Defence ministry officials say the measure is designed “to ensure a reliable and meaningful military registration system” for potential mobilisation.
Soldiers carry out military exercises on Salisbury Plain (Image: Getty)
German males aged 17 to 45 must now obtain prior approval for any stay abroad longer than three months — a sweeping new peacetime rule that has sparked alarm across Europe.
The requirement, quietly embedded in the Military Service Modernisation Act which took effect on January 1, 2026, is not conscription. It does not force anyone into uniform. Instead, it creates a permanent, reliable registration system so Berlin knows exactly who is available if an emergency arises.
Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz (Image: Getty)
Defence ministry officials say the measure — which applies even in normal times — is designed “to ensure a reliable and meaningful military registration system” for potential mobilisation. Officials note approvals “must generally be granted”, but the change has far-reaching consequences for young men studying, working or travelling overseas. Regulations on exemptions are still being drawn up to limit bureaucracy.
The law forms part of a broader push to expand the Bundeswehr from roughly 180,000 to 260,000 active personnel by 2035. It also introduced voluntary military service: all 18-year-olds now receive a questionnaire asking if they want to join, followed by fitness assessments from July 2027. Women can volunteer but cannot be compelled under the constitution. If volunteer numbers fall short or the security situation deteriorates, compulsory service remains a possibility.
Germany is not alone in tightening its defences. France’s President Emmanuel Macron unveiled a new voluntary national military service plan on November 27, 2025 — a paid, 10-month programme for 18- and 19-year-olds that will begin in mid-2026. Recruits serve only on French soil or overseas territories, never in foreign combat operations.
The scheme starts with 3,000 places and aims to reach 10,000 by 2030 as Paris pours €6.5 billion in extra military spending into countering Russian threats.
French President Emmanuel Macron (Image: Getty)
Across Europe, however, several Nato members already operate full or selective conscription:
- Nordic and Baltic states — Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania all run mandatory or lottery-based service, with several extending durations or including women
- Austria requires six months’ military or civilian service for men aged 18-35 (or up to 50 in reserves)
- Greece maintains 9-12 months for men aged 19-45
- Croatia is set to reintroduce conscription in 2026 for men aged 19-29
Britain, by contrast, has had no conscription since 1960. But its WW2 experience offers the clearest precedent for what a wartime draft would look like.
In May 1939 — six months before war was declared — the Military Training Act introduced limited conscription for single men aged 20-22, who underwent six months’ training. On September 3, 1939, Parliament passed the National Service (Armed Forces) Act, instantly widening it to all men aged 18-41. By 1941 the upper age rose to 51 for men, while unmarried women and childless widows aged 20-30 were also called up. Only the medically unfit or those in vital civilian roles (farming, medicine, engineering, baking) were exempt.
A YouGov poll in January 2026 found 38% of Britons under 40 would refuse to serve in a new world war, and 30% would not fight even if the UK faced imminent invasion — though 72% supported conscripting women alongside men.
As Chancellor Friedrich Merz vows to rebuild the Bundeswehr into Europe’s strongest conventional force, Germany’s new travel rule is the latest sign that Europe is shifting from post-war drawdown to pre-war readiness. For now it stops short of conscription — but the legal machinery is in place. In Britain, the WW2 age bands of 18-41 (rapidly expanding to 51) remain the historical blueprint for what a WW3 draft would almost certainly look like.