Traveling abroad during wartime: the President proposes raising the age limit to 22

Ukraine is once again discussing the possibility of easing rules on traveling abroad for men during martial law. The discussion was sparked by a statement from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who proposed raising the age threshold for freely crossing the border from 18 to 22.

The head of state announced this initiative during the youth forum “Youth Here!” According to him, the current restriction forces many Ukrainian families to send their sons abroad before they reach adulthood in order to avoid the ban after the age of 18. The president is convinced that raising the age limit will help young Ukrainians maintain ties with their country and continue their education.

However, Galina Yanchenko, a member of parliament from the Servant of the People party, went even further. She believes that the ban on leaving the country should be completely lifted for everyone who has grounds for deferral from mobilization, has passed a military medical commission in the last three years, or has been discharged from military service.

“In my opinion, the ban can be lifted completely. For example, for everyone who has grounds for deferment, or people who have undergone a military medical examination and updated their data in the last three years, military personnel who have been discharged, etc.,” the MP said.

The issue of travel does not only concern men. The ban also applies to certain categories of women who are not subject to military service, such as civil servants, judges, and heads of structural units of government bodies. In early August, the Council of Judges of Ukraine appealed to Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko with a request to allow such women to freely cross the border at least during their annual leave. The document emphasized that separation from families and the inability to care for sick relatives even leads to resignations in the judicial system.

The current travel rules were approved by Presidential Decree No. 27/2023 of January 23, 2023, in accordance with a decision by the National Security and Defense Council. The restrictions apply to men aged 18–60, but there are exceptions for people with disabilities, parents with many children, volunteers, and certain professional categories.

The debate over the changes continues. In July, Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk reported that the Rada had already considered extending the travel permit to men under the age of 24. And now there are several scenarios on the table: from raising the age limit to 22 to completely lifting the ban for anyone with an official deferment.

Whether the idea will get the green light will become clear in the near future. But one thing is already clear: the issue of Ukrainians traveling abroad during the war remains one of the hottest topics.