If you live in Germany on a residence permit under Section 24, you do not need to do anything right now: temporary protection for people from Ukraine has been extended to 4 March 2028 (Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1912). The new condition applies only to men arriving from now on. Status: 9 October 2026.
What changes for those already here?
Nothing. EU ambassadors agreed on 15 July, the Council adopted the decision on 30 July, it was published on 4 August and took effect the next day, according to Ukranews. People who already hold protection in an EU country are explicitly exempt from the new rules; according to Eurostat that is about 4.38 million people across the EU.
EU law and German practice are two different things. Your German residence permit is currently extended by ordinance to 4 March 2027 (Federal Government), automatically, with no application and no appointment at the immigration office. The ordinance was published in the Federal Law Gazette on 27 October 2025 (asyl.net). We have not yet found an ordinance covering the period to March 2028. Judging by previous years, it is likely to follow in the coming weeks or months – that is our assessment, not a commitment from the Interior Ministry. Until then: no application is needed, and an appointment makes sense only if you have a concrete reason.
What about men who arrive now?
Men subject to Ukrainian military service – aged 23 to 60, according to the Baden-Württemberg Refugee Council – will receive temporary protection only if they can show that they left Ukraine legally and are either meeting their military obligations or are exempt. Accepted proof includes an exit stamp in the passport or a verifiable official document, for example via the Reserv+ app. The burden of proof lies with the applicant.
The Federal Interior Ministry is implementing this through the ninth amendment to the Ukraine Residence Transitional Ordinance (Bundesrat document 431/26, 12 August). It allows visa-free entry until 4 December 2027 for 90 days; anyone staying longer must apply under Section 24. The ministry expects around 24,000 affected men a year. Those who cannot provide proof can apply for asylum, where each case is examined individually; it does not lead to automatic deportation. Human-rights groups say the rule may amount to indirect discrimination by sex and age.
Is there a plan B for 2028?
An extra year of protection is also an extra year to secure a longer-term status. About 398,000 people from Ukraine were in work in Germany in summer 2026, roughly 344,000 of them in jobs covered by social insurance (Handwerksblatt). Those in work can aim for a skilled-worker permit through recognition of their qualification (Sections 18a, 18b) or the so-called experience pathway. That route requires two years of state-recognised training or study, two years of relevant work in the past five, and an employer bound by a collective agreement or paying at least 45 per cent of the pension contribution ceiling (currently €45,630 a year). Stefan Gustav of the Koblenz Chamber of Crafts calls the extension “good news” and warns: “Because when temporary protection ends, you would have to think about another residence permit” (our translation).
Our assessment: anyone planning to stay should start recognition procedures and language certificates now, because waiting times are long and the cushion until March 2028 is not large. The next EU decision on protection beyond 2028 is likely to be taken in summer 2027.
Sources: Bundesrat document 431/26, Federal Government, asyl.net, Baden-Württemberg Refugee Council, Handwerksblatt, Ukranews
