Image source: Berliner Zeitung

New Obligation: Men (17–45) Need Bundeswehr Approval for Overseas Stays

Since 1 January 2026, men between 17 and 45 years old must obtain approval from the Bundeswehr if they want to leave Germany for more than three months. The regulation is part of the Wehrdienst modernization; consequences and exemptions remain unclear.

Since 1 January 2026 men between 17 and 45 must obtain approval from the Karrierecenter der Bundeswehr before an overseas stay of more than three months, because §2/§3 des Wehrpflichtgesetzes (WPflG) have been newly worded.

The change is part of the Wehrdienst-Modernisierungsgesetz and expands the approval requirement, previously limited to the Spannungsfall and Verteidigungsfall, into the normal state.

The Ministry of Defence justifies the measure with the aim of achieving a reliable Wehrerfassung, in order to know who is staying abroad long-term in case of an emergency.

The regulation is in tension with the Grundgesetz (Wehrpflichtregelung), affects the targeted Musterung and the mandatory questionnaires for cohorts from 2008 onwards as part of the troop increase.

What position do you feel closer to?

Security-oriented government

The approval requirement is, in the current security situation, a necessary, proportionate measure to secure defence capability and alliance credibility.

Civil liberties and freedom critics

This approval obligation is a massive intrusion into freedom of movement and stigmatizes young men collectively as a potential “resource” of the state.

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