Applying for Lone Soldier Recognition

Step-by-Step Instructions

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   Who is this relevant for?

   Candidates for security service (pre-draft, known as malshabim) or soldiers currently serving in the IDF, who meet the definition of a lone soldier.

   Who counts as a lone soldier? According to the IDF, a lone soldier is a soldier without family support in Israel. The main categories include:

   • Olim who came to Israel without their parents.
   • Orphans — soldiers whose parents are deceased.
   • Soldiers whose parents live abroad (including cases where the parents have left Israel after the soldier came).
   • Soldiers who have cut off contact with their family, or whose family cannot support them — for example, due to serious illness, imprisonment, or another verified reason.
   • Soldiers recognised by Bituach Leumi as orphan or abandoned children for the purposes of income-support allowances.

   Recognition also depends on the soldier having no siblings living in Israel who can act as a family anchor. Each case is reviewed on its own merits.

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   Who to contact and how

   • Not yet drafted: Submit your application to the recruitment office where you live.
   • Already drafted: Submit your application to the unit where you are serving.
   • Recognised as a child by the National Insurance Institute (Bituach Leumi) for an orphan or abandoned-child income-support allowance: Contact the Lone Soldiers hotline directly — it operates 24 hours a day — by phone at 03-7375200.
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   Steps in the process

   In some cases you will need to prepare supporting documents to attach to your application:

   • Parents on a mission abroad: Present a confirmation from the sending organisation showing the mission dates, and in particular the date your parents are returning.
   • Cut off contact with parents: Present a social worker's or school counsellor's report, financial confirmations, and any additional confirmations as directed by the welfare coordinator (rakezet tash).

   In the following cases no supporting documents are required:

   • Your parents have left the country or you made Aliyah alone.
   • Your parents are deceased.
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   Submitting the application at the regional recruitment offices

   • The pre-draft candidate (malshab) must raise their "lone" status at the initial interview at the recruitment office. After that, at the initiative of the welfare coordinator (rakezet tash), they must fill in form 7304.
   • The welfare coordinator will forward the completed form and other relevant reports to the office command for approval. In exceptional cases the application goes to the Committee for Recognition of Lone Soldiers at IDF Personnel Directorate.
   • If the pre-draft candidate is recognised as a "lone soldier", a confirmation will be sent from the recruitment office to their home.
   • At the time of enlistment, the soldier will receive a "lone soldier" certificate recording their enlistment date, the period of recognition as a lone soldier, and the benefits they are entitled to.
   • At the reception of soldiers at basic-training bases, the welfare coordinator is required to give the soldier a personal explanation of their rights and to ensure those rights are fulfilled.
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   Submitting the application at the unit

   • Fill in the "Lone Soldier Recognition Questionnaire" (form 62) in 2 copies, in the presence of an officer or the welfare coordinator at your unit.
   • Every decision made at IDF Personnel Directorate regarding your application will be brought to your attention by the welfare coordinator at your unit.
   • In the event of a positive decision, the welfare coordinator will inform you of your rights and ensure they are fulfilled.

   Submitting welfare applications online

   • You can now open a welfare application online, using your mobile phone or personal computer.
   • The first time you submit an application through the digital system, contact the rakezet tash (welfare coordinator).
     • After the application is opened, it will appear in your personal area with a breakdown of the required documents.
     • Upload the relevant documents to your personal area.
     • The documents will be updated in the military system used by the welfare staff for further handling of your application.
   • Subsequent applications you can open yourself in the system.
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   Appeal

   A soldier may appeal against a decision by the approving authority not to recognise them as a "lone soldier":

   • To appeal, contact the welfare coordinator (rakezet tash) at your unit.
   • The appeals committee's decision will be reasoned and final, unless circumstances have changed — in which case the matter will require a new hearing before the Committee for Recognition of Exceptional Lone Soldiers.
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   Good to know

   If the circumstances that led to your recognition as a lone soldier change, you are required to report this to the welfare coordinator (rakezet tash) at your unit.

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   Assisting bodies

   Government hotlines

   Name	Phone
   IDF Service Centre	1111
   Soldiers' Complaints Commissioner	03-6977374
   Central Government Response Centre	1299

   Support organisations

   • List of organisations assisting lone soldiers

   Government bodies

   • Ministry of Defence — Lone Soldiers Service Centre: 03-7375200, operating 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Lone Soldiers Administration Facebook page — ongoing updates on the lone soldier support framework.
   • Ministry of Aliyah and Integration (Misrad HaKlita)
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   Related guides

   Other guides in the Lone Soldier lifecycle (IDF / MOD) series:

   • Financial Benefits for Lone Soldiers
   • Housing Options for Lone Soldiers
   • Leave and Vacation for Lone Soldiers
   • Rights and Benefits for Discharged Lone Soldiers