People who a holding a second citizenship apart from an Austrian, primarily men, often ask themselves what the consequences might be if they complete their military service in another country. This question will be answered here.
All male Austrian citizens between the ages of 17 and 50 are liable for military service in Austria. As part of this compulsory service, conscripts are required to complete 6 months of basic service by their 35th birthday. Alternatively, conscripts can also complete 9 months of civilian service.
If conscripts have another citizenship in addition to Austrian citizenship, they do not have to perform military or civilian service in Austria if they have already completed their service in another country and there is an intergovernmental agreement between that country and Austria on exemption from military service in Austria.
However, if an Austrian citizen voluntarily enters military service in a foreign country, their Austrian citizenship must be revoked for this reason. Compulsory recruitment or legally compulsory service (as in Austria) are not considered voluntary entry. However, if someone voluntarily extends their service beyond what is legally required, this also leads to the loss of Austrian citizenship. In such a case, revocation is mandatory, even if it results in the person concerned becoming stateless. In some countries, however, citizenship can also be acquired by completing voluntary service for a certain period of time, for example in the Foreign Legion in France.
In practice, this provision is particularly relevant for dual citizens. However, simply completing compulsory service in a country other than Austria does not lead to the loss of Austrian citizenship. This would only be the case if the person voluntarily commits to service beyond the minimum required by law. In this context, the specific legal provisions on compulsory military service in the other country must be taken into account.
