Locating an Inheritance Order: The Complete Guide to Checking, Finding and Obtaining a Copy

Locating an inheritance order begins with checking whether an application was filed at all, and through which body: the Registrar of Inheritance Affairs or the Rabbinical Court. The guide explains step by step how to check, where people get stuck, and what to do when the file cannot be found.

Locating an inheritance order is the process of checking whether an order determining who inherits the estate of a person who died without a valid will has already been applied for or granted. The check is made mainly in the online information system of the Inheritance Registrar, according to the district of the deceased's last place of residence, and where appropriate also with the Rabbinical Court.

Locating an inheritance order: what it means and why you need to look for it at all

When a person dies without a will, the Succession Law, 5725-1965, determines which of the heirs is entitled to the estate and in what share. For this right to be exercised in practice, an official document is needed: an inheritance order. Without the order, there is no legal way to transfer funds, assets or rights into the heirs' names.

Locating the order is usually the first step in any matter concerning an estate. Sometimes someone in the family has already opened proceedings in the past without updating all the heirs, and sometimes it is simply not known whether anyone has dealt with the matter at all.

What an inheritance order actually says

To know what you are looking for, it helps to understand what the document actually contains. An inheritance order is a short document, usually one or two pages, that sets out the name and ID number of the deceased, the date of death, and the list of legal heirs under the Succession Law, including the relative share due to each of them (for example, one half, one third, one quarter). The document bears the stamp and signature of the Inheritance Registrar who issued it, and sometimes also a permanent file number that identifies the proceeding in the system.

The order itself does not list which assets are included in the estate, and does not determine exactly how a specific asset is divided among the heirs. It only sets out the relative entitlement. The actual division of particular assets, when the heirs do not agree on a division in kind, is a separate issue that sometimes requires a distribution agreement between the heirs or a further application to the Family Court.

When to look for an inheritance order and not a probate order

An inheritance order is relevant only when there is no valid will. If the deceased left a will, the required document is a probate order, and the procedure is fundamentally different. Before starting the search, it is important to check whether a will is known to exist, because this determines which document you are actually looking for.

The need to locate an inheritance order arises in various situations:

• A bank refusing to release funds or close a deceased person's account without an order
• A Land Registry office (Tabu) requiring an order as a condition for transferring a property into the heirs' names
• Suspicion that a brother, sister or other relative has already opened proceedings without updating the rest of the family
• An old estate that has remained "stuck" for years with no one dealing with it
• A pension fund, provident fund or insurance company requiring an order before releasing funds accumulated in the deceased's name

The information in this article is general and is not a substitute for an individual review of a specific case. Every family situation is different, and sometimes checks with more than one body are needed to get a complete answer.

Who handles inheritance orders in Israel: the Inheritance Registrar and the Rabbinical Court

In Israel, two bodies may be involved in handling an estate without a will: the Inheritance Registrar, which is the competent body in most cases, and the Rabbinical Court, which has jurisdiction only under certain conditions.

When the Inheritance Registrar is the body handling the matter

Geographic jurisdiction is determined by the deceased's last regular place of residence, not by where the heirs live. This is a common mistake: people search in the district where they themselves live and find nothing, because the file is simply in another district.

The Inheritance Registrar has three districts in Israel:

When you are not sure which district to approach, you can start with the online system, which covers all the districts, and find out through it or by telephone which specific office holds the file.

When the file is at the Rabbinical Court (locating an inheritance order at the Rabbinical Court)

The Rabbinical Court has jurisdiction over estate matters only when all the parties concerned have agreed in writing to transfer the matter there, under section 155 of the Succession Law. Without such written consent, the file remains with the Inheritance Registrar.

The difference in how the two bodies manage their records is significant, so it is worth setting them side by side:

When you search for an order and find no result in any of the Registrar's districts, and there is a suspicion that the proceedings were transferred by consent to the Rabbinical Court, you should apply directly to the secretariat of the court that heard the matter, and present the applicant's identity and connection to the estate.

For more on the Registrar's roles and the types of applications filed with it, see the article The Inheritance Registrar: who it is and which applications are filed with it.

How to check whether an application for an inheritance order has been filed in the deceased's name: the full process, step by step

To avoid skipping an important step or approaching the wrong body, it helps to go through the check in a fixed order, from the simple to the complex.

1. Step one, checking whether a will exists. Before any search for an inheritance order, check whether a will is known to exist, and if there is any doubt, check the Inheritance Registrar's deposit system. If a valid will exists, the right direction is a probate order, not an inheritance order.
2. Step two, an independent check in the online system. Go to the Ministry of Justice's online information system and enter the deceased's name and ID number. The system shows a general status: whether an application has been filed and, if so, what stage it has reached.
3. Step three, identifying the correct district. If it is not clear from the outset which district to approach, check the deceased's last known place of residence and match it to one of the three districts.
4. Step four, contacting by telephone or in writing. When the online check is not enough, contact the information center of the Administrator General and Supervisor of the Inheritance Registrar, or write to the relevant Registrar's office, stating the deceased's details and the applicant's connection to the estate.
5. Step five, proving a connection and requesting a copy. If it turns out that the order exists, submit a request for a certified copy, together with an ID card and a document proving the connection to the estate.
6. Step six, an archive search if needed. If there is no result in any district, and there is reasonable ground to believe the order exists nonetheless, request a manual archive search, or check whether the proceedings were transferred to the Rabbinical Court.

Checking through the Inheritance Registrar's online information system

The Ministry of Justice website operates an online information system that makes it possible to check whether an application for an inheritance order has been filed in a particular person's name. The check usually requires:

• Full name of the deceased
• ID number of the deceased
• File number, if known in advance

The system mainly shows the status of the application: whether it was filed, whether the Attorney General responded to it, and whether a notice of the application was published as required by law. This is enough to know whether there are open proceedings, but not enough to get the full picture.

What the system does not show: personal details of other heirs, the actual division of the estate, or documents attached to the application. This is done for privacy protection reasons, and does not depend on the identity of the person making the check.

Checking by telephone and by written request to the Registrar's office

When the online check produces no result, or when the information received is too partial, you can contact the information center of the Administrator General and Supervisor of the Inheritance Registrar by telephone. Another option is a written request, by mail or fax, to the Registrar's office in the relevant district.

In a written request, it is advisable to state the deceased's exact details and explain the applicant's connection to the estate, so that the office can process the request without asking for further clarification. It is useful to attach the death certificate and the document proving the family relationship at this stage already, to save another round of correspondence.

Locating an inheritance order by ID number: what can and cannot be checked

A common misconception is that you can freely search, by ID number alone, for any person who has died and check the state of their estate. This is not true. The system is limited for privacy reasons, and detailed information is disclosed only to someone who proves a real connection to the estate.

The law defines who is considered an "interested party" and may receive information beyond general status:

• A potential heir, by family relationship to the deceased
• A creditor of the estate with a documented debt claim
• Someone holding another claim of right in the estate, backed by a document

To prove this connection, you usually present documents such as a death certificate, a certificate proving a family relationship (birth certificate, marriage certificate) or a relevant debt document. Without such a document, the chance of receiving detailed information is low.

When the information needed goes beyond what the online system shows, you can apply to the Registrar's office and ask to inspect the file itself, subject to presenting the documents proving the connection. Inspecting the file is a different step from obtaining a copy of the order: inspection lets you see the course of the proceedings and the documents filed, while obtaining a copy gives the applicant the final document for use with outside bodies such as a bank or the Land Registry (Tabu).

It is important to be clear: an heir who holds only the deceased's ID card, without any further document linking them to the deceased or the estate, will usually not receive detailed information. The deceased's ID card itself is not sufficient proof of connection.

What to do when you are not sure an inheritance order was ever applied for

A common scenario: an heir discovers, sometimes years after the death, a property or bank account owned by a relative who died, and it is not clear whether anyone has already dealt with the matter in the past.

To illustrate how such a scenario plays out in practice, consider a general, hypothetical situation: a person discovers, after another family issue has been resolved, that their late parents left an old apartment that no one has dealt with. They do not know whether a brother or sister has already opened proceedings, and do not know which district to check. The right way to start is not to go straight to the Land Registry (Tabu), but to check first within the family, and then in the online system according to the last known place of residence of the parent who died last. Only after it becomes clear that no order exists is a new application filed.

The first practical steps:

• Ask the other family members whether anyone has already opened proceedings
• Contact the bank or the Land Registry office (Tabu) and ask whether an inheritance order was presented in the past
• Check the Registrar's online system using the known details of the deceased

If after all these checks it turns out that no order exists, any interested party, and not only the "main heir" or someone who lived with the deceased, can file an application for an inheritance order themselves.

The Succession Law does not set a rigid limitation period for filing an application for an inheritance order. However, there is a strong practical emphasis on acting early. A long delay can become considerably more complicated if another heir dies in the meantime (creating an estate within an estate), or if further claims and disputes arise that did not exist at the outset. The more time passes, the greater the chance of such complications.

Locating an inheritance order versus locating a probate order: what is the difference

This distinction is critical before starting any search. If the deceased left a valid will, the relevant document is a probate order, not an inheritance order. Applying for the wrong document causes delay and sometimes rejection of the application.

This difference also affects how the search is done. A will deposited in advance with the Inheritance Registrar is located in the dedicated deposit system, not in the inheritance order search system. An inheritance order is relevant only where there is clearly no valid will, or where the existing will does not apply to part of the estate.

Anyone unsure whether a will exists should first check the Registrar's deposit system, and only if no will is registered, go on to check for an inheritance order. It is important to remember that a will not deposited in advance can also be valid, as long as it meets the conditions of the Succession Law, so the absence of a deposit is not final proof that there is no will.

For further reading, see the articles Depositing a will with the Registrar of Inheritance and Probate Order: The Complete Guide to Filing the Application.

Inheritance order versus appointment of an estate administrator: two different documents

An inheritance order and the appointment of an estate administrator are often confused, although they are two documents with entirely different purposes. An inheritance order determines who the heirs are and what their relative shares in the estate are. The appointment of an estate administrator is a separate decision, issued by the Registrar of Inheritance or the Family Court, which authorizes a particular person (sometimes one of the heirs, sometimes an outside attorney) to actually manage the estate's assets until they are distributed.

An estate administrator is needed mainly when the estate includes assets that must be actively run during the proceeding, such as an operating business or real estate requiring ongoing care, or when the heirs disagree on how the assets should be handled until a distribution is agreed. Not every estate requires an administrator, and in many simple cases the matter moves directly from the inheritance order to distribution among the heirs, with no need for a separate administrator.

Anyone who locates an inheritance order and discovers that an application to appoint an estate administrator is also under way should check the two proceedings separately, because each has its own status and documents in the system.

Obtaining a copy of an inheritance order you have located: process, documents and timing

Locating the order is only the first stage. In most cases, the real goal is to obtain a certified copy of the order, not just to know that it exists. A bank, a Land Registry office or any other body will not settle for a status shown in the online system; they will require an official copy.

Who is entitled to receive a copy:

• An heir named in the order
• An interested party who presents a document proving their connection to the estate
• An attorney-in-fact acting on behalf of any of the above, on presentation of a suitable power of attorney

Documents usually required to obtain a copy:

• Identity card of the person requesting the copy
• Details of the order or case file, as far as they are known
• A document proving a connection to the estate, where the person requesting the copy is not a direct heir named in the order

In practice, the process from submitting the request to having the copy in hand usually passes through several stages: submitting the request in writing or through an online form, an internal check by the office that the applicant is indeed recognized as an interested party, approval of the request, production of the certified copy, and its delivery to the applicant by mail, by self-collection or through the attorney handling the case.

In practice, a certified copy of an inheritance order serves several purposes: presentation to a bank to release funds or close an account, presentation to the Land Registry to transfer a property into the heirs' names, and presentation to provident funds, pension funds and insurance companies to exercise rights.

As for processing times, it is hard to give an exact number of days, because this depends on the workload at the relevant Registrar's office and on how complete the submitted request is. In general, obtaining a copy can take from several days to several weeks, and the wait sometimes grows longer when clarifications or additional documents are required. A request submitted with all the required documents from the start, with no need to come back for additions, is usually the one that moves fastest.

Amending or revoking an inheritance order that has already been issued

Sometimes it emerges, after the order has already been issued, that the picture was not complete. For example, an heir not included in the original application comes to light, or a new document is discovered that changes the understanding of the heirs' entitlement. In such situations, the Inheritance Law allows an application to amend or revoke the existing order.

The application is submitted to the same body that originally issued the order, usually the Registrar of Inheritance in the relevant district, and requires presenting evidence of the new information: a document proving the family relationship of an heir who was not included, or any other document establishing the need for an amendment. The Registrar reviews the application and may order the amendment of the order, its revocation, or further inquiry before reaching a decision.

A person who disputes the Registrar's decision on amending or revoking an order can usually refer the matter to the Family Court, which has authority to hear disputes over inheritance orders as an additional instance. This is a more complex legal stage, which usually requires individual legal advice and not just an independent check.

What to do when the information does not appear in the system or the case has "disappeared"

It often turns out that an order does exist but simply does not appear in the online check. This happens in several typical situations:

• An old case filed before full computerization that has not been fully digitized
• A case transferred between districts, following a change in the deceased's residential address during the last years of their life
• A case that was opened but remained inactive for years and was not updated in the external interface

When the online check produces no result but there is reasonable suspicion that the case exists, a manual archive search can be requested at the relevant Registrar's office. Such a search sometimes requires physically locating the case in the archive, and even a transfer between districts if the case turns out to be in a different district from the one checked first.

If all three districts of the Registrar of Inheritance have been checked and there is still no result, the next direction worth checking is the Rabbinical Court, in case the parties previously agreed to transfer the matter there.

Legal assistance at this stage is especially recommended when the search has gone on for a long time with no clear result, or when there is suspicion that the case was opened in the past by one family member without the other heirs being notified as the law requires.

Locating an inheritance order when the heirs are abroad

A common scenario in a world where families are spread across the globe: an Israeli citizen living abroad tries to find out whether an inheritance order exists in the estate of a relative who died in Israel, without being able or wanting to fly to Israel for this purpose.

In such a case, an attorney in Israel can check the status and submit an application on the heir's behalf remotely, under a power of attorney. All communication with the Registrar's offices, the filing of documents and the receipt of the copy are carried out by the party handling the matter in Israel, without the heir abroad having to appear in person.

Documents usually required from a person who is abroad:

• A certified power of attorney, sometimes with notarial authentication and sometimes with an apostille, depending on the country and the requirements of the relevant body
• Translation of documents into Hebrew, where the original documents are in another language

In countries that are party to the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, an apostille can be obtained from the competent authority in the country of residence, and no further authentication process is needed through the Israeli embassy. In countries that are not party to the Convention, further authentication may be required, so it is useful to check the specific status of the country of residence before preparing the documents.

The practical advantage is saving travel and having the matter handled directly at the Registrar's offices in each of the three districts, even when it is not known in advance in which district the case is located. All the checks, including an archive search where necessary, are carried out from Israel while the heir follows along remotely.

Common mistakes when locating an inheritance order

Several recurring mistakes lengthen the search process for no reason at all:

• Searching in the wrong district: many people assume that they should apply according to their own place of residence, rather than the deceased's last place of residence
• Confusing an inheritance order with a probate order: applying to the wrong body or track, when in fact there is a will that was not checked in advance
• Trying to obtain a copy without proving a connection: submitting a request without a document proving interested-party status, which ends in a request for additional documents and a delay
• Concluding too quickly that no order exists: settling for an online check that produced no result, without checking the archive or another district
• Putting off the matter for years: which complicates the estate as more heirs join, or when another heir dies along the way, creating an "estate within an estate"
• Confusing an inheritance order with the appointment of an estate administrator: searching for the status under the wrong proceeding, when in fact two separate proceedings are under way

Each of these mistakes can add weeks or months to a process that, in simple cases, could be much shorter.

When to contact an attorney to locate an inheritance order

In simple cases, when it is known for certain that there is no will, the deceased's last place of residence is known, and there is no dispute among the heirs, you can proceed on your own with the online check and by contacting the Registrar's office.

But there are situations in which legal help saves time and mistakes:

• When a dispute among the heirs is suspected, or it is suspected that someone opened a proceeding without informing the rest of the family
• When the case is not found in any of the three districts, and a complex archive search requiring repeated inquiries is needed
• In complex families, with previous marriages and children from several relationships, where determining who the heirs are is not at all simple
• When there is time pressure, for example a pending real estate transaction waiting for a copy of the order, or a bank demanding it urgently
• When it turns out that an application to amend or revoke an existing order is also needed, or that, alongside the order, the need to appoint an estate administrator should also be checked

The office of Adv. Shay Zohar in Ramat Gan handles a wide range of inheritance law matters: locating and handling inheritance orders, applications for a probate order, objections to a will and depositing a will. Alongside inheritance, the office also practices family law, representation before the Rabbinical Court, prenuptial and financial agreements, child and spousal maintenance and property matters between spouses, as well as representation in real estate transactions and employment law. Cases are handled by Adv. Shay Zohar, the head of the office, and sometimes together with Adv. Eliyahu Richter. A single meeting at the office can give a full picture of the legal position of the estate, and not only of the initial question of locating the order.

Every meeting begins with an individual review of the details of the case, and therefore this article, like any general article, is no substitute for a personal review with an attorney who knows the exact facts of your case.

Frequently asked questions

How do you locate an inheritance order by the deceased's ID number?

Start by searching the online information system of the Inheritance Registrar using the deceased's name and ID number. The system shows partial information on the status of the application, but not full personal information about the heirs, so it is sometimes necessary to also contact the Registrar's office in the relevant district directly.

Can you check online whether an inheritance order exists?

Yes, the Inheritance Registrar has an online system that lets you check whether an application has been filed and what its status is. The system does not reveal every personal detail, and further inquiry by telephone or in writing to the appropriate Registrar's office is sometimes required.

What is the difference between an inheritance order and a probate order when it comes to locating them?

An inheritance order is relevant when there is no valid will, and a probate order when there is a will. So before searching for an inheritance order, it is worth first checking the deposit system to see whether the deceased deposited a will, because this changes which procedure and which document you are actually looking for.

Who can receive a copy of an inheritance order that has been located?

In principle, an heir or an interested party who can present a document proving a connection to the estate, such as a death certificate or a document showing a family relationship. A person holding power of attorney from one of them can act on their behalf by presenting an appropriate power of attorney.

Locating an inheritance order when the proceedings took place in the Rabbinical Court: how is it different?

If all parties agreed in writing to transfer the matter to the Rabbinical Court, the file is managed there and not in the Inheritance Registrar's system. In that case, the search and the request for information or a copy are made directly with the relevant Rabbinical Court.

What do you do if you cannot find any record of an inheritance order?

It is worth checking all three districts (Jerusalem, Haifa and the North, Tel Aviv and the Center), asking a bank or the Land Registry (Tabu) whether an order was presented in the past, and considering a manual archive search. If no order exists at all, any interested party can file an application themselves.

Can an inheritance order that has already been issued be amended or revoked?

Yes. If, after the order is issued, an heir who was not included or new information that changes the picture comes to light, an application to amend or revoke the order can be submitted to the same body that originally issued it. A dispute over the Registrar's decision on the matter can usually be taken to the Family Court.

What is the difference between an inheritance order and the appointment of an estate administrator?

An inheritance order determines who the heirs are and what their shares in the estate are. The appointment of an estate administrator is a separate proceeding, which authorizes a person to actually manage the estate's assets until they are distributed, and is needed mainly when there are assets requiring ongoing care or a dispute among the heirs on how the assets should be handled.

This article provides general information only and does not constitute a legal opinion or a substitute for an individual review of personal circumstances. For a review of your specific situation, you can schedule a personal meeting at the office Adv. Shay Zohar, Family and Inheritance Law in Ramat Gan, by phone or WhatsApp at 054-668-0699.

The information in this article is general and does not constitute legal advice or a substitute for a meeting with a lawyer. Every case is examined according to its own facts.