German men aged between 17 and 45 may need official approval before spending long periods outside the country under a provision linked to a new military service law introduced earlier this year.

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The measure forms part of the Military Service Modernisation Act, which took effect on 1 January and is intended to strengthen Germany’s defence capabilities following growing security concerns in Europe after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

A spokesperson for the defence ministry confirmed that men aged 17 and above must seek permission if they plan to remain abroad for more than three months.

Authorities say the requirement is designed to maintain an effective registration system for potential military personnel.

Registration system linked to defence planning

According to the defence ministry, the rule is aimed at ensuring that authorities know where eligible individuals are located in the event of a national emergency.

“In the event of an emergency, we must know who may be staying abroad for an extended period,” the spokesperson said.

Despite the formal requirement, officials indicated that approvals are generally expected to be granted. It remains unclear how the rule would be enforced if someone failed to request permission before travelling.

The provision attracted little attention until it was reported by the Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper on Friday.

Officials also acknowledged that the requirement could have significant implications for young people. The defence ministry said further regulations covering exemptions are still being developed to prevent unnecessary administrative burdens.

Roots in earlier conscription law

The legal foundation for the travel requirement lies in Germany’s Conscription Act of 1956, which has been amended several times, most recently in December.

Before the latest changes, the obligation to report extended stays abroad applied only during periods when Germany was formally in a state of national defence or mobilisation.

A defence ministry official noted that similar provisions existed during the Cold War but said they had little practical impact at the time.

Expanding the armed forces

The new legislation also outlines plans to increase the size of Germany’s active military. The government aims to expand the Bundeswehr from around 180,000 personnel to roughly 260,000 by 2035.

As part of the changes, parliament approved a system of voluntary military service in December.

Since January, all 18-year-olds in Germany receive a questionnaire asking whether they are interested in joining the armed forces.

From July 2027, they will also undergo a fitness assessment to determine whether they would be eligible for service if war were to break out.

Women may volunteer for military service, but under Germany’s constitution they cannot be required to serve.

Debate over possible return of conscription

Although the current model is based on voluntary participation, officials have said compulsory service could be reconsidered if the security environment deteriorates or if too few people volunteer.

The proposal has prompted protests from some young people since it was approved by parliament.

One organiser wrote on social media that they opposed spending “half a year of our lives locked up in barracks” training for combat.

Germany significantly reduced the size of its armed forces following the end of the Cold War, when the military had nearly half a million personnel.

Mandatory military service was suspended in 2011 under then-chancellor Angela Merkel.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz has since pledged to rebuild the Bundeswehr and aims to turn it into Europe’s strongest conventional army as the government responds to what it describes as a more dangerous security environment on the continent.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 5 April 2026

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They'll need this.

No indigenous German man would want to fight for the government/country that continually sells them out for cultural enrichers.

They will need to be forced.

Ironic how they let anyone in then have to force people to stay to fight for the mess they created.

Any German man who sticks around to be drafted is a fool. Come back after age 45 just like the Greeks and Turks. I think draft evaders would even be able to stay in an EU country. What country will extradite them to a German prison???

This kind of how it used to be. Having a passport was (and still isn't) a Right. Passports were introduced to stop people travelng, not enabling it

Couple of predictable responses, not worth directly responding to, for different reasons.

In the post war period, in the UK, if you were a man of National Service Age, the government could stop you from emigrating or any travel. Passports applications were often refused or only issued on condition of return (ie. if you didn't return, your passport is canceled, and you are deported from wherever you after, following a period in immigration detention).

So British people also had to be "forced".

This underlines how serious Germany considers the current situation, a cituation largely created by people aged 60-75 who have never known such a world and who profited off the backs of the younger generations.

The people whining about this on this forum are generally old and decrepit. They have nothing to fear in their rented 9000 baht condos, living off UK benefits aboard (aka state pension) while slagging off the country that keeps them in beers and fried rice.

"Travelling overseas for an occupation?"

"No, not this time, just a holiday!"

It's not just Germany that will need this... most of the rest of western liberal Europe will too. What's slowly happening in Europe is the same playbook as what happened in Iran during the Shah's time and the lead up to the intolerant clerics taking over... which is to increase your numbers somewhere, then to side with and get the liberal politicians and voters on your side through perceived grievances, eventually get into power one way or another (fairly or otherwise when you have enough support), then turn on, arrest, and disappear said lefties (useful simps) because they are an offensive anathema to your beliefs and ideals... ta-da, the next caliphate created.

That is exactly what happened in Iran in 1979 and how the mullahs got power and is being served up again in places like the UK. Won't happen in the US anytime soon as they are all armed to the teeth and generally don't do socialism/communism because it always fails due to something called "The Calculation Problem", which is why the soviet Union/Venezuela/Cuba etc. failed. Not so in western liberal Europe though.

1 hour ago, Sir Dude said:

It's not just Germany that will need this... most of the rest of western liberal Europe will too. What's slowly happening in Europe is the same playbook as what happened in Iran during the Shah's time and the lead up to the intolerant clerics taking over... which is to increase your numbers somewhere, then to side with and get the liberal politicians and voters on your side through perceived grievances, eventually get into power one way or another (fairly or otherwise when you have enough support), then turn on, arrest, and disappear said lefties (useful simps) because they are an offensive anathema to your beliefs and ideals... ta-da, the next caliphate created.

That is exactly what happened in Iran in 1979 and how the mullahs got power and is being served up again in places like the UK. Won't happen in the US anytime soon as they are all armed to the teeth and generally don't do socialism/communism because it always fails due to something called "The Calculation Problem", which is why the soviet Union/Venezuela/Cuba etc. failed. Not so in western liberal Europe though.

I can see very little commonality between Iran 1979 and Europe 2026 and a whole heap of differences, not least that Iran's population was 98% Muslim in 1979 whereas Europe's Muslim population is currently under 10%.

Obviously that figure varies by country. Bulgaria has the highest domestic Muslim population at 15%. Call me complacent but I hardly think it likely that a revolution is likely to ferment and spread throughout Europe from that base.

I remember meeting a young Swiss guy in Indonesia about 30 years ago who explained that due to military training obligations he had had to get permission to even leave Switzerland for longer than 12 months.

That and the reality of other aspects of life as a citizen in Switzerland as a neutral country !