German men up to 45 years old will need permission to leave the country for more than three months

The modernization of military service, which includes the reintroduction of mandatory elements with the possibility of forced recruitment if there is a lack of volunteers and with which the Government wants to reach 260,000 active soldiers – from the current 184,000 – and 200,000 reservists in 2035, came into force in January, but this requirement went unnoticed.

Under the reform of the law, all men and women over 18 years of age will already this year receive a form through which their motivation and fitness for service will be evaluated. Answering is mandatory for men and voluntary for women.

For men born on or after January 1, 2008 The medical examination will also be mandatory.

Although the forms will be sent in the coming months, the rule to ask for permission for longer stays abroad has already come into force.

It already existed in Germany, but It was applied to extreme cases of “tension” or “defense” defined by Parliament or NATO, that is, both cases referred to exceptional situations of external threat or armed attack, according to the Frankfurter Rundschau.

This rule now applies “always”, regardless of whether men of service age want to leave Germany for an academic semester, a job or a backpacking trip, according to the new wording of the relevant law article, this media highlights.

The Ministry of Defense confirmed to IPPEN.MEDIA that the authorization obligation also applies outside of cases of tension and defense.

According to the ministry, the purpose of the regulation is have a reliable and complete record of military service for emergency situations.

The relevant paragraph of the law states, according to the Frankfurter Rundschau, that “the authorization must be granted for the period in which the person is not called up for military service”, so the refusal of the application is not foreseen, although submitting it remains mandatory.

According to Der Spiegel, Defense considers the request granted as long as military service is voluntary. The department led by Boris Pistorius confirmed that exit authorizations must be granted in principle.

The ministry recognizes that the consequences of this rule are “profound” and is therefore currently working on specific regulations to allow exceptions to the authorization obligation. According to Der Spiegel, the law does not provide for sanctions in case of non-compliance.