German male citizens aged between 17 and 45 may soon have to seek approval by the state for prolonged stays outside the country following legal changes introduced regarding the military service.
A spokesperson for the German defence ministry confirmed to the BBC that males were required to obtain prior approval for stays lasting longer than three months.
The changes are part of the Military Service Modernisation Act, which came into effect on January 1. It aims to boost the country’s defences in light of the ongoing threats from Russia in the aftermath of the 2022 outbreak of military attacks.
While the new travel regulation has been in force for several months now, it went largely undetected until the German Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper shed light on the requirement this week.
The defence ministry spokesperson told the British outlet that the regulation was intended to “ensure a reliable and meaningful military registration system.”
“In the event of an emergency, we must know who may be staying abroad for an extended period,” he explained.
In his exchange with the BBC, the representative acknowledged that the new regulation could have “far-reaching” consequences for young people, which is why authorities were preparing exemptions “to avoid unnecessary bureaucracy”.
As the article points out, the legal basis for this new requirement stems from Germany’s Conscription Act, introduced in 1956, which has since been updated several times.
The requirement to report long stays abroad existed before as well, but was applied only during times when Germany was in a state of national defence or mobilisation.
According to the defence spokesperson, such a travel provision was in effect during the years of the Cold War as well.
Boost to Germany’s defences
The Military Service Modernisation Act aims to raise the number of active personnel from the current 180,000 to 260,000 in a span of ten years.
The German parliament voted to introduce voluntary military service in December. All 18-year-old male citizens are therefore being sent a questionnaire asking if they were interested in joining the military starting from this year.
Under the new law, males above the legal age will also be required to undergo a fitness assessment starting from 2027 to determine their eligibility for military service, regardless whether the individual expressed interest in joining the armed forces or not.
While German law technically still requires all male citizens to register for conscription at age 18, a 2011 amendment to the Conscription Act suspended mandatory service during times of peace.
By Nazrin Sadigova