Whether you are interested in selling a property in the United States, applying for mortgage refinancing, appointing an attorney or performing any other legal or business action within the United States, you will most likely be required to have it signed by a U.S. notary.
The American Citizens Unit at the United States Embassy in Israel provides notarial services to American and Israeli citizens who require a notarized signature for use in the United States. However, due to the spread of the corona virus, the embassy works on a very small scale. As a result, waiting times for queues at the embassy have been unprecedented.
Admittedly, American notaries only work in America. However, there are effective and convenient ways to obtain permits in Israel that will also be valid in the United States. Our firm provides notary services with an American apostille for signing documents in accordance with a statement from the United States Department of State, which will save you the hassle of dealing with the United States Embassy.
What is a notary?
Notaries have played a significant role in law since ancient Roman times. A notary is a lawyer who has undergone appropriate training that has given him special powers, including the translation of legal documents, their issuance, preparation or approval. The signature of a notary is considered by the courts as a public certificate confirming the identity of the signer. Therefore, many documents will not be accepted in the courts at all without proper notarization.
In the State of Israel, the practice of notaries is regulated by the Notaries Law, 5726-1966. In order to receive the appropriate training for the purpose of certification as a notary, the lawyer must meet a number of criteria, no criminal record and Israeli citizenship.
What is an apostille?
The Apostille Convention was signed in The Hague in the Netherlands in 1961. This convention stipulates that in order for documents to be valid in the signatory countries, they must be approved by a valid institution. This procedure is intended to save a significant portion of their chain of verifications, where, in the past, people who applied for a public certificate in another country were required to do so, which included verification of the certificate at the issuing authority, the Foreign Office of their country and the consular or diplomatic mission of the country where they intended to present the document..
Thanks to the Apostille Convention, we can offer you an American notary service in Israel, without you having to wait long months to make an appointment at the United States Embassy.
What documents can be notarized?
In most cases, residents of the State of Israel need a notarized agreement on the sale of properties and various public certificates, such as a birth certificate, marriage certificate, inheritance order and more.
A notarized signature will be accepted for but for a form or letter which will be used in the United States only, and signed by the customer. Some of these documents may be an affidavit with apostille, power of attorney for U.S. citizens, signing property purchase documents in the United States with an apostille stamp, financial affidavit or real estate affidavit, a true copy of the original of an American passport, an American apostille certificate for documents signed in Israel and more.
Witnesses
Some documents require the presence of witnesses at the time of signing by the notary. It is worth noting that both the consular staff at the United States Embassy and the staff of our office are not allowed to serve as witnesses in this matter. In addition, care must be taken that each witness presents a valid ID with a clear picture.
Signature on behalf of a company:
If you are interested in obtaining a notarized signature for a corporation or company, you must provide evidence that you hold a position in the body in question. For this purpose, you must present documents on behalf of the company, such as partnership agreements, stationery, management or guardianship documents, business cards, tax returns and so on.
Preparation of documents in advance
All documents must be provided when they are notarized. Simply put, you need to make sure that the documents in your possession are understandable to you, that they do not contain missing details, and that you have not forgotten one of the required documents.
Rates
Our office provides notary services in accordance with the price list of the Notary Licensing Division in the Ministry of Justice. Currently, the price of a notarized certificate is NIS 167 plus VAT for one signature. The cost of an additional signature on the certificate will be NIS 66 plus VAT. On the other hand, the fee for a notarized signature at the United States Embassy is US$50.
About the law firm of Rachel Shachar
Our firm was established in 2004 by Adv. Rachel Shachar and over the years it has acquired the status of a leading boutique law firm in the field of family law. Attorney Shachar has been authorized to issue a continuing power of attorney and even acts as a mediator.
In addition to our firm specializing in family law, we provide notary services for private or business clients in English and German. We work in collaboration with a team of professional translators, numbering over fifty translators approved by the Embassies of the United States, Austria and Germany.
In order to provide our customers with the best service, we are in direct contact around the clock with the foreign entities that require approvals from our customers, and prepare all the approvals for signing according to their exact requirements.
This article was written in cooperation with Rachel Shahar Law firm