Note: Citizenship is determined by the parents' nationality regardless of one's place of birth. This means that an individual born abroad to an Israeli parent is an Israeli citizen by law.
Note: If you were born in Israel but left Israel with your parents, you can arrange your military status at the Consulate after you turn 16.5 and ONLY if you left Israel with your parents before you turned 16.
In order to arrange your military status a one-time visit at the Consulate is necessary. Minors (those younger than 18) must be accompanied by one of their parents.
You must bring the following:
Request for Military Exemption (2.12 MB)- The current Israeli (and foreign, if applicable) passports of the individual arranging their military status and those of both parents.
- You must bring all passports valid at any point from the day the individual turned 16 until the day of his/her appointment at the Consulate. Thus, if the individual or either parent was issued a new passport after the individual turned 16, the old, expired passports must also be presented.
- If you are unable to present all the required passports, you must bring proof (e.g. a report card) with you that the individual was in school abroad as of age 16. The parents must bring proof that they were working/studying during this time or present any other form of proof showing that they were living abroad from the time the child turned 16.
- You must bring all passports valid at any point from the day the individual turned 16 until the day of his/her appointment at the Consulate. Thus, if the individual or either parent was issued a new passport after the individual turned 16, the old, expired passports must also be presented.
- If the parents are divorced, the parent with custody must present the divorce settlement including the custody arrangement. This must be shown together with the required passports as mentioned above.
If, following the Consulate's evaluation of the passports, it is determined that the individual and their parents indeed reside abroad then they will be given the status of a "Son/Daughter of Emigrants." This status means that the individual's draft is postponed for as long as they live abroad with their parents.
Individuals with the status of a "Son/Daughter of Emigrants" may visit Israel during each calendar year for a period that does not exceed 120 days. In addition, they may reside in Israel for one year in order to study or to join a recognized program.
A stay in Israel that exceeds the time periods mentioned above will result in a cancellation of this status and you will be recruited to the IDF. Therefore, you should make sure not to stay over the allotted time in Israel.
Notice: Cases where the individual left Israel after age sixteen (with or without the parents) or cases in which not all of the passports have been presented as explained above, will be handled directly by the military.
This process takes approximately 3-4 weeks.