US-ISRAEL INHERITANCE

Reference . Document checklist

What you will likely be asked for, by institution

A cross-border estate generates the same documents over and over, just for different desks. This groups the common ones by who tends to ask for them, so you can gather once.

This is orientation, not legal or tax advice. It is a general starting list, not a complete or case-specific one. Confirm exactly what each institution requires with a licensed professional, because requirements vary and change.

The Israeli bank holding frozen accounts

Israeli banks freeze accounts at death and release them only against a court order and, to move funds out of the country, tax clearance. A bank will commonly want to see:

  • The death certificate, often apostilled and translated into Hebrew if issued abroad.
  • The Israeli Succession Order or Probate Order from the Registrar of Inheritance Matters.
  • Identification for the heirs or the estate's representative.
  • A tax-clearance certificate before funds leave the country.

Ask the branch directly which documents it requires and in what form, since this varies by bank.

The Registrar of Inheritance Matters

This is the Israeli authority that issues the orders the bank and other institutions rely on. The route differs depending on whether there is a will:

  • Where there is no will: the documents to request a Succession Order (Tzav Yerusha).
  • Where there is a will: the documents to request a Probate Order (Tzav Kiyum Tzava'a).
  • A foreign will: typically an apostille and a certified Hebrew translation.
  • The death certificate, and proof of the heirs' relationship where required.

A cross-border US-Israel estate attorney

Bring the facts that decide which country's process leads and in what order. Useful to have in hand:

  • The will, if there is one, and where the original is held.
  • A rough list of assets and where each one sits (situs): US accounts and property, Israeli accounts and property.
  • The deceased's status and domicile details.
  • The date of death, because US filing deadlines count from it.

A dual-country US-Israel tax adviser

Bring what decides your reporting duties as an heir:

  • Your own status: are you a US person, an Israeli resident, both?
  • The rough value and type of what you are inheriting.
  • Account details for inherited foreign accounts, which can carry later reporting duties.
  • The date of death and the estate's rough total value.