A law requiring that fighting-age men and boys register with the authorities before taking long trips abroad caused uproar over the weekend.

Recruits attend a tank destruction exercise in the field at the Westfalen-Kaserne barracks of the German armed forces in Ahlen, western Germany, during a media day about the basic training for Bundeswehr recuits, on November 13, 2025. | Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images

BERLIN — Germany is scrambling to clarify a controversial rule requiring that men aged 17 to 45 seek permission before leaving the country for more than three months, after the measure triggered a political backlash over the weekend.

The German Defense Ministry, which wrote the legislation late last year, told POLITICO it is now considering exemptions to the requirement, as officials seek to limit its practical impact even as the law remains in force.

“The Defense Ministry is currently developing detailed provisions to allow for exemptions from the approval requirement, also with a view to avoiding unnecessary bureaucracy,” a ministry spokesperson told POLITICO.

The provision, which took effect in January within a broader military service reform, extends an existing rule into peacetime and in theory affects millions of men across Germany. Under the law, boys and men aged 17-45 must seek prior approval from military authorities for stays abroad longer than three months.

The provision sparked outrage amongst the Bundestag's opposition politicians.

“Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, the ministry, the Social Democrats and Christian Democrats now look embarrassed and exposed,” Green parliamentary leader Britta Haßelmann told the German Press Agency, calling for a swift correction to the rule.

Officials insist the measure is not about restricting travel, but about improving the state’s ability to track potential recruits in a crisis. “In the event of an emergency, we must know who may be residing abroad for an extended period,” the spokesperson told POLITICO.

The ministry is still working to define some key aspects of how the system will work. For now, Berlin wants to reassure the public that the requirement will have little practical impact. Because military service remains voluntary, approvals are expected to be granted in all cases, and officials say they will clarify that permission to travel can effectively be assumed.

But the mismatch between a law that formally expands the state’s reach and a government that is trying to neutralize its immediate effects has fueled political criticism.

“I expect a swift clarification from the ministry,” Green defense policy spokesperson Sara Nanni told German broadsheet Welt over the weekend. “Citizens have a right to know ... what reporting obligations they have.”

The provision isn't new and dates back to Germany’s 1956 Cold War-era conscription framework. In practice it has been largely dormant since conscription was suspended in 2011. But the recent military service reform extended the applicability of the rule to peacetime, reviving the forgotten clause and sparking concern about its implications for the freedom of movement of young men.

The country's conservatives, part of Merz’s governing coalition, have defended the broader intent of the reform while playing down its impact.

“It is not as dramatic as it is sometimes portrayed,” said Thomas Erndl, defense spokesperson for the Christian Democrats. The rule is part of rebuilding Germany’s military registration system and preparing for a potential return to conscription, he told POLITICO, adding that in practice it could amount to little more than a notification requirement.

“A functioning system of military registration is a central component of our security preparedness,” Erndl said. “If we as a society want to stand up for our security, we must create the organizational foundations for that.”

The controversy also reflects a broader European sensitivity around linking mobility to military obligations, including in Ukraine.

Merz has already raised the issue with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, warning him that Kyiv must ensure “that young people do not leave for Germany, Poland or France” and stressing that they are “needed” at home for military service.