Becoming a real estate broker in Israel: licence and exam

In Israel, real estate brokerage (תיווך במקרקעין) is a licensed profession. The Real Estate Brokers Law (חוק המתווכים במקרקעין, התשנ״ו-1996) prohibits practising, presenting yourself or advertising as a broker without a valid licence (section 2). The same law creates the Registrar of Real Estate Brokers (רשם המתווכים), attached to the Ministry of Justice (משרד המשפטים), which issues the licences and keeps the register (section 4).

The licence also governs the commission (דמי תיווך): under section 14, you need a valid licence, a written order signed by the client (הזמנה בכתב, section 9) and to have been the effective cause (הגורם היעיל) of the transaction.

Section 5 of the Law sets the conditions, repeated word for word on the gov.il licence page. You must:

• be a citizen or resident of Israel, or a foreign resident holding a work permit in Israel;
• be at least 18 years old;
• not have been declared bankrupt nor be subject to an order opening insolvency proceedings (חדלות פירעון);
• not have been convicted of an offence which, by its nature, seriousness or circumstances, makes you unfit to practise; if sentenced to actual imprisonment, have finished serving it at least six months before applying;
• have passed the real estate brokerage law exam (הבחינה בדיני מתווכים במקרקעין).

An important point for an oleh: no degree, no compulsory course and no internship are required. The only barrier is the exam.

According to gov.il, registration has no prerequisite other than paying the fee; the section 5 conditions are checked at the licence stage. You open a file on the Registrar's online portal (מתווכים מקוון) through the national identification system (מערכת ההזדהות הלאומית), then pay the exam fee (אגרת בחינה).

• Fee announced for the 15 November 2026 session: 575 ₪, payable online.
• No refund, except in the cases listed by the Registrar (death of a close relative, hospitalisation on exam day, non-deferrable reserve duty, pregnancy, accident), with supporting documents.
• Registration only during the open window: from 15 September to 15 October 2026 for the autumn session. Cancellation or deferral possible until that deadline.
• The summons, with the venue and time, arrives shortly before the exam.

The Law requires at least two sessions a year (section 6). For 2026, gov.il has published the sessions of 16 July and 15 November.

The Brokers Regulations (תקנות המתווכים במקרקעין, התשנ״ז-1997) set the framework: a written, multiple-choice exam (רב-ברירה), lasting two hours, with a pass mark of 60. The official paper published on gov.il adds the details.

The paper exists in several versions; the official answer key covers them all. If you fail, you can appeal (ערר) in writing, with reasons, within 30 days of the results being sent (Regulations, reg. 9).

The syllabus is set by dedicated regulations (תקנות המתווכים במקרקעין (נושאי בחינה), התשנ״ז-1997). It has three blocks: a list of statutes, basic principles and concepts, and the main lines of case law.

• Statutes: among others the Brokers Law (1996) and its regulations, the Land Law (חוק המקרקעין, 1969), the Contracts Law (חוק החוזים, 1973), the Sale (Apartments) Law (חוק המכר (דירות), 1973), the Real Estate Taxation Law (חוק מיסוי מקרקעין, 1963), the Planning and Building Law (חוק התכנון והבנייה, 1965) and the ethics regulations (תקנות המתווכים במקרקעין (אתיקה וחובות מקצועיות), התשפ״ד-2024).
• Basic concepts: rights in rem, the Israel Land Authority (רשות מקרקעי ישראל), the broker's duties, special transactions, debt enforcement (הוצאה לפועל), planning and taxation.
• Case law: the leading rulings in brokerage, contracts and real estate.

The Registrar publishes two booklets: part 1 (legislation), handed out in the room on exam day, and part 2 (principles, concepts and rulings), not allowed in the room. The ethics regulations, in force since 9 March 2025, are part of the syllabus and are distributed to candidates.

The written exam is in Hebrew. The Regulations allow another language approved by the Registrar, but no gov.il page currently announces one. Two arrangements exist for olim.

Accommodations (התאמות). The dedicated gov.il page admits olim who arrived within the 10 years before the exam (on the basis of the תעודת עולה) and candidates whose Hebrew is neither their mother tongue nor the language of their secondary school (school certificate), alongside those over 50, pregnant women and people with a disability or learning difficulty. The session page mentions extra time (תוספת זמן). The request is free, by form and email, at least 30 days before the exam; after that, it is not processed. A reasoned reply comes within 10 days, and a request is not always granted.

The oral exam (בחינה בעל פה). A procedure dated 25 November 2025, attached to the registration page, gives olim who arrived less than 10 years ago and did not study in Hebrew at secondary school or university direct access to an oral exam of about 20 minutes before a Registrar panel, in Jerusalem, with an interpreter funded by the Ministry of Justice wherever possible. Same syllabus; the statute book and the ethics regulations are available, the case-law booklet is not. Request by email after opening the file and paying the fee, with the תעודת עולה and the study certificate; sessions at least quarterly. The document announced this policy until April 2026 for evaluation: check its current status on gov.il.

If you pass, there is no application to file: the Registrar's office starts the procedure after checking your criminal record and the absence of insolvency, you give your consent in your personal area, then you pay the one-off licence and registration fee (אגרה חד-פעמית). The Regulations set it at 1,151 ₪ as of 1 January 2026, an amount indexed every year. You have five years after the exam to pay it, otherwise you must resit the exam.

The licence runs from payment until 31 December. The certificate and the broker's photo card arrive by post within 30 days.

After that, an annual fee (אגרה שנתית) is a condition of renewal (section 18 of the Law). For 2026: 256 ₪, to be paid before 31 March to cover the whole year; active reservists pay half. If you are not practising, you can voluntarily suspend your licence (התליית רישיון) and pay nothing, without practising during the suspension.

After each session, the Registrar publishes the papers and the official answers on gov.il. It is the most reliable working base: the questions come from the authority that will examine you, in its Hebrew and on its syllabus.

1. Start with a complete paper under real conditions: 25 questions, two hours, to measure your starting point.
2. Work topic by topic (Brokers Law and ethics, real property and condominiums, taxation, contracts and sale, inheritance and debt enforcement, the Land Authority, planning, tenancy) and spot those where you are under 60%.
3. For each mistake, go back to the section or the ruling in question, and train yourself to find a section quickly in the statute book: it will be in front of you on exam day.
4. Request your accommodations at least 30 days ahead, and register as soon as the window opens.

The Registrar also publishes pass rates per session on gov.il.

Rishayoni brings together the official past papers of the brokers exam (250 questions, 10 papers, in authentic Hebrew with attribution to gov.il) and explains them in eight languages, with an interlinear translation and eight study briefs that follow the topics of the syllabus. You can start with a free diagnostic of 10 official questions and one complete timed paper, with no commitment.