If a Parent Is Israeli: Army Status and the Year in Israel

Why this comes first

This is the one part of planning where a mistake is hard to undo. A student who is an Israeli citizen can't enter on a student visa, and Israel's consulates say Israelis abroad must settle their military status from the age of 16 years and 4 months. A student who stays in Israel longer than the rules allow can lose the status that protects them from being drafted.

This guide summarizes official and support-organization pages as checked in October 2026. Rules change. The consulate and the army decide each case, so get your answer from them, in writing, and treat this page as a list of questions to ask.

Is the student an Israeli citizen?

Often yes, even with no Israeli passport. The visas and paperwork guide quotes the consulates: the child of an Israeli parent isn't eligible for a student visa, and London's consulate says children of Israelis must be registered and travel to Israel on an Israeli passport.

Mahal, the army's track for volunteers from abroad, puts it in practical terms: if you are eligible to hold an Israeli passport without making aliyah, you are what the army calls a "ben mehagrim" (בֶּן מְהַגְּרִים), "child of emigrants". Mahal says this is commonly the case when one parent was born in Israel, or made aliyah before the child turned 18.

Ben mehagrim status

The New York consulate's page describes who the army recognizes:

• An Israeli citizen born abroad, or who left Israel with their parents before age 16.
• If one parent lives in Israel, the student has to prove they're in the custody of the parent abroad.
• If both parents live in Israel, the army won't recognize the student as ben mehagrim.
• Someone not recognized can't get a deferral and has to return to Israel, though they may apply to defer to finish high school abroad.

While a deferral is in place, the consulate sets the conditions and limits on how long the student, and the parents, may visit Israel.

How long the student can stay

The Nefesh B'Nefesh Lone Soldiers Program, which supports immigrant soldiers, summarizes the army's rules for keeping this status (called "status chul"). Its page was last updated in January 2026:

• The student may be in Israel up to 120 days per calendar year, and the parents up to 180 days.
• There is a one-time longer stay, called shnat shehiya (שְׁנַת שְׁהִיָּה), of 121 to 365 days. The student has to be outside Israel for 60 days before it and 60 days after.
• After a one-year Masa program followed by at least 12 months abroad, the army counts "age of arrival" from the return. Visits of up to 120 days a year are allowed, starting 60 days after the program ends.
• Losing the status means the army can draft the student, whether or not they made aliyah.

So a single gap year may fit, if it's planned as that one longer stay and the consulate agrees. A second year (shana bet) or staying on after the program is a different question; ask the consulate before the first year ends.

What to send the consulate

From the New York consulate's page. Other consulates work similarly; check yours.

1. 1Fill in Form 7202, the application to defer military service for Israelis staying abroad.
2. 2Add the student's Israeli ID card or passport (and any foreign passport), and recent copies of the parents' Israeli passports (and any foreign passports).
3. 3For a Masa gap year, add proof of participation with start and end dates. For other study in Israel, add an enrollment confirmation with dates and a personal request letter.
4. 4Email it all in. A PDF has to be signed. The consulate decides whether the student needs to come in person; in-person visits are by appointment, with a consular fee.
5. 5Expect to wait: some answers come from the army's Meitav unit.

Masa grants for Israeli citizens

Masa's FAQ says participants usually can't be Israeli citizens, with one exception: a citizen who left Israel before age 14 and has lived abroad for at least four years in a row. See paying for the year.

If the student wants to serve

Some students decide during the year that they want to serve. The army's rules for children of Israelis are different from those for other students from abroad, including how long they'd serve. Read joining the IDF after the year, and contact the Nefesh B'Nefesh Lone Soldiers Program, which lists an email address for questions about this status.

Common questions

My child was born abroad and has never had an Israeli passport. Do they have army obligations?

Possibly. A child of an Israeli parent is often an Israeli citizen under Israeli law. Ask your consulate, and settle military status from age 16 and 4 months.

How long can a child of Israelis stay in Israel without losing their status?

Nefesh B'Nefesh's summary of the army's rules gives up to 120 days per calendar year, plus a one-time stay of 121 to 365 days with 60 days abroad before and after it. Confirm your own case with the consulate.

Can a child of Israelis do a gap year in Israel?

Often, as that one-time longer stay, if the consulate agrees. The consulate's checklist asks for proof of a Masa gap year, or an enrollment confirmation and a request letter for other study.

What is Form 7202?

The form Israelis abroad use to apply to defer military service, sent to the consulate with passport copies and supporting documents.

Can a child of Israelis get a Masa grant?

Usually not. Masa's FAQ makes an exception for citizens who left Israel before age 14 and have lived abroad for at least four years in a row.