“Reserve+” can be demanded even from women: what has changed for Ukrainians in the EU

New rules for granting temporary protection to Ukrainians have come into effect in European Union countries. In some countries, Ukrainian citizens are already required to confirm compliance with military registration rules, and this requirement applies not only to men, but also to women.

“European Truth” writes about this.

Recently, Ukrainians in Spain, the Czech Republic, Romania, Belgium and other countries have begun reporting denials of temporary protection. The most questions were raised by cases where Ukrainian women were required to provide military registration documents, in particular an electronic certificate in the “Reserve+” application.

Initially, the Center for Countering Disinformation denied information about such demands. Later, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine confirmed that individual cases are indeed being recorded, although they are not yet widespread.

The reason was new EU rules. They stipulate that Ukrainian citizens, regardless of age and gender, may have to prove that they have not violated military registration requirements in order to receive temporary protection.

The new rules were supposed to come into effect on July 31, but in practice, countries began applying them later and in different ways. There is currently no unified mechanism for verifying Ukrainians.

The Foreign Ministry expects that the situation will become clearer in the near future. The European Commission is preparing recommendations for EU states on how to conduct such inspections.

At the same time, the requirement itself will not disappear. EU countries will continue to have the right to request military registration documents, including “Reserve+”, from Ukrainian women. At the same time, the EU can make the verification procedure simpler.

In addition, under certain conditions, new checks may affect Ukrainians who left the country in previous years. At the same time, the rules provide for alternative ways to confirm the right to temporary protection.

The procedure may become more complicated for Ukrainian men, including those who have legally left Ukraine. Some EU countries may introduce stricter checks for them, but this does not mean an automatic denial of temporary protection.

One option for confirming the right to protection could be a certificate of legal crossing of the Ukrainian border. Because of this, the State Border Service of Ukraine may receive significantly more requests for the issuance of such documents.

As a reminder, Ukrainian men aged 23 to 60 who arrived in Germany after July 31, 2026, must confirm the fulfillment of military obligations in Ukraine or legal grounds for exemption from them in order to receive temporary protection. Ukrainians who are in the country illegally may face deportation.