EU to require mobilization‑exemption proof for Ukrainian asylum seekers

The European Commission is finalising an amendment to the EU temporary‑protection directive that will obligate Ukrainian nationals applying for temporary protection from March 2027 onward to present a certificate from Ukrainian authorities confirming they are exempt from military mobilisation. The requirement covers both men and women aged 23‑60 and applies only to new applications; existing beneficiaries will keep their rights.

The change, prompted by a request from Kyiv to tighten the system, aims to prevent draft‑evading migration. Poland’s interior minister Maciej Duszczyk has said Poland backs the measure. The EU’s temporary‑protection scheme currently shelters about 4.3 million Ukrainians, with the largest numbers in Germany (≈1.2 million) and Poland (≈960 thousand). The amendment is part of a broader discussion that could extend the protection period to March 2028.