German men aged 17 to 45 must obtain approval from the Bundeswehr before leaving the country for more than three months under a law that took effect on 1 January, the Defence Ministry confirmed on Saturday.
The requirement is part of the Military Service Modernisation Act, which extends a restriction previously limited to states of tension or defence to peacetime.
The ministry said approval would be automatically granted as long as military service remains voluntary.
“In an emergency we need to know who is potentially staying abroad for a longer period,” a ministry spokeswoman told German media.
What changed?
The law affects roughly 20 million German men and applies to stays abroad for study, work or travel exceeding three months. The ministry acknowledged the impact is “profound” and said it is drafting detailed exemption rules.
The change originally came into force with little public attention, which only spiked just days ago. The Frankfurter Rundschau first reported the requirement last Friday, more than three months after the law took effect.
A ministry spokesperson said approval from a Bundeswehr career centre is deemed granted in principle while military service remains voluntary, but the necessary administrative regulations have not yet entered into force. Consequences for those who fail to obtain approval remain unclear.
The law modernises a similar 1986 regulation that applied only during declared military threats. The new version extends the three-month threshold to normal circumstances by revising Section 3, Paragraph 2 of the Conscription Act.
“Outside a state of tension or defence, Section 3 applies,” the revised law states, making the approval requirement permanent rather than limited to emergencies.
Germany aims to increase Bundeswehr personnel from roughly 184,000 to between 255,000 and 270,000 by 2035. The military service model includes mandatory registration for young men, although service itself remains voluntary.
All teenagers born in 2008 or later will receive questionnaires assessing their suitability and willingness to serve. Completing the form is mandatory for men and voluntary for women.
Critics slam lack of clarity
Opposition politicians on both sides of the political spectrum criticised the lack of public information about the requirement.
Sara Nanni, security policy spokeswoman for the Greens, called for “swift clarification from the ministry” and said citizens have a right to know their reporting duties.
Nicole Gohlke, deputy parliamentary group leader of the Left Party, called the rule “a scandal that shows authoritarianism and militarisation go hand in hand.”
Rüdiger Lucassen of the AfD said the government should “work out a pragmatic solution without a huge administrative burden and unnecessary impositions on young men.”
Similar rules exist in other European countries. In Finland, Norway and Austria, conscripts must remain contactable and report stays abroad, though without Germany’s explicit approval requirement.
Greece imposes stricter rules, with legal consequences for permanent stays abroad without clarified military status.
In Switzerland, men planning to settle abroad must report, and their duties may be adjusted, postponed, or replaced with substitute services.
The Bundestag approved the Military Service Modernisation Act on 5 December 2025, and the Bundesrat cleared it on 19 December.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has previously stated his aim was to recruit 20,000 volunteers this year, according to Der Spiegel. In 2025, the Bundeswehr recruited 12,286 volunteers, about 16% more than the previous year.