Continuing Power of Attorney
Cost, Process & Why Not to Delay — 2026

By Adv. Liron Yitzhak Elmaliach | Updated: 2026 | Reading time: approx. 7 minutes

A Continuing Power of Attorney (in Hebrew: Iyyuf Koach Matmashikh) is the most important legal document many people never think about until it is too late. It allows you — while you are fully capable — to designate someone you trust to manage your affairs if you ever lose the ability to do so yourself.

Once you have lost capacity, it is legally impossible to create one. This article explains what it costs, how it works, and why there is no good reason to delay.

How Much Does It Cost?

Basic CPofA (financial + property)₪1,500–2,500
Comprehensive (financial + medical + personal)₪2,500–4,000
Couple (two documents, same appointment)₪3,000–6,500
Registration fee (General Guardian)Approx. ₪490 per document

Compare this with the alternative: if no CPofA exists and you become incapacitated, your family faces a guardianship court proceeding costing ₪10,000–30,000 and taking 6–12 months. The CPofA is significantly cheaper and faster.

What a Comprehensive CPofA Covers

Financial affairs Bank accounts, investments, pensions, paying bills, managing expenses. The attorney-in-fact can act on your behalf with banks and financial institutions.
Property Managing real estate, collecting rent, making maintenance decisions. Selling property typically requires separate court approval even with a CPofA.
Medical decisions If you include a medical section: decisions about hospitalisation, treatment, medications, and end-of-life care. This section can also include advance medical directives (living will).
Personal welfare Where you live, daily care arrangements, social and community activities. This section is particularly important in cases of dementia or severe cognitive decline.
Limits and conditions You can set precise limits — for example, that the attorney-in-fact cannot make gifts, or cannot sell the family home, or can only act if two people agree jointly.

The 5-Step Process

1
Consultation Meeting with the lawyer to discuss your wishes, who you want to appoint, and what limits or conditions you want to set.
2
Drafting The lawyer prepares the document, tailored to your specific situation and wishes.
3
Certification The document must be signed in the presence of a certified CPofA preparer (this is a specific licence issued by the General Guardian's Office). Your lawyer must hold this certification.
4
Registration The document is registered with the General Guardian's Office (Apotropus Klali). Without registration, the document is not legally valid.
5
Secure storage The original is kept by the attorney-in-fact or your lawyer. Copies go to relevant institutions. The registration confirmation is your proof.

Why Not to Delay

The most common objection is: "I'm healthy, I'll do it later." The problem is that "later" can arrive without warning — a stroke, a serious accident, a rapid cognitive decline. Once you lose legal capacity, no one can create a CPofA on your behalf. The only option then is the costly and burdensome court guardianship process.

True story (anonymised)

A 68-year-old man was diagnosed with early Alzheimer's. His family assumed there was time. Six months later, he lacked the legal capacity to sign a CPofA. His wife had to go through 10 months of court proceedings at significant cost — all of which could have been avoided with a document signed a year earlier.

Ready to arrange your Continuing Power of Attorney?

Free initial consultation — we will explain the options and prepare a document tailored to your needs.

Frequently Asked Questions