Compulsory Military Service by Country

Dual citizens: Cypriot dual nationals living abroad face deferment but not full exemption. Returning to Cyprus to live triggers obligation.

New immigrants: Foreign men naturalising as Cypriot citizens after age 26 are exempt. Naturalising before age 26 triggers full or reduced service obligation.

Greek Cypriots only — Turkish Cypriots are not subject. Cyprus CBI / Investment Citizenship route was historically attractive partly because applicants over age 26 were not subject to NG service.

Dual citizens: Estonian dual nationals may be subject if they reside in Estonia. Outside-residents typically not called up.

New immigrants: Naturalised Estonian men over age 27 are exempt.

Estonia maintains active conscription as a Russia-bordering NATO member. NATO-membership commitments and Russia's 2022 invasion have increased training intensity and reservist obligations.

Dual citizens: Finnish citizens including duals living abroad are typically not called up unless they reside in Finland. Returning to Finland in age range may trigger obligation.

New immigrants: Naturalised Finnish men over age 30 are exempt. Naturalised men aged 18-29 are subject to the full conscription regime. Conscientious objectors may opt for Civilian Service at 347 days.

Finland is one of the few EU countries with a genuinely active conscription regime. Annual intake is approximately 22,000 men. Refresher training (kertausharjoitukset) continues until age 50 (60 for officers). Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine has driven significant volunteer increase.

https://intti.fi/en

Dual citizens: Greek dual nationals living abroad face conscription if they enter Greece for more than 6 months in any 12-month period. The Permanent Resident Abroad (Mόνιμος Κάτοικος Εξωτερικού) status reduces but does not eliminate exposure.

New immigrants: Naturalised Greek men over age 35 are typically exempt. Permanent Resident Abroad status (proof of 11+ years abroad) reduces service to 3 months and provides longer entry-to-Greece allowance before triggering full obligation.

The Permanent Resident Abroad status is critical for Greek-Americans / Greek-Australians considering temporary Greece relocations. Greek-descent claimants under 35 should consult a Greek consulate before naturalising; the 7-year naturalisation track may not have factored in conscription consequences.

https://www.mod.mil.gr/

Dual citizens: Yes — Israeli citizens including dual nationals are subject to conscription regardless of where they live, with limited exceptions for those educated abroad until enrolment ages.

New immigrants: Aliyah immigrants (Olim) over age 22 face reduced service: 4 months (women) or 4 months (men 22-26) with progressive reduction by age. Olim arriving over age 28 (men) or 26 (women) typically receive full exemption. Education-track exemptions apply to yeshiva students under specific conditions.

IDF service is among the most globally well-defined and consequential conscription regimes. Aliyah candidates with diaspora-resident children who turn 17-18 should plan carefully — minor children entering Israel before age 18 are subject to standard conscription rules. Sephardic / non-Israeli-citizen converts to Judaism via Aliyah do not face automatic conscription until citizenship is granted.

https://www.idf.il/en/

Dual citizens: Singaporean men with dual citizenship cannot avoid NS by exiting Singapore — dual-citizen children must serve unless they renounce Singapore citizenship before age 11 (and before any deferment is sought after age 11).

New immigrants: Permanent Residents (PR) men aged 16.5-21 are typically required to serve NS unless they enter PR after age 21. Foreign men naturalising after NS-eligibility age are exempt. PR status acquired during childhood typically commits the child to NS.

Singapore NS is one of the most strictly enforced conscription regimes. Bonded arrangements bind families — children granted PR status as minors cannot easily reverse the PR status to avoid NS. Reservist (NS-Men) obligations continue annually until age 40 (50 for officers) with up to 40 days/year of training.

https://www.cmpb.gov.sg/

Dual citizens: Korean dual nationals (men) face conscription unless they renounce Korean nationality before age 18 (specifically, by 31 March of the year they turn 18). After that age, they cannot renounce until completing service.

New immigrants: Foreign men acquiring Korean nationality after age 18 are typically exempt. Naturalised Korean men under 25 may be subject to service. Foreign-born ethnic Koreans (F-4 visa holders, hyundoongpo) are not subject if they have not held Korean citizenship.

South Korea's dual-nationality renunciation deadline is the most well-known conscription compliance trap globally. Korean-American boys with both citizenships face the choice annually for several years before age 18. Service evasion has serious legal consequences including travel bans and asset penalties. K-pop and football-star deferment scandals have driven recent enforcement tightening.

https://www.mma.go.kr/eng/

Dual citizens: Swiss men with dual citizenship are subject to Swiss service unless they have served in another country's military and that country has a treaty with Switzerland recognising the equivalence (US, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Canada).

New immigrants: Foreign men naturalising as Swiss citizens after age 25 are typically subject to reduced or alternative service obligations. Swiss-born children of foreign parents naturalising are subject to the same rules as native Swiss men. Conscientious objectors may opt for Civil Service (Zivildienst) at 1.5x duration.

Swiss service is unique in being spread across multiple years (Recruit School + 6-7 annual refresher courses). Men ineligible for service pay an additional 3% income tax (Wehrpflichtersatzabgabe / military exemption tax) until age 30 if they have not served. Long-term Swiss residents acquiring citizenship at older ages typically pay this tax in lieu of service.

https://www.vbs.admin.ch/en.html

Dual citizens: Thai citizens including duals are subject to the annual lottery. Thai men with dual citizenship who never reside in Thailand may avoid service in practice but legally remain liable until age 30.

New immigrants: Foreign men naturalising as Thai citizens after age 30 are exempt. Naturalised men aged 21-29 face the lottery.

The annual Sri Sa Ket lottery on 1 April is a national event — names of all 21-year-old Thai men are drawn from a pool with the unlucky third randomly selected for full 24-month service. Service deferral is possible for university students.

Dual citizens: Turkish dual nationals are subject to conscription. The Bedelli Askerlik (paid exemption) regime allows men over 21 living abroad for 3+ consecutive years to pay TRY 75,000+ and complete a 1-month basic-training course in lieu of full service.

New immigrants: Foreign men naturalising as Turkish citizens after age 22 are typically exempt. The Bedelli Askerlik route is widely used by Turkish-diaspora dual nationals (Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, US).

The Bedelli Askerlik fee is the most-used dual-citizen exit valve globally — millions of Turkish-Germans and Turkish-Dutch use this annually. Fee adjusted periodically; 2025 figure approximately TRY 75,000 (~$2,300).

https://www.msb.gov.tr/

Dual citizens: Norwegian citizens including duals are formally subject to Vernepliktig service, but selection is competitive — only 9,000 of 60,000+ eligible per year are called up. Residence abroad reduces likelihood of selection.

New immigrants: Naturalised Norwegians not commonly conscripted in practice given selective system. Formal rules apply but the small annual intake means service is volunteer-like in practice.

Norway formally has gender-neutral conscription (since 2015) but selection is so competitive that fewer than 15% of conscription-eligible citizens actually serve. Effectively a selective-service regime with mandatory registration but rare actual conscription for most.

https://forsvaret.no/

Dual citizens: Swedish citizens including duals are subject to the lottery. Sweden re-introduced selective gender-neutral conscription in 2018 after a 7-year suspension.

New immigrants: Naturalised citizens under age 30 may be selected; over age 30 typically exempt in practice.

Sweden re-introduced conscription in 2018 in response to Russian assertiveness. Annual intake is small (~6,000-8,000) selected from ~100,000 eligible — the system functions effectively as a selective service.

Dual citizens: US dual nationals (men) must register for Selective Service at age 18-25. Failure to register is a federal misdemeanour with implications for naturalisation, federal jobs, and federal financial aid.

New immigrants: All male US citizens including naturalised men aged 18-25 must register. Permanent residents (green-card holders) aged 18-25 must also register.

Although the US has had no active draft since 1973, Selective Service registration remains mandatory and is a hidden compliance trap for naturalised US citizens, immigrants, and Americans returning from abroad. Registration is via SSS-1 form online. Failure to register has bitten naturalised Americans seeking federal employment, FAFSA aid, and certain government clearances.

https://www.sss.gov/

France suspended military conscription in 2001. The 1-day Journée Défense et Citoyenneté (JDC) youth-citizenship day remains a formal requirement for French citizens at age 16-25. The Service National Universel (SNU) introduced under Macron is a 2-week voluntary civic programme — not compulsory military service.

Germany suspended Wehrpflicht (compulsory military service) in 2011. The Federal Constitutional Court has ruled the law remains formally on the books but inactive. Some political proposals to reactivate post-2022 invasion of Ukraine have not advanced.

Italy suspended military conscription in 2005. Italian Armed Forces are entirely volunteer.

Netherlands suspended conscription in 1997. Limited mandatory civic-service proposals (Diensttijd) under recent governments have not advanced.

Spain abolished compulsory military service in 2001 (formally suspended) and the Spanish Armed Forces are now entirely volunteer.

UK National Service abolished 1960. UK Armed Forces are entirely volunteer. No reserve registration requirement.