Overview
- The Defence Ministry confirmed the requirement and said approvals will be granted as a rule, with exemptions and an approval process still being drafted and no implementing directives in force.
- Men aged 17 to 45 must seek authorization from a Bundeswehr career center for any stay abroad longer than three months.
- Media reports note no defined penalties for noncompliance, and officials have not explained how checks or enforcement would work.
- Frankfurter Rundschau’s disclosure prompted criticism from politicians and citizens, with some comparing the measure to East German travel controls.
- The measure revives a Cold War clause within a law that, on January 1, reintroduced mostly voluntary service that screens 18-year-old men and sets a minimum six-month term.