Between January and the end of September this year, the Federal Office for Family and Civil Society received 14,977 applications for military service refusal. According to reports from the Funke Media Group, citing an office spokesperson, this number represents a significant increase. The current figure is nearly four times higher than the total of 3,879 applications registered in the entirety of 2025.
Further illustrating the trend, the office had reported 5,862 applications received through the first half of 2026.
The spokesperson explained that applications for military service refusal should officially be submitted to the Federal Office for Military Personnel Management of the Bundeswehr, which then forwards the documents to the Federal Office for Family and Civil Society. This sharp rise in applications is reportedly connected to the implementation of the new Military Service Law at the beginning of the year. This new law includes measures such as the mandatory distribution of questionnaires by the Bundeswehr to all individuals who turn eighteen.
