Will with Witnesses

About this will

Prepare a will with witnesses under Israeli law: who inherits your property, gifts of specific items, an executor and, if needed, a guardian for minor children. The will is valid only when you date it and sign it by hand in front of two adult witnesses, who sign it at the same meeting.

Check the scope before you start

Read these scope conditions before starting. The guided form asks you to confirm each statement.

• This is my own individual will — not a mutual will made with a spouse or partner. My permanent home is in Israel, and the will does not need to deal with property outside Israel.

  Mutual wills of spouses (Succession Law, section 8A), a permanent home outside Israel and estates with property abroad need tailored drafting (Succession Law, sections 137–140).

• I am 18 or older, I have not been declared legally incompetent, no guardian has been appointed for me, and I understand what a will is and what this will does.

  A will made by a minor or by someone declared legally incompetent, or at a time when the testator could not understand the nature of a will, is void (Succession Law, section 26). If a guardian has been appointed for you, see a lawyer before making a will.

• I will date and sign the will by hand at one meeting in front of two adult witnesses who receive nothing under it and are not married to anyone who does.

  A will with witnesses must be dated and signed before two witnesses, who sign it at the same meeting (section 20). Minors cannot be witnesses (section 24), and a gift to a witness or a witness’s spouse is void (section 35).

What the guided form covers

The published form is organized into these topics. Some questions appear only when relevant to your answers.

1. Is this template right for you?

   This form prepares a will with witnesses, which you sign by hand in front of two witnesses. We strongly recommend that an Israeli lawyer review it before signing. If any statement below is not true for you, stop here and get legal advice: this template is not suitable for you.

2. About you

   Enter your details exactly as they appear on your ID card, in the language of the will. Family details are recorded in the will for identification only.

3. Who receives the rest of your estate

   The residue is everything you leave apart from specific items in the next step, after debts are paid. Anyone you do not name here receives nothing from the residue under this will. You can name up to 6 beneficiaries, including a charity, institution or company; for more, see a lawyer.

4. Specific items for specific people

   You can leave a particular item — an apartment, a car, an account or jewellery — to a particular person. Everything else goes to the residue as set in the previous step. If you do not need this, choose "None".

5. People you trust

   Choose who will carry out the will and, if you have children under 18, whom you would like as their guardian. Ask each person first. Do not ask them to act as witnesses too.

6. Signing with witnesses

   At one meeting you tell both witnesses that this is your will, write the place, date and page count by hand and sign in front of them; the witnesses sign at the same meeting (Succession Law, section 20). At that meeting you and both witnesses also initial the foot of every page by hand; the printed will has no line for this. Nothing else is written or corrected by hand.

What to prepare before you start

• Have your full name, ID number, date of birth and address ready, as well as the full names and ID numbers of each heir, the executor and any substitute executor.

• List your main assets — home, bank accounts, savings, vehicles, valuables and digital assets — and decide who receives what, as shares of the estate or as specific items.

• Decide what should happen if an heir dies before you or does not accept the inheritance, and whether to name an executor and a substitute.

• Choose two adult witnesses who receive nothing under the will and are not married to anyone who does, and plan a meeting where you and both witnesses can sign together.

What to check before the signing meeting

Read the whole will slowly and check every name, ID number and share. Pension funds, provident funds and life insurance may pass to the beneficiaries registered with them rather than under the will, so check those designations separately. Have a qualified lawyer review the draft before the signing meeting: a mistake in the wording or the signing can lead to a dispute or prevent the will from being upheld.

This preparation guide helps you organize information. It does not determine whether a template fits your circumstances or replace advice from a qualified Israeli lawyer.

From your details to a document

1. Open the guided form and enter your details, your heirs and how your estate should be divided.
2. Review every name, ID number and share, and correct anything missing before finalizing.
3. Download the PDF, have it reviewed, and sign it by hand in front of two witnesses as the signing instructions describe.

After you download

1. Print the will. At one meeting, tell both witnesses that this is your will, date it and sign it by hand in front of them; the witnesses then sign it at the same meeting.
2. Sign or initial every page, and do not add, cross out or attach anything after signing. To change the will later, make a new will.
3. Keep the original in a safe place and tell the executor or a person you trust where it is. You may also deposit it with the Registrar of Inheritance.
4. Review the will after major life events — marriage, divorce, a birth or a death in the family, or buying or selling property — and update pension and insurance beneficiary designations as needed.

Sign the will only in a language you read and understand fully. If it is not in Hebrew, ask a lawyer whether your heirs will need a certified translation when they apply for probate.

Depositing a will with the Registrar of Inheritance

Read the Ministry of Justice’s instructions for depositing a signed will with the Registrar of Inheritance. Preparing a will in Huzim does not deposit it.