Diana Resnik
Published on ¢Last updated
Men aged 17 to 45 must now obtain authorization from the Bundeswehr for extended stays abroad. According to the new law on military service, this obligation applies to foreign stays of more than three months. This was stated by the German Ministry of Defense. The newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau first reported this.
This provision is part of a law called the Military Service Modernization Act, which came into effect on January 1, 2026. It aims to prepare the Bundeswehr, in terms of personnel and organization, for future challenges. Among the planned measures are a more attractive voluntary service, expanded enlistment of young men, and new legal instruments to act more quickly when needed.
The law in question
Specifically, it concerns paragraph 3 of the conscription law in Germany. This section defines the content and duration of conscription in Germany. The first paragraph states: “The service obligation is fulfilled by military service or […] by civilian service”. This regulation applies to all men subject to military service, aged 18 to 45.
The second paragraph now specifies: “Males must, after reaching the age of 17, obtain authorization from the competent Bundeswehr career center if they wish to leave the Federal Republic of Germany for more than three months […].”
As long as military service remains voluntary, this authorization is considered granted, according to the ministry spokesperson. For travel abroad, a simple procedure is being sought, as clarified by the spokesperson. As long as service remains voluntary, authorization is generally considered to be granted.
The necessary administrative guidelines for this purpose have not yet entered into force. In theory, it is therefore still valid at this point that “authorization from the competent Bundeswehr career center must be obtained” if one wishes to stay abroad for more than three months. The spokesperson, however, emphasized: “Since, under current law, military service is based exclusively on voluntary basis, these authorizations should in principle be considered granted.”
The context
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine about four years ago, the defense of Europe has come to the forefront. In this context, the reinstatement of conscription, previously suspended, has become the subject of intense debate once again.
Earlier this year, the Military Service Modernization Act came into effect. In the future, young men will once again need to be enlisted and undergo mandatory fitness tests. With this reform, the federal government aims to increase Bundeswehr personnel from about 184,000 soldiers today to 255,000 to 270,000 soldiers, including women, by 2035.
A spokesperson from the Ministry of Defense said to IPPEN.MEDIA: “In case of emergency, we need to know who might potentially be abroad for a long period of time.”
Consequences
Such significant encroachment on self-determination previously only applied, before January 1, 2026, in exceptional circumstances, namely in times of tension or defense, when an attack by another country was considered highly probable.
But paragraph 2 has now been revised. It further provides: “Apart from situations of tension or defense, articles 3 […] apply.” As a result, the rule in paragraph 3 now applies in principle.
The Ministry of Defense acknowledges that the consequences are “profound”. Young men who, for example, wish to spend a semester abroad or take a gap year must first obtain authorization from the Bundeswehr career center. Therefore, “rules specifying exceptions to the authorization requirement” are currently being developed within the federal Ministry of Defense.
It is still unclear what consequences those who do not request authorization before a long stay abroad may face.
As reported by the RND network, the Ministry of Defense initially did not explain why the public was not clearly informed about the new regulation.
