Jewish | one of your parents is Jewish | one of your grandparents is Jewish | spouse of the aforementioned
no Israeli citizenship
neither of your parents has or ever had Israeli citizenship
your parents are not permanent residents of Israel
before your enlistment date, less than cumulated 18 months stay in Israel in recognized frame (otherwise 12 months)
men: age 18 - 23 | women: age 18 - 20
willing to do at least 18 months of IDF service (14 1/2 months, if no army ulpan required)
health profile as required by the IDF

Mahal Nahal Haredi - Cumulative qualifications:

Jewish (religious/haredi only)
no Israeli citizenship
neither of your parents has or ever had Israeli citizenship
your parents are not permanent residents of Israel
before your enlistment date, less than cumulated 18 months stay in Israel in recognized frame (otherwise 12 months)
men: age 18 - 23
willing to do at least 18 months of IDF service (14 1/2 months, if no army ulpan required)
health profile as required by the IDF

Mahal Hesder - Cumulative qualifications:

Jewish (religious/dati only)
no Israeli citizenship
neither of your parents has or ever had Israeli citizenship
your parents are not permanent residents of Israel
before your enlistment date, less than cumulated 18 months stay in in Israel in recognized frame (otherwise 12 months)
men: age 18 - 23
reasonable command of Hebrew
willing to study 6 1/2 months in a Yeshivat Hesder (IDF Rabbinical College) followed by at least 14 1/2 months of IDF service, in total 21 months
health profile as required by the IDF

Path for Israeli citizens residing overseas, former Israelis residing overseas, non-Israelis with an Israeli parent, non-Israelis with parents living in Israel - Cumulative qualifications:

men and women: age 18 - 24
Israeli citizens non-residents of Israel at any time between their 11th and 18th birthday:
Before graduation: you can study at any Israeli university for the standard period required to get the bachelor's degree (and a mandatory academic preparatory course, if any). In this period and after it you are exempted from military service, if you leave Israel within this period.
After graduation: if you decide to remain in Israel and commit to cease your permanent residency in Israel after discharge from the IDF, you are liable for 14 1/2 months of military service.
After discharge: if you opt for residing permanently in Israel and are younger than 24, you will have to complete the difference to the regular IDF service time. The difference will be determined according to the conditions valid for your age at the time of your first arrival in Israel and family status at the time.
Non-Israeli citizens who are not liable for IDF service and do not qualify for any of the Mahal programs for overseas volunteer due to their close link to Israel, such as former Israelis residing overseas, non-Israelis with an Israeli parent, non-Israelis with parents living in Israel, non-Israelis who stayed in Israel on a A1, A2 or B2 visa (for temporary residents, tourists, volunteers, students etc.) longer than the cumulated maximum period etc.:
Not liable for IDF service by law as long as holder of A1, A2 or B2 visa.
Volunteering for the IDF: details will be published here as soon as received from the MoD.

All programs for non-Israelis, please note:

If the IDF enlistment date is after your 24th birthday (man) | 21st (woman) - click here
If you are not Jewish | none of your parents is Jewish | none of your grandparents is Jewish | you are not the spouse of the aforementioned- click here

The health profile (physical/psychological assessment) as required by the IDF is evaluated by the IDF Recruitment Bureau. Generally, men with high health profiles will serve in combat units such as the Nahal Infantry Brigade and those with low health profiles in non-combat jobs. In any case the unit will be determined by the IDF depending on the army's needs and your personal abilities and ambitions. Women usually serve in non-combat units, if they do not choose to serve in a combat unit.

Your qualification is subject to final approval by the IDF and is in any case automatically revoked, if you don’t enlist before your 24th birthday (men) | 21th birthday (women).

Depending on age and marital status, the regular IDF service (Shlav Bet) for Israeli citizens might be shorter than Mahal, Mahal Nahal Haredi, Mahal Hesder.

The informations on our pages About the Service and Volunteering Step-by-Step do not refer to Israeli overseas reasidents but only to (non-Israeli) volunteers eligible for the Mahal, Mahal Nahal Haredi and Mahal Hesder programs. Israelis find information in Hebrew here and get personal advice from Mahal after registering here.

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