Johannes Fechner, the parliamentary managing director of the SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag, stated that there is currently no requirement to obtain permits for young men planning extended time abroad. According to Fechner, the debate surrounding the issue is a “strange discussion” adding, “Because there is no conscription requirement, there is no obligation for men between the ages of 17 and 45 to get permits for longer international stays”.
Fechner pointed out that the relevant rule, found in Paragraph 3 of the Conscription Act, is over 60 years old and has not been amended by the 2025 Modernization of Conscription Act. He explained, “This stipulation explicitly relates only to the situation of an existing conscription requirement, which, to reiterate, has not been introduced. Throughout the entirety of Paragraph 3 of the Conscription Act, it is perfectly clear that the provisions there could only apply if there were a mandatory military service. It would be good, however, that the Ministry of Defence issues an administrative regulation soon-even though the provision is clear-confirming that no obligation for permits for long overseas trips exists because there is no conscription in place”.
Carmen Wegge, the SPD parliamentary group’s policy spokesperson for legal affairs, called for a permit requirement to be “incomprehensible”. Speaking to the “Welt” she said, “I think it is positive that the Ministry of Defence has announced its intention to draft the regulation so that the permit is considered granted as long as there is no conscription in this country. Anything else would also be incomprehensible to the population in my view”.
Christoph Schmid, the SPD parliamentary group’s deputy spokesperson for defense policy, also clarified that the clause has “no relevance for implementation”. Schmid told the “Welt” and other media outlets, “It has always been important for the SPD Bundestag parliamentary group that the basis of the Modernization of Conscription Act is voluntary service. Therefore, this clause, which dates back to the Cold War era, has no relevance for implementation for us either. We therefore welcome the announcement from the Federal Ministry of Defence that it will issue the corresponding administrative regulations very soon to avoid any uncertainty”.