Military registration will be simplified for Ukrainians abroad: the Ministry of Defense is preparing changes that refugees are waiting for
The issue of military registration and registration of documents for Ukrainians who ended up abroad due to the war has long become one of the most painful. Without it, men cannot extend their legal stay abroad, obtain or exchange a Ukrainian passport or other documents. That is why the latest statement by the government representatives has become a landmark — changes are finally being developed, aimed at simplifying the military registration procedure for citizens abroad and adapting it to wartime conditions.
As reported Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, after the interdepartmental meeting, the Ministry of Defense is already preparing the relevant draft resolution. According to this document, within a week, changes will be made to the order of military registration for men who are outside Ukraine. Most importantly, the new rules will allow men aged 18 to 60 to register for military service remotely, without a personal visit to a territorial recruitment center (TCC) and without passing a military medical commission (MMC).
The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that this opportunity is currently available only to a limited category of men aged 18 to 25. But the new changes will extend the simplified accounting mechanism to all conscription age groups. This will allow solving a long-standing problem — difficulties with the registration of citizens abroad, who remained outside the control of the state due to the inability to physically appear at the military commissariat.
Iryna Vereshchuk emphasized that the new norms should take into account modern realities and correspond to the situation in which millions of Ukrainian men found themselves outside the country. According to her, the decision was the result of long-term work of the government and consultations between departments.
This is far from the only change being prepared for Ukrainians abroad. Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov said that the government also plans to simplify the procedure for obtaining documents, including passports, for men who are abroad. It is about removing the mandatory requirement to provide military registration documents when issuing a passport. Currently, it is this requirement that creates serious difficulties for many Ukrainians, because without these documents they cannot issue or renew a Ukrainian passport, which automatically blocks their legal stay abroad and access to many services.
According to the official, the government has already taken the first steps — in particular, the issuance of previously issued passports, which remained unissued precisely because of problems with military registration, was unblocked. But in the near future, new rules are expected to be adopted, which will allow Ukrainians to issue documents without unnecessary obstacles and taking into account the difficult conditions in which they found themselves due to the war.
These innovations will enable Ukrainians abroad to remove one of the biggest burdens, which causes them anxiety and uncertainty. After all, we are talking not only about formal accounting, but also about access to basic rights and the ability to plan your life, at least for the near future.
Separately, it is worth mentioning another important initiative, which is currently being considered in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The deputies proposed to allow Ukrainian students who have not reached the age of 25 to go abroad to study and receive an official deferment from mobilization. This proposal is also aimed at protecting the rights of young people who wish to continue their education in foreign universities, but are in limbo due to the current legislation.
All these steps are the result of the authorities realizing the real needs of millions of citizens who were left with no choice and had to go abroad. Now the government faces the task not only of adapting the military accounting system to the new reality, but also of restoring trust in the state, which must take care of its people, wherever they are.
In the near future, the Ministry of Defense should present a ready draft resolution. Ukrainians abroad are waiting for these changes as an opportunity to finally legitimize their position, without fear of becoming “hostages” of bureaucratic procedures, which in peacetime were already difficult, but in wartime became practically impassable.
