What to Do When Someone Dies in Israel: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Obtain the Medical Death Notification (Hoda'at Ptira) and Police or Forensic Clearance

   No burial, cremation, or international transport of human remains can take place in Israel until an authorized physician issues the official Death Notification (Hoda'at Ptira) and the corresponding Burial Permit (Rishayon Kvura) under the rules of the Ministry of Health (Misrad HaBriut, national call center *5400) [1]:

   • Death in an Israeli hospital or inpatient facility: When your family member passes away in a hospital or medical center (such as in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Haifa, or Be'er Sheva), the attending physician pronounces the death, completes the official Death Notification (Hoda'at Ptira) stating the medical cause of death, and transfers the deceased to the hospital mortuary [1]. Present the deceased's Israeli identity card (Te'udat Zehut) or foreign passport so the hospital admissions office records exact identification details [1][2].
   • Expected death at home under hospice or community care: Call Magen David Adom (101) or the attending community physician immediately [1]. Once the paramedic or doctor pronounces the death and confirms natural causes, you must still report a non-hospital death to the Israel Police (100) so an officer can verify that there is no suspicion of unnatural cause and issue a police waiver (Ishur Mishtara) permitting issuance of the Burial Permit (Rishayon Kvura) by the District Health Office (Lishkat HaBriut HaMechozit) of the Ministry of Health [1].
   • Sudden, accidental, or unexplained deaths (Abu Kabir clearance): Whenever a death occurs suddenly, outside medical supervision, or under unnatural circumstances, the Israel Police open an investigation and may transfer the body to the National Center of Forensic Medicine (Abu Kabir) in Tel Aviv-Yafo, which operates under the Ministry of Health [1]. Following forensic examination or post-mortem review, Abu Kabir issues the medical Death Notification (Hoda'at Ptira) and formal release for disposition [1]. Under Israeli public health rules, unembalmed remains must generally be interred within 48 hours unless kept in licensed mortuary refrigeration [1].
2. 2

   Register the Death with the Population and Immigration Authority (PIBA) and Obtain Official Death Certificates

   Once the medical Death Notification (Hoda'at Ptira) and Burial Permit (Rishayon Kvura) are issued, the death is recorded in the national Population Registry [1][2]:

   • Automatic transmission and statutory deadline: Israeli hospitals and licensed burial societies transmit the signed Death Notification (Hoda'at Ptira) directly to the Population and Immigration Authority (Rashut HaOchlosin VeHaHagira - PIBA / Misrad HaPnim, national service center *3450), which updates the civil registry typically within 5 to 14 days [1][2]. If a death occurs outside a hospital and is not reported electronically by the medical institution, the notification must be submitted promptly before burial so the registry entry can be completed [1][2].
   • Requesting the official Israeli Death Certificate (Te'udat Ptira): First-degree family members (spouse, parent, or child) or legally authorized representatives can apply free of charge to the Population and Immigration Authority online via the national government portal or in person at a PIBA bureau for the official Israeli Death Certificate (Te'udat Ptira) [2]. You may request the certificate in Hebrew or in a bilingual Hebrew-English format, which is particularly helpful if you need to notify foreign institutions [2].
   • Surrendering the identity card: When applying in person or updating civil records with the Population and Immigration Authority, bring the deceased's Israeli identity card (Te'udat Zehut) and Israeli passport (if held) for official cancellation [2].
3. 3

   Arrange Burial, Cremation, or International Repatriation and Document Legalization

   Funeral, interment, or international transport arrangements in Israel depend on the deceased's residency status, religious affiliation, and personal or family wishes [1][2][3]:

   • Local burial through a licensed burial society (Chevra Kadisha or religious/civil board): For insured Israeli residents and individuals who die in Israel and are buried locally, the National Insurance Institute of Israel (Bituach Leumi, call center 6050) pays the statutory burial coverage (Dmei Kvura*) directly to the licensed Chevra Kadisha (Jewish burial society), the recognized Muslim, Christian, Druze, or Bahai religious community burial board, or an authorized civil cemetery operator [3]. Basic transport from the place of death in Israel, ritual preparation, shroud, and a standard burial plot are covered without charge to the family, though supplementary fees may apply if the family selects a reserved spouse plot or a special cemetery section outside the deceased's local district [3].
   • Alternative civil burial or cremation: Families seeking civil interment can coordinate with cemetery operators licensed for civil plots under the Right to Alternative Civil Burial Law, while private cremation providers operate in Israel on a private contractual basis subject to the medical Death Notification (Hoda'at Ptira) and police clearance [1][3].
   • International repatriation and Hague Apostille legalization: If the deceased was a foreign national or if the remains or cremated ashes must be repatriated abroad, appoint a Ministry of Health-authorized international mortuary and air-cargo coordinator [1]. Casketed air transport requires arterial embalming (performed at the National Center of Forensic Medicine (Abu Kabir)), a hermetically sealed zinc-lined shipping coffin, a District Health Office permit for transporting human remains abroad from the Ministry of Health, and consular mortuary clearance from the destination country's embassy [1]. For using the bilingual Israeli Death Certificate (Te'udat Ptira) abroad, obtain a Hague Apostille stamp from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem (or consular legalization if the receiving country is not a party to the Apostille Convention) [2].
4. 4

   Notify Bituach Leumi, Tax, Pension, and Banking Institutions and Claim Survivor Benefits

   After registering the death, notify financial and social security bodies in Israel and claim statutory survivor entitlements [2][3][4]:

   • National Insurance Institute of Israel (Bituach Leumi): Because the National Insurance Institute of Israel receives automatic updates from the Population and Immigration Authority, ongoing old-age or disability pensions stop automatically as of the month following death [2][4]. Eligible surviving family members (a surviving spouse or recognized common-law partner and qualifying dependent children) should submit a claim to the National Insurance Institute of Israel for the monthly Survivors' Pension (Gimlat She'erim), an income supplement if eligible, or the one-time lump-sum Death Grant (Ma'anak Ptira) paid when the deceased had been receiving an old-age or disability pension [4]. If the family paid out-of-pocket for an eligible burial overseas or under special statutory circumstances, inquire with Bituach Leumi regarding reimbursement rules under Dmei Kvura [3].
   • Israeli banks, joint accounts, and the Har HaKesef / Har HaBituach portals: Notify the deceased's Israeli banks immediately [5]. Individual accounts are frozen until a formal succession order is presented, whereas a surviving joint account holder who signed a survivorship continuity clause (Arichut Yamim) with the bank may continue operating the joint account for routine living expenses. To locate dormant bank accounts, pension funds (Kranot Pensia), provident funds (Kupot Gemel), education funds (Kranot Hishtalmut), and life insurance policies, heirs can search the official Ministry of Finance Har HaBituach (Insurance Mountain) and Bank of Israel Har HaKesef (Money Mountain) portals using the deceased's identity number.
   • Israel Tax Authority (Rashut HaMisim) and municipal accounts: Notify the local municipality (Iriya) to transfer municipal property tax (Arnona), water, and electricity accounts, and file any final income tax reconciliation with the Israel Tax Authority if the deceased was self-employed (Osek Murshe / Osek Patur) or held taxable pension withdrawals.
5. 5

   Administer the Estate and Obtain an Inheritance Order or Probate Order

   To transfer real estate in the Israel Land Registry (Tabu), release frozen bank balances, or distribute estate assets in Israel, heirs or executors must obtain a formal succession order [5]:

   • Applying to the Registrar for Matters of Inheritance (Rasham HaYerushot): Under the Israeli Succession Law of 1965, applications are filed online (at a reduced statutory fee) or in person with the Registrar for Matters of Inheritance (Rasham LeInyanei Yerusha / Rasham HaYerushot under the Ministry of Justice, call center 2416) or with a competent religious court (Beit Din*) if all parties consent [5].
     • If the deceased left a valid will (Tzava'a): Apply to the Registrar for Matters of Inheritance for a Probate Order (Tzav Kiyum Tzava'a), uploading the death certificate, the will details (and delivering the original will within 7 days of online filing if not already deposited with the Registrar), and proof that formal notice was sent to all named beneficiaries [5].
     • If the deceased died without a will (intestate): Apply to the Registrar for Matters of Inheritance for an Inheritance Order (Tzav Yerusha), which declares the legal heirs and their statutory fractional shares after a mandatory public notice period of 14 days for objections and review by the Administrator General (HaApotropos HaKlali) [5].
   • Inheritance tax rules in Israel: Israel does not levy a separate statutory inheritance tax or estate duty on the transfer of assets to heirs upon death [5]. However, Israeli Land Appreciation Tax (Mas Shevach) or capital gains tax may apply when inherited real estate or securities are subsequently sold by the heirs.
   • Cross-border estates, foreign residents, and heirs living abroad: If the deceased was domiciled outside Israel at the time of death but owned bank accounts or real estate in Israel, an application to the Registrar for Matters of Inheritance must include an apostilled foreign death certificate, a certified Hebrew or English translation, and an expert legal opinion (Chavat Da'at Din Zar) on the private international law and succession rules of the deceased's country of domicile [2][5]. Heirs living abroad can authorize an Israeli lawyer through a power of attorney authenticated with a Hague Apostille or signed before an Israeli consul abroad [5].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Death Notification and Burial Permit (Hoda'at Ptira and Rishayon Kvura) — Ministry of Health (Gov.il)
2. [2]
   Apply for a Death Certificate (Te'udat Ptira) — Population and Immigration Authority (PIBA / Gov.il)
3. [3]
   Burial Expenses (Dmei Kvura) and Burial Arrangements in Israel — National Insurance Institute of Israel (Bituach Leumi)
4. [4]
   Survivors' Pension (Gimlat She'erim) and Death Grant — National Insurance Institute of Israel (Bituach Leumi)
5. [5]
   Registrar for Matters of Inheritance - Apply for an Inheritance Order or Probate Order — Ministry of Justice (Gov.il)