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When would my child be called up?
The thing almost nobody says plainly: what matters is your child’s age on the day you arrive, not their age today. That is the one part of this you actually control, and moving a year earlier or later can change the obligation entirely.
Read this before you use the answer
Published sources genuinely disagree about service for immigrants in their early-to-mid twenties. One reputable outlet reports that group is no longer drafted; others describe substantially shortened service. The rules have also changed more than once. So this page shows you the structure and the range, and tells you where the uncertainty is. It is not a determination, and nobody should time a move on it without confirming their own case with the IDF directly.
Age 16 on arrival
What to expect
Arriving before 18 means the standard path: your child will go through the regular process with their Israeli peers, and full service is the expectation. New olim are generally given roughly a year to settle before being called.
The sequence
You arrive
2027-01-01Your child is 16 at arrival. That age, not their age today, is what shapes the obligation.
First notice (Tzav Rishon) likely
Not datable yetRoughly nine months after the Teudat Zehut is issued. We cannot date this yet because the ID card itself can take anywhere from weeks to more than a year, and a clean date from your aliyah would be a guess.
Acclimation period ends
2028-01-01New olim are generally given about a year to settle before being drafted. Treat it as a norm rather than a right.
The routes worth knowing about
Mahal
Diaspora Jews who are NOT making permanent aliyah, and some qualified non-Jews.
A shortened service of roughly 14 to 18 months. Worth knowing about precisely because it is an alternative to full conscription for a young person who wants to serve without committing to aliyah yet.
Garin Tzabar
Ages 18 to 24, or 23 for women, without parents living in Israel, and children of Israelis abroad.
A structured programme with built-in lone-soldier support: housing, a group of peers arriving together, and help with the practical side. The obvious route for a young person coming alone.
Lone soldier status
Soldiers without parents in Israel.
Carries real entitlements: about a month of home leave a year, one fully-paid flight home during full service, and up to 30 special-leave days a year for those whose parents are abroad.