Germany stops issuing documents to Ukrainian men: what you need to know
1 August 2024 18:09
In the federal state of Hesse (Germany), Ukrainians of military age will not be issued a document for travelling abroad. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" reports with reference to the newspaper Der Tagesspiegel newspaper.
“The immigration authorities of Hesse do not issue German travel documents to Ukrainian men of military age, which replace foreign passports. It is advisable for them to go to Ukraine to obtain a passport and perform military service,” the Hessian Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs said.
If Ukrainians with expired passports return home, they are subject to the current martial law and are not allowed to leave the country again. According to a response to an inquiry, the state government assumes that there are almost 20,000 Ukrainian men in Hesse between the ages of 18 and 60 who are eligible for military service.
The state government aims to integrate the Ukrainian refugees living in the state into the labour market as best as possible. However, the relevant ministry says that “it is in Ukraine’s clear interest to recruit people to participate in the defence campaign against Russia and thus encourage them to return to their homeland”.
It is worth noting that Ukrainians have the right to reside in Germany until 4 March 2025 in accordance with the EU’s Mass Migrant Inflows Directive. According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the Council of Ministers is in favour of extending the protection period by one year, the Hessian Ministry of Labour reported.
