Martial law in Ukraine provides for restrictions on the departure of conscripted men of conscription age. Find out more about who still has the right to leave the country and the main changes for men leaving in 2023

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During the martial law in Ukraine, men aged 18 to 60 may be mobilized and have no right to leave Ukraine. However, there are exceptions under which such persons may leave the territory of Ukraine. We tell you how and who can cross the state border in 2023.

Earlier, we talked about all possible legal options for men to travel abroad during martial law.

How can a man legally leave Ukraine during the war?

It should be noted that men over 60 years old and young men under the age of 18 can travel abroad absolutely legally. Men who permanently reside in the territory of another state and have relevant documents confirming this have the right to travel abroad. Those men whose close relatives died or went missing during the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) may also go abroad.

In addition, some categories of men of draft age can also legally leave Ukraine during martial law.

According to the state of health: persons with disabilities and those who received a postponement from mobilization or were removed from the military registration by the decision of the VLK and have relevant documents proving this. And also those men who were wounded in the war and are going for treatment and have the appropriate documents.

According to the presence of minor children: parents can leave

- have 3 or more minor children;

- independently raise a child up to 18 years old;

- guardians/adopters of minor orphans;

- educate children under the age of 18 with disabilities;

- have adult children with disabilities of group I or II;

According to other family circumstances: a man who provides constant care for a relative or if one of the parents or the spouse is a person with a disability of the I or II group can also go abroad. Documents confirming family ties, disability, and the fact of care are required for departure.

For work: they can go abroad for the purpose of fulfilling work duties

- ship crew members, if they are going to work on sea vessels, inland navigation vessels;

- employees of railway transport;

- aviation personnel going on a business trip or training;

- scientific and scientific-pedagogical workers in the presence of military registration documents with a record of postponement of conscription and documents confirming the purpose of departure;

- drivers of vehicles carrying out international transportation of goods and passengers;

- volunteer drivers who transport goods for the Armed Forces, medical goods or humanitarian aid;

- cultural figures for charitable fund-raising and representation of the country on the international arena;

- athletes and coaches to participate in official competitions and training sessions;

- politicians and deputies who have the appropriate permission based on the reasons for the trip.

Procedure for maintaining military records, 2023. How will the new reservation rules work?

On December 30, 2022, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted a new procedure for keeping military records. Its purpose is to digitize the process and collect complete information about the existing military reserves in the country. At the same time, the Government emphasizes that the new accounting is not related to the need to mobilize more conscripts.

According to the changes, from now on, conscripts can be accepted for work or training after confirming that they are on the military register.

State companies and private enterprises must keep records of conscripted workers and submit information to recruiting centers. Accordingly, employment centers and consulates - about the unemployed and those who have been abroad for more than three months.

Who must register for the military?

It is emphasized that conscripts must register for military service from the age of 16 (in the year they turn 17) to the age of 27.

In particular, records will be kept in a fully electronic format in the Unified State Register of conscripts, conscripts and reservists. Conscripts will be able to transfer data to the registry through the "Action" application. An electronic military ID should appear in the application.

In addition, the following changes will take effect soon:

• The employer must keep records of conscripts. The HR specialist has to keep records, for additional duties he should be charged up to 50% of the official salary. Data on employees must be transferred to the procurement centers once a year by January 25.

Enterprises will impose a fine in the amount of UAH 3,400 to UAH 5,100 for record-keeping violations. And per employee - from UAH 1,700 to UAH 3,400.

Also, the employer can issue subpoenas to employees, if such an order comes from the picking centers.

• Ukrainians who live abroad and are on the consular register can also be included in the military registration. This does not apply to persons who have left for less than three months.

Diplomatic institutions must inform such citizens about the start of the next conscription and facilitate their return to Ukraine.

• Registration of women with medical or pharmaceutical education is simplified. They may not be registered and employed as non-military conscripts until the end of 2026. After the end of this term, you will have to register. At the same time, women who will enter medical institutions are subject to military registration. Higher education institutions must submit information about them to recruitment centers two months before the end of their studies.

Would you like to receive answers on the legal aspects of the current rules for traveling abroad? Order the "Personal lawyer" service from Visit Ukraine partners using the link. The contract is valid for a period of 30 days.

We will remind you! Earlier we talked about how to leave during the war, what documents and things are needed. Read more about this in our article at the link.