Germany’s Defence Minister Boris Pistorius moved to calm fears on Tuesday over new military service rules that required military-aged men to report before leaving the country for long stays abroad.
Pistorius confirmed that men aged between 17 and 45 currently do not need permission from the German Army (Bundeswehr) to spend more than three months outside Germany, despite what was written in the newly revised Military Service Act.
A clear exemption from the approval requirement is to be introduced by administrative decree as early as this week, the defence minister said.
The clarification follows widespread concern that the law, which came into force at the start of 2026, had effectively introduced a requirement for a travel permit for men of military age.
Recently, it was reported widely in German media that the country's updated military service rules included a provision requiring men aged 17 to 45 to obtain approval from military authorities before spending more than three months abroad.
The defence ministry clarified that permission would be “deemed granted” as long as military service remained voluntary, but critics warned that the rule still implied a significant restriction on freedom of movement.
That interpretation spread quickly, prompting comparisons on social media with darker chapters of German history and fuelling anxiety among Germen men planning to work, study or travel abroad.
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What Pistorius is saying now
According to Pistorius, none of those fears are warranted under current conditions.
As long as military service in Germany remains voluntary there will be no approval procedures, no reporting obligations and no need to register longer stays abroad, he clarified.
“Whether 17 or 45 years old or anywhere in between, everyone is of course free to travel and currently does not need permission to do so,” the minister said.
The aim, he stressed, is to keep procedures “unbureaucratic and manageable” in peacetime, adding that officials are already working on a formal decree to suspend the approval requirement set out in the law.
What this means for foreigners who gain German citizenship
In response to enquiries from The Local, as spokesperson from the ministry of defence confirmed that newly naturalised Germans and German dual-citizens are to be treated in the same way as native born German citizens.
"Under the Military Service Modernisation Act and the New Military Service Act, we do not distinguish between individuals based on whether they hold other nationalities in addition to German citizenship. The decisive factor for the mandatory elements is that the person’s domicile and primary residence are in Germany," she said.
The spokesperson added that the ministry of defence assumes that an increasing number of German citizens subject to military service will also hold other nationalities in the future.
But for as long as military service is voluntary, no one will be required to seek permission to leave the country, regardless of how long they plan to be away.
Could this change in the future?
The defence minister did make clear that he intended to retain the controversial provision "as a precaution" for potential crisis scenarios in the future.
If Germany were to face a “state of tension” in which compulsory service was reintroduced, the authorities would need to know who was available and who was abroad for extended periods, he said.
Under those circumstances, the clause would be activated and German men of military age would then be required to seek permission before leaving the country for more than three months.Â
With reporting by DPA.
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