The Registrar of Inheritance Affairs in Jerusalem

In Israel, there are five offices of the Registrar of Inheritance Affairs, located in Haifa, Tel Aviv, Be’er Sheva, Nof HaGalil, and Jerusalem. Our firm specializes in all matters related to inheritance and estate law, including assistance with drafting and editing wills and handling matters conducted with the offices of the Registrar of Inheritance Affairs. In this article, you can read about the various roles of these offices, when and how to contact them, and under what circumstances they prove necessary.

The Registrar of Inheritance Affairs is part of the Guardian General system of handling inheritance affairs and has been operational in the aforementioned districts for about twenty years. The role of the Registrar of Inheritance Affairs is to handle requests submitted to them concerning probate orders and inheritance orders. Essentially, the Registrar of Inheritance Affairs is defined by the Ministry of Justice and the Inheritance Law as a deputy of the Guardian General. Additionally, Registrars of Inheritance Affairs are civil servants operating under the Guardian’s office and are appointed from time to time by the Minister of Justice.

When a person approaches the Registrar of Inheritance Affairs in Jerusalem or any other district, the first step is to check whether a previous case has already been opened in the deceased’s name. Additionally, it is checked whether the deceased left a will deposited with the Registrar’s office. It should be noted that while it is not mandatory to deposit wills with the Registrar offices, it is an extra step in ensuring the security of the will.

The content of the will, and even the fact of its deposit, remain confidential until death. When a will is deposited with the Registrar’s offices, it ensures that after death, no probate orders or inheritance orders contrary to the deposited will are issued. In any case, after these two checks, the office staff proceeds to examine whether the request complies with inheritance regulations, and if so, the request is forwarded for further processing.

What is an Inheritance Order and What is a Probate Order?

As mentioned, those wishing to obtain an inheritance order must approach the Registrar’s office, yet it is also possible to apply to a Rabbinical Court. An inheritance order issued by the Registrar of Inheritance Affairs essentially arranges the distribution of the estate among the heirs by law, according to the Inheritance Law, meaning: the heirs of a person who did not leave a will. This order defines the rights of the heirs and their identities, without detailing the various components of the estate. The issuance of a probate order also involves an application to the Registrar of Inheritance Affairs. This occurs when a person has left a will, and therefore, the request must be made to the office located in the district where the deceased resided.

It should be noted that there is a regulated process for issuing these orders, which includes public notice of the submission of the application and the opportunity for the public to submit objections, should they consider themselves part of the inheritance. These objections are also submitted to the Registrar of Inheritance Affairs at the same office where the application was filed unless the case has already been transferred to the Family Court.

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03-3724722

055-9781688

office@lawoffice.org.il