Power of attorney and remote purchase: signing without flying in

What a yipui koach is

The yipui koach (power of attorney, literally "delegation of power") is the instrument by which you authorise a person to perform legal acts in your name. In real estate, the land registry requires the grantor’s signature to be authenticated: by an Israeli lawyer if you sign in Israel, by an Israeli notary for certain deeds, and, if you sign abroad, by a local notary public whose signature is itself validated by an apostille, or by an Israeli consul, who has the powers of an Israeli notary abroad.

Three parties will check it: the seller’s lawyer (or the developer) before letting the contract be signed, the Tax Authority for the tax filing, and the Tabu for the transfer. Each checks that the deed signed falls within the powers granted. A power of attorney that is too vague is refused; one that is too narrow forces you to sign a second. Hence the importance of drafting it with the lawyer who will use it, and after the property has been identified. On a purchase from a developer, the power of attorney must also cover the technical annexes and amendments (see buying off-plan).

General or specific power of attorney

A good specific purchase power of attorney contains: your full identity (passport, and teudat zehut if you have one); the identity of the attorney-in-fact; the designation of the property (block "gush" and parcel "helka" numbers, address); the maximum authorised price; the list of acts (sign the contract and its annexes, register the hearat azhara, file and pay the mas rechisha, receive the keys, sign the deed of transfer, open a trust account, and, if the bank accepts it, sign the loan documents and the lien); the period; and the substitution clause (may the attorney-in-fact delegate to a colleague?). It is drafted in Hebrew with an English version alongside, so that you know what you are signing and the US or UK notary agrees to authenticate it.

Where and how to sign it

Option 1: notary public in the US + apostille

You sign the power of attorney before a notary public, who acknowledges your signature (a simple acknowledgment, not a jurat, is what is needed). You then have the apostille affixed, which certifies the notary’s authority. The route depends on the state: in New York, the notary’s signature is first authenticated by the county clerk of the county where the notary is commissioned (about $3), then the New York Department of State issues the apostille ($10; same day in person in Manhattan or Albany, 1 to 2 weeks by mail). In most other states, the secretary of state issues the apostille directly on a notarised document, for $5 to $20, in a few days to two weeks. Expediting services handle the whole chain for $100 to $150 if you cannot go in person. The Israeli bank and the Tabu want the apostille attached to the notarised original, not to a copy.

Option 1b: notary public in the UK, Canada or Australia

In the UK, a notary public (not a solicitor, unless they are also a notary) certifies your signature for £60 to £150 per document, then the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office issues the apostille: £45 or so, 2 to 10 working days by post, or same day through a notary using the premium service. In Canada, since 11 January 2024 the country is party to the Hague Convention: the apostille is issued by Global Affairs Canada or by the province (Ontario Official Documents Services, British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, Saskatchewan) on a document notarised by a notary public or commissioner. In Australia, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade issues the apostille on a notarised document. Israel, the US, the UK, Canada and Australia are all parties to the 1961 Hague Convention: the apostille is enough, no consular legalisation is needed.

Point of attention: if the notary does not read Hebrew, they authenticate your signature on a bilingual document without certifying its content, which is exactly what is needed. Some notaries refuse to notarise a document part of which they cannot understand; warn them and bring the bilingual version from the Israeli lawyer.

Option 2: Israeli consulate

The consul has the powers of an Israeli notary: a power of attorney signed before them is directly valid in Israel, with no apostille and no translation if it is in Hebrew. Consulates and embassies serving English-speaking buyers: New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Houston, Atlanta, Boston and San Francisco in the US; London; Toronto and Montreal; Sydney. Online appointment, 1 to 3 weeks’ wait depending on the period, physical presence required with passport, and generally the document prepared by your Israeli lawyer. The consulate does not authenticate a deed that is not ready: come with the final text.

Option 3: in Israel, during a visit

If you come to view, sign the power of attorney at your lawyer’s before leaving, even if the property has not yet been chosen: a specific power of attorney can cover "an apartment in Netanya at a maximum price of ₪X" with the property identified by an addendum signed remotely. It is by far the simplest and cheapest solution.

Timelines and costs

The item that moves the bill is translation: a document drafted bilingual from the start by the lawyer avoids it almost entirely. The other costs of the purchase are detailed on the page what buying really costs.

What the bank accepts for the mortgage

This is the point that surprises most. Israeli banks accept a power of attorney for almost everything, except signing the loan itself. The reason: know-your-customer rules and the anti-money-laundering law require the borrower to sign the loan agreement, the lien deed and the tax residency declarations (FATCA/CRS) personally, before a person authorised to verify their identity.

In practice, the bank sends your lawyer the set of loan documents; you sign them before a notary public in the US or UK (every page initialled, signature acknowledged), have them apostilled, and send back the original. Count two weeks, and do it before the contract deadline that depends on the loan. The banks most practised at this exercise are Mizrahi-Tefahot and Bank of Jerusalem. The details of financing from abroad are on the page mortgages for non-residents, and the full path of an American buyer (consulate, FATCA, US tax) in buying property in Israel from the USA, of a British buyer in buying property in Israel from the UK.

E-signature: what it allows, and what it does not

Israel has an electronic signature law and an online identification system, and practice has grown since 2020. But for a property purchase, e-signature remains peripheral:

• Accepted: the lawyer’s engagement letter, the broker’s mandate, exchanges of draft contracts, the insurance questionnaire, some internal bank forms, the mas rechisha return (filed online by the lawyer with their smart card).
• Refused or not recognised: the sale contract at most firms (a wet signature before a lawyer remains the norm and protects you in a dispute), the power of attorney itself (which must be authenticated in person), the deed of transfer at the Tabu, the lien deed, the FATCA/CRS declarations.
• Not recognised across borders: a US e-signature under ESIGN/UETA, a remote online notarisation (RON) from a US state, or a UK qualified electronic signature has no automatic status in Israel, and an Israeli certificate is not issued to a non-resident without physical presence.

Conclusion: the authenticated paper power of attorney remains the tool of the remote purchase in 2026. Video calls serve for bank identification and viewings, not for signing.

Opening a bank account by power of attorney

An Israeli account is not required to buy for cash (your lawyer can receive the funds in their trust account and pay the seller), but it is essential for a mortgage, since the payments are debited from it. Three routes:

1. In person, during a visit: an hour at the branch, account opened the same day, cards and online access within a week. The simplest.
2. By specific power of attorney to your lawyer: accepted by most banks for a limited "loan" account, with your certified ID documents and your proof of income and source of funds, and often a video identification with you on top. Timeline 2 to 4 weeks.
3. Through the international departments (Leumi, Hapoalim, Discount, Mizrahi): remote opening for non-residents, file in English, video identification; they sometimes ask for an initial deposit or a minimum transaction amount.

In every case, the source of funds is checked before any wire: statements, deed of sale of a property, gift, inheritance. Prepare the chain of evidence before opening the account. The question is developed on the page do I need an Israeli bank account to buy? and in the guide buying property in Israel from abroad.

Risks and safeguards

Giving a power of attorney means entrusting someone with the power to commit several hundred thousand dollars. Incidents are rare, and almost all avoidable through drafting.

The most effective safeguard is not in the text: it is the choice of lawyer. Their role, their checks and their fees are described on the page the real estate lawyer in Israel.

Step-by-step procedure

1. Choose and engage the lawyer (week 0). Engagement letter, passport copy, details of the target property, the financing method and the likely bank. They tell you which power-of-attorney format that bank accepts. Firms used to remote files are covered in real estate lawyer in Jerusalem and real estate lawyer in Tel Aviv.
2. Get the bank pre-approval if you are borrowing (weeks 0-2), through the broker or the lawyer, no power of attorney needed.
3. Identify the property and run the checks (weeks 1-3): nesach Tabu, permits, debts, liens. The lawyer negotiates the contract in parallel. Sign nothing, especially not a zikaron dvarim sent by the agent.
4. Receive the bilingual power of attorney (week 3), read it with the lawyer on a video call, have it corrected if a power is missing or excessive.
5. Sign and authenticate (weeks 3-5): notary public + apostille, or consulate. Sign at the same time, if the bank has already sent them, the loan documents.
6. Send the originals (week 5) by tracked courier; send the scan immediately.
7. Contract signed by the lawyer (weeks 5-6), deposit wired from your account or the trust account, hearat azhara registered within 7 days, mas rechisha filed within 30 days.
8. Payments per the schedule, each on your written instruction; mortgage funds released directly to the seller.
9. Handover of the keys to the attorney-in-fact (walk-through by video with you), no-debt certificates, then registration at the Tabu in your name (2 to 6 months after signing). The lawyer sends you the updated nesach Tabu: it is the proof that you are the owner.

The steps of the purchase in general, with the timeline of each, are on the page how to buy property in Israel, step by step.

Worked example: couple from New York, 3-room apartment in Netanya, 50% mortgage

A couple living in Manhattan buys a 3-room resale apartment in Netanya, Kiryat Nordau, ₪1,900,000, without coming to sign. They came in August to view and open an account at Mizrahi-Tefahot; the deal is negotiated in October.

What made the difference: the account opened during the August trip (two weeks saved), the power of attorney drafted bilingual (no translation), and the choice of an expediting service for the New York apostille chain rather than mailing to Albany. The only delay suffered was the bank’s ten days to validate documents signed abroad. Had they not come in August, the account would have been opened by power of attorney and video, for three more weeks. A London couple would follow the same path with a notary public and the FCDO apostille, for about £350. The version with no trip at all is covered in the question can I buy without coming to Israel?

Frequently asked questions

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