From July 31, 2024, Germany has introduced stricter conditions for obtaining temporary protection for men of military age to comply with the new requirements of Directive 2001/55/EC . At the same time, for those already in the country, the status will be extended automatically.
Germany will no longer provide automatic temporary protection to newly arrived Ukrainian men aged 23 to 60 if they do not have legal grounds for exemption from military service in Ukraine, the German Interior Ministry said in response to a request from DW .
Key changes: who the restrictions apply to
The new rules came into effect on July 31, 2026. According to the EU Council decision, temporary protection for men of military age is now granted only as an exception.
To obtain the right to reside in Germany, newly arrived men must provide evidence that they:
- Left the territory of Ukraine legally (certificate of crossing the border issued by the State Border Service of Ukraine or stamp in the passport about leaving through the checkpoint).
- Have an official exemption from military service (extract from the Reserve+ application downloaded and translated into German).
What awaits those who are already in Germany?
For Ukrainians who arrived in Germany before July 31, 2026 and already have temporary protection under paragraph 24, the rules remain unchanged. Their status, like that of other Ukrainian refugees, will be automatically extended until March 2028 .
We also previously wrote that it will not be a problem to change the place of temporary protection to another country for those men who obtained it before the new changes regarding proof of legal departure came into force.
Is deportation possible?
The German Interior Ministry does not rule out the possibility of deportation for certain categories of citizens. In particular, this applies to Ukrainians who:
- They are in the country illegally .
- When applying for temporary protection, they were unable to prove the legality of their departure from Ukraine or the existence of grounds for exemption from service .
- There are valid general legal grounds (decisions of the migration service or court) for the expulsion of foreigners.
Alternative: refugee status through asylum
Men who do not qualify for temporary protection have the right to submit an individual asylum application. Each such application will be examined separately by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees ( BAMF ).
However, the department warns: performing military service in Ukraine is not in itself sufficient grounds for receiving protection under asylum legislation.
Previously, we also wrote about CCC recruiters at the Embassy and Consulate abroad may start checking men for military registration and legality of departure , as well as about the New procedure for checking the validity of military registration documents by a consular institution abroad – Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 981 dated 07/29/2026
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