As of January, all men and women turning 18 in Germany are set to receive a letter from the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) inviting them to complete a digital questionnaire.
The initiative, which aims to assess the suitability and motivation of young people for military service, marks a significant change in how Germany engages with its future recruits.
At this time, choosing whether or not to serve remains voluntary, but completing the questionnaire is mandatory for all 18-year-old German males.
Who should expect to receive letters from the Bundeswehr?
Every German citizen who turns 18 and is registered as a resident in the country should receive a letter.
This year, the armed forces estimate they will send questionnaires to around 650,000 young people, or approximately 54,000 people per month.
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Only men are obliged to respond. The obligation to fill out the questionnaire is based on the individual’s legal gender, as entered in the civil registry. So a person who had changed their registered gender to male would be required to fill out the questionnaire, whereas people of other registered genders can fill out the questionnaire if they so chose.
Importantly, dual citizens are also included. The decisive factor is German citizenship, regardless of any additional nationality.
However, German citizens living permanently abroad shouldn’t expect to receive a letter, as the lists are based on Germany’s domestic resident registration system (Anmeldung).
What’s in the letter?
The letter contains a QR code linking to the online questionnaire, a brochure and legal information.
To access the questionnaire, recipients must use the QR code, then enter a 16-character code (also provided in the letter) and their date of birth.
The process is designed to be as straightforward as possible, with all necessary instructions included.
How long do I have to complete the questionnaire?
Recipients have one month to complete the questionnaire, according to the Bundeswehr’s official guidance.
For men with German citizenship, this is a legal obligation. If the first letter is ignored, a second request will be sent by registered post.
If the recipient still fails to complete the questionnaire, or provides false information, a spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of Defence told the EPD news agency that fines of up to €1,000 could be issued.
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What’s being asked?
The questionnaire takes about 15 minutes to complete and is divided into several sections covering personal details, qualifications, health and fitness, and motivation. Recipients can also expect questions about how long the would like to serve in the army, if at all, and in which capacity.
Most questions are straightforward and based on self-evaluation and there’s no need to gather supporting documents. For informational purposes, the full questionnaire is available here.
What will be done with the information?
The information is being collected to assess the suitability and motivation of individuals for military service.
Under current plans, individuals who show interest in serving in the army may be invited to a career counselling session or a medical examination, depending on their preferred level of commitment.
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These medical examinations are set to be mandatory, according to the ministry spokesperson. If an individual misses an appointment without a valid excuse, the police could reportedly be given the task of bringing them in.
For now, actually serving in the German army remains voluntary, but Germany's recently reformed military service law does include provisions for switching to a mandatory system in the future if the new system fails to bring in enough volunteers.
Even if that happens, conscientious objection is likely to remain a protected right under German law.
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