4 Apr 2026, 19:40 Updated: 7m ago
The decision comes as Germany prepared for a potential Russian attack on NATO within the next two to three years.
4 Apr 2026, 19:40 | Updated: 7m ago
German men of fighting age must obtain permission from the army to leave the country for an extended period under new war preparations.
Picture:
Alamy
Men of fighting age must obtain permission from the army to leave the country for over three months in new period of war preparations.
The rules, which came into place on January 1, cover anyone planning to stay abroad for an extended period, regardless of the reason for travel.
It comes as part of the Military Service Modernisation Act reforms, but had gone largely unnoticed initially.
The act states: “Male persons who have reached the age of 17 must get permission from the responsible career centre of the German armed forces if they wish to leave the Federal Republic of Germany for more than three months.”
The decision comes as Germany prepared for a potential Russian attack on NATO within the next two to three years.
Read more:
Read more:
The change comes as Germany prepares for a potential attack by Putin’s Russia against NATO within the next two to three years.
Picture:
Alamy
Germany aims to increase their number of soldiers from the current level of 184,000 to around 255-270,000 by 2035.
Consequently, all men born in or after 2008 must now answer a mandatory questionnaire about their willingness to serve.
Women may answer the survey on a voluntary basis.
An army spokesman said the regulation was to “ensure a reliable and informative military register for when needed…”
“In the case of emergency, we need to know who might be staying abroad for an extended period.”
It remains unclear how a travel permit system will be implemented in practice, and what happens should travellers not comply.
German newspaper chain RMD reported that the Defence Ministry had initially declined to explain why the public had not been clearly informed about the new travel rules.