Germany's Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has moved swiftly to quash fears that men of military age could face travel restrictions under the country's new military service law, promising an immediate administrative exemption to a rule that sparked widespread public concern.
A provision in Germany's reformed military service law, which came into force on January 1, 2026, had triggered significant alarm after it emerged that men between the ages of 17 and 45 would technically be required to obtain Bundeswehr approval for any foreign stay exceeding three months.
The rule had gone largely unnoticed until the Easter weekend, when several media outlets reported on its existence, prompting a swift backlash from opposition parties and civil society groups.
Pistorius was unambiguous in his response. "Currently, nothing changes for men: whether 17 or 45 years old or anywhere in between, everyone is of course free to travel and does not currently need permission to do so," the SPD politician told the German news agency dpa.
He added that longer stays abroad would not need to be reported either, and that an administrative exemption from the reporting requirement would be issued within the week.
The minister framed the move as a matter of cutting red tape: the approval, his ministry noted, would have been granted automatically anyway. Requiring men to formally apply for something that would be rubber-stamped was simply unnecessary bureaucracy.
The ministry stressed that the approval requirement was designed for a very specific and currently hypothetical scenario, a so-called Spannungsfall, or state of heightened military tension, in which compulsory military service would be reactivated.
Germany suspended conscription in 2011, and the new law does not reinstate it. As long as military service remains voluntary, the travel approval rule carries no legal weight.
"We do not currently find ourselves in a situation where we would need to call on someone who is unavailable," Pistorius said, also noting that he had successfully pushed back within the coalition against calls from the conservative CDU/CSU bloc to reintroduce the draft. Only reservists are asked to report changes of address.
Despite the clarifications, the episode drew sharp criticism from multiple directions. The Greens demanded an official statement from the ministry. The Left party used it as evidence of the law's poor draftsmanship. BSW founder Wagenknecht denounced the requirement as undemocratic, demanding Minister Pistorius step down.
The German Peace Society went further, characterizing the provision as a sign of creeping militarization of society and a stepping stone toward conscription.
The reformed military service law does introduce some new measures: 18-year-old men will be required to fill out self-assessment questionnaires about their willingness to serve voluntarily, and will undergo fitness assessments. Women will receive the questionnaire but are not obligated to respond. The law also expands incentives for voluntary service.
However, the Bundeswehr's ambition to grow from its current strength of roughly 180,000 to 260,000 personnel by 2035 is widely expected to fall short under the voluntary model alone, leaving the door open to a potential return of mandatory conscription further down the line. For now, though, German men can pack their bags without asking anyone's permission.
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