From queues outside offices — to an application on your smartphone. Military deferment has gone “digital,” but it certainly hasn’t gotten simpler. We break down who is entitled to a deferment in 2026, what documents to prepare for a deferment, and at which stages mistakes most commonly occur.

Who Is Entitled to a Deferment: A Comprehensive List

Article 23 of the Law of Ukraine “On Mobilization Preparation and Mobilization” contains an exhaustive list of grounds for exemption from conscription. It is not subject to broad interpretation: a TRC commission cannot “make an exception” and grant a deferment on grounds not specified in the law.

Broadly speaking, all those entitled to a deferment fall into four major categories.

On Health Grounds

Persons with disabilities of Groups I, II, and III have an unconditional right to deferment regardless of when and under what circumstances they received it. Those deemed temporarily unfit by the conclusion of a Military Medical Commission (MMC), however, receive a deferment for only 6–12 months, after which they must undergo a repeat medical examination.

On Family Grounds

This is the most “paperwork-intensive” category. The right to deferment is held by parents of three or more minor children, single mothers and fathers, guardians and foster parents of orphans, parents of children with disabilities, as well as those caring for a spouse or parents with Group I or II disabilities. A separate ground applies if the other spouse is already serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

On Educational or Scientific Activity Grounds

Full-time students, postgraduate (aspirantura) students, doctoral candidates, as well as academic and teaching staff employed at an educational institution for at least 0.75 of a full-time position.

Due to Reserved Status or Special Status

Employees of critically important enterprises, heads of state bodies, deputies, judges, as well as former prisoners of war and civilian captives.

Any deviation from the norms established by law nullifies the right to a military deferment. For example, if a man lives in a new marriage with a woman who has three children and raises them as his own, but has not officially adopted them — they are effectively his children, but under the law such a man is not considered a person supporting those children and has no right to a deferment on these grounds. Likewise, a father of three children automatically loses his deferment if he has accumulated child support debt exceeding three months: the state places the interests of the child above the father’s interest in avoiding mobilization.

Documents Required for a Military Deferment

To remove the human factor from TRC decisions, the Cabinet of Ministers approved Annex 5 to Resolution No. 560 — an exhaustive list of documents for each ground. Commissions are prohibited from requiring anything beyond this list.

The basic package for any ground: an application in the form of Annex 4, a passport, a taxpayer identification number (RNOKPP) certificate, and originals or notarially certified copies of documents confirming the specific ground.

Three Ways to Apply: ‘Reserve+’, ASC, ‘Diia’

At the end of 2025, TRCs officially stopped accepting documents directly from citizens: this function was transferred to Administrative Service Centers (ASCs). There are now three channels:

  1. “Reserve+” — for 11 categories (disability, temporary unfitness, parents of many children, single parents, students, postgraduate students, educators, spouses of military personnel, etc.). Login via BankID, automatic verification of data in registries, and upon confirmation — an e-VMD (electronic military document) with a QR code that is legally equivalent to a paper military ID.
  2. ASC — for cases where an online application is not possible: care of elderly parents, deferment based on a court ruling. The ASC only registers and forwards the documents; the decision is made remotely by the TRC commission.
  3. “Diia” — exclusively for reserving employees of critically important enterprises (Resolution No. 76). The employer uploads lists via a qualified electronic signature (QES), the system checks the “Oberii” registry, and a decision is issued within 72 hours.

Auto-Renewal Sometimes Fails

For 22 categories of citizens, deferments are now renewed automatically: the system itself queries related registries (the Pension Fund of Ukraine, EDEBO, DRACS, EICSS) before the current term expires.

At the same time, problems stemming from vulnerabilities in the digital architecture have already been recorded on multiple occasions. A single extra space or a hyphen instead of an apostrophe in a surname in one of the registries is enough for the system to fail to “see” a family connection or disability status. Auto-renewal is nullified in such cases, and the person finds out at the worst possible moment — at a checkpoint or during a document check.

What Changed in 2026

A clear list of grounds on which a deferment may be revoked has been introduced, even if it was previously granted lawfully.

For example, parents of many children lose their status for failure to pay child support or when the eldest child reaches the age of majority. Men with disabilities lose it if they failed to appear for a repeat commission or were deemed fit for service; students lose it if they complete their studies, take an academic leave, or transfer to a correspondence (distance) form of study. Caregivers lose it if the dependent relative no longer requires care.

Having a “ground” for deferment is not enough: it must be officially processed, otherwise the man will continue to be considered a military-eligible conscript. The status is not granted permanently — it is typically issued for 6 or 12 months, after which it must be renewed.

In 2026, the rules for employers changed significantly. Since April, a resolution has been in effect which, according to human rights advocates, simplifies the deferment application procedure, clarifies which categories are not processed through TRC commissions at all, and introduces a new ground — for military-eligible individuals and reservists aged 18–25 following completion of contract service. At the same time, TRC commissions no longer review deferment applications for persons who are already entitled to one by law — meaning certain categories effectively receive the status “by right of fact.”

How to Protect Your Right to a Deferment

Clause 63 of Resolution No. 560 prohibits referring a person to an MMC until the TRC commission has issued an official decision on the submitted deferment application. Before this provision existed, a common practice was to “lose” the application, send the person for a medical examination, declare them fit for service, and mobilize them while ignoring the application itself.

Lawyers recommend submitting the application in two copies and demanding a stamp with an incoming registration number on the second copy (or keeping the ASC receipt). This will serve as proof of the fact of application should the matter go to court.

If Denied: Two Ways to Appeal

A TRC refusal can be appealed by contacting the regional TRC, or in court by filing a claim with the district administrative court.

Judicial practice is still inconsistent. For example, in cases involving care for sick parents, some courts have ruled that a person is not required to independently prove the absence of other able-bodied relatives if the local council has already issued a certificate confirming the fact of care. However, TRC commissions continue in practice to demand exactly such evidence, so without a properly assembled set of documents, the chances of a favorable decision drop sharply.

The deferment system is a compromise between the fight against corruption and living human bureaucracy. On one hand, the clear list of documents in Annex 5 eliminates the arbitrary discretion of an official who could once demand “one more certificate.” On the other hand, that same formalization means that the absence of a single document can negate the right to a deferment. And digitization, despite its convenience, depends on the quality of data in state registries. Any error in the spelling of a name becomes a reason for losing protection from conscription.

It is therefore important not to wait for a push notification about auto-renewal, but to periodically check your status in “Reserve+” yourself, verify your own data in DRACS and the Pension Fund, and keep a complete paper set of documents on hand.

The following sources were used in writing this article: