According to the latest amendments to the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On Military Duty and Military Service," certain categories of citizens obtain the right to either temporary deferral or full exemption from fixed-term active military service.
Medianews.a reports that this was stated by military expert Ədalət Verdiyev.
He stated that under normal conditions, all male citizens who have reached the age of 18 in Azerbaijan are called up for military service. However, with the law amendment dated December 27, 2024, the maximum age limit for conscription was lowered from 35 to 30. According to the legislation, the main directions for exemption from this obligation or postponement of conscription are as follows:
Deferral rights based on education
Conscripts who are receiving full-time education (including those studying abroad) are granted deferral within the following age limits and conditions:
Bachelor: until reaching 24 years of age;
Master's degree: With the latest law amendment, the age limit has been clarified and set at 26;
Residency and Doctoral studies: Until completion of education;
Doctoral admission: An additional 3-month deferral for those who have successfully passed the first stage of the entrance exam;
Complete secondary education: Citizens who have not yet completed their education, up to 20 years of age.
Deferral rights based on family status
Deferral based on family status is granted in the following cases and remains in effect up to 30 years according to the new wording:
If the person is the only child of a first-group disabled parent with no other children;
Persons who are fathers of three or more children;
Men who care for a first-group disabled spouse;
Persons who look after a sibling under 18 or a first-group disabled sibling and have no other family members able to support them.
Important note: Persons who have not lost the deferral right based on family status by the age of 30 are directly transferred to the reserve, having been exempted from fixed-term active military service during peacetime.
Regulations based on health status
Temporary unfitness: Persons temporarily declared unfit during medical examination may be granted deferral for up to 1 year each time, totaling up to 3 years.
Permanent unfitness: Persons declared fully unfit for military service during both peacetime and wartime are completely removed from military registration.
Cases of full exemption from military service
Categories of citizens fully exempted from conscription to fixed-term active military service:
Persons with academic degrees: Those who have obtained the degree of Doctor of Philosophy or Doctor of Sciences;
Service abroad: Persons who have completed military service under the legislation of another country until acquiring Azerbaijani citizenship;
Persons with criminal records: Those sentenced to deprivation of liberty for a specified period or life imprisonment for committing serious crimes.
Responsibility mechanisms and penalties
After the law amendments dated December 27, 2024, legal responsibility has been tightened further for cases of draft evasion. Failure to attend medical examination, fixed-term active military service, military gatherings, or calls for mobilization without a valid reason is considered a violation of the law:
Minor/Light cases – fines/liability according to the Code of Administrative Offenses
Draft evasion without legal basis (during peacetime) – imprisonment for up to 2 years under Article 321 of the Criminal Code
Draft evasion during wartime – imprisonment from 3 to 6 years. (bigaz)