
(3)the Notaries for Foreign Documents Law, 5710-1950;
(4)the Fees Law (Public Notary), 5716-1956;
(5)the Public Notary Regulations of 4.7.1918;

but their repeal shall not affect proceedings and remedies to be taken or granted in respect of documents prepared before the commencement of this Law.

Amendment of the Evidence Ordinance§

52.

In section 29 of the Evidence Ordinance [New Version], 5731-1971, in the definition of "public document", after the words "another body having judicial or quasi-judicial authority" in paragraph (2) of the definition, the word "notary" shall be inserted.

Amendment of the Succession Law§

53.

In section 22 of the Succession Law, 5725-1965, after subsection (f) the following shall be inserted:

"(g) For the purposes of this section, a notary shall have the same status as a judge."

Transitional Provisions§

54.
(a)Upon the establishment of a central archive for notarial documents, the notarial documents and the registers of the public notary attached to the court shall be transferred to it for safekeeping, subject to the provisions of the Archives Law, 5715-1955.
(b)A person who before the commencement of this Law lawfully served as a notary for foreign documents shall be deemed to have been appointed a notary on the day of commencement of this Law, even if the person does not possess the qualifications under section 2.
(c)A person who was a notary for foreign documents immediately before the commencement of this Law shall treat copies of notarial certifications that the person is required to keep at that time as if this Law had not been enacted.
(d)Signatures on foreign documents that were lawfully prepared by a notary for foreign documents before the commencement of this Law shall be authenticated in the manner set out in Chapter IX.
(e)A person who was a notary for foreign documents and who before the commencement of this Law committed a disciplinary offence under the Notaries for Foreign Documents Law, 5710-1950, shall be deemed to have committed a disciplinary offence under this Law.
(f)From the 2nd of Sivan 5736 (31 May 1976) until the day of commencement of this Law, no person shall be granted a licence to serve as a notary under the Notaries for Foreign Documents Law, 5710-1950, and the Recommendations Committee shall not consider a person's application for such a licence, unless the Recommendations Committee gave its recommendation by the 17th of Sivan 5732 (30 May 1972) or the application was submitted by that date, as the case may be.

Implementation§

55.

The Minister of Justice is charged with the implementation of this Law and may make Regulations in all matters relating to its implementation.

Commencement§

56.

This Law shall commence one year after the day of its publication in Reshumot (Official Gazette), except for section 54(f), which shall commence on the 2nd of Sivan 5736 (31 May 1976).

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