Hebrew Interpreter and Israeli Document Translation

Israeli official documents often combine Hebrew and English entries, while some certificates are entirely in Hebrew. The same person's name may appear in Hebrew, in Latin letters and in an older document in a different transliteration. Before translating, we establish the purpose of the document, the receiving body, the required language and the certification requirement.

Four things matter most in official Hebrew translation: the Latin spelling in the passport, precise identification of the Hebrew original, completeness of every page and attachment, and the correct order of apostille and other certification.

Hebrew translation services

Hebrew script and right-to-left layout

Modern Hebrew is written right to left, but numbers, Latin letters, email addresses, passport numbers and international codes run left to right. Several directions can cross in one line, so we establish precisely which heading each number, date or note belongs to.

Official texts are usually written without vowel marks, so the pronunciation of an unfamiliar name cannot always be read from the letters alone. Column order in tables also matters: in the Hebrew original the first column may sit visually on the right, while in the Georgian version the logical order starts from the left.

Names, surnames and transliteration

In most cases the official form of a name is the Latin spelling in the current passport. A Hebrew name can be transliterated several ways, especially when a surname carries a history of emigration through different languages. The aim is not to invent a new transliteration but to preserve the person's existing official identity.

Without a passport, we compare other sources: the identity card (teudat zehut), a population registry extract, a birth certificate, an old passport or the recipient's letter. In a change of name certificate every former and new form is shown separately. For companies, the legal name, the registered English form and the company number are kept.

Teudat zehut, sefach and the Israeli passport

The teudat zehut is the Israeli identity card, carrying the holder's main data and a nine-digit identity number. It may be accompanied by a sefach - a paper or digital appendix showing the address, children or other family information. Translating only the card is not always enough if the case relies on data in the appendix.

For a passport we check the data page, relevant stamps, the Latin name, date of birth, number and expiry. All four edges and the machine-readable zone must be visible in the scan. For a resident of Israel holding a foreign passport, the document type is named precisely and never confused with proof of citizenship. See passport translation.

Tamtzit rishum - the population registry extract

The tamtzit rishum is the official extract from the Population Registry. It can be standard or extended and contains the name, place and date of birth, citizenship, marital status, address and other registered data. The extended version may show previous names, details of spouse, parents and children, previous addresses and dates of changes in marital status.

It is often used in marriage, citizenship, inheritance and family reunification cases, but it does not automatically replace a birth certificate. The translation makes clear from the title whether it is standard or extended, who issued it, when, and how much data it covers.

Birth, death, name change, marriage and divorce

Birth certificates, death certificates and change of name certificates in Israel are based on the records of the Population and Immigration Authority. In a birth certificate we check the child's name, parents, place of birth, registration number and date of issue. If an apostille is attached, the apostille page is translated too. English text on a document does not mean the recipient no longer needs a Georgian translation.

Family cases may involve a marriage certificate, a document from a religious body, a decision of a civil or rabbinical court, a divorce document, a registry entry or a family status certificate. Each has a different function, and its title is translated precisely. Often a registry extract is required as well, to prove current marital status; registering a marriage concluded abroad in the Israeli registry is a separate procedure.

Citizenship, residence, aliyah and criminal record

Hebrew translation may be needed for a citizenship certificate, a certificate of non-citizenship, an aliyah date record, a permanent residence card, a visa, an entry permit or a decision of the Population and Immigration Authority. "Citizen", "resident", "permanent resident", "temporary status" and "visa category" are not interchangeable terms.

Georgian documents for an Israeli immigration file usually form a package - birth, marriage, divorce, criminal record and family relationship documents - and names and dates must be written identically across all of them. Israeli services may also request a Criminal Information Certificate and a record of entries and exits; the translation shows exactly what the document confirms, who issued it and which period it covers, without presenting it as a copy of a court judgment. See criminal record certificate translation.

Notarization, apostille and consular legalization

In Georgia, the usual form of notarized translation is certification of the translator's signature. The notary confirms the signature, not the content of the foreign document, so the roles of the original, the copy, the translation and the apostille need to be kept apart. Knowing in advance whether the recipient wants a notarized translation, an apostilled document, a certified copy or all of these often saves redoing the translation.

Israel is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention. Authentication routes differ: some public administrative documents are authenticated through the foreign affairs system, while notarial and court documents involve the courts. Israel also offers digital apostilles for notarial documents, with online verification. For non-Convention countries, Foreign Ministry certification followed by consular legalization may be needed. An apostille does not translate anything - it only confirms the signature, seal and authority. See apostille and legalization.

Legal, corporate, financial, study and medical documents

MyGov, digital documents and full versus partial translation

Israel's MyGov personal area gives access to many state services. PDFs may carry electronic signatures, verification numbers, QR codes or digital issue notes; these are described in the translation and the codes remain unchanged. A screenshot may do for an assessment, but official submission usually needs the downloaded PDF or an online-verifiable version.

A full translation leaves less room for doubt than an extract. We never leave out data that could change the legal meaning - a former name, a divorce date, citizenship status, cancellation of a document or a limited authority - which is why we ask to see the whole document even when the final task concerns one section.

How a Hebrew translation order runs

Price and turnaround for Hebrew translation

Time and price depend on the volume, handwriting, table complexity, certification steps and file format. The price is by agreement and confirmed once we have seen the complete material and the recipient's requirement. See translation prices.

Documents can be handed in at 118 Davit Aghmashenebeli Ave in Tbilisi, but most of the work runs remotely, so ordering from another city or from Israel needs no visit. Send all files for one case together, so that names, addresses and family data stay uniform across the package.

Frequently asked questions about Hebrew translation

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