The electronic call-up notice: how it works and what it restricts

The military registration register has changed the very way a citizen deals with the military commissariat: a paper notice is no longer the only way of summoning someone, and the consequences of failing to attend now follow automatically. Below I set out the mechanics and what within them can be challenged.

When a notice counts as served

The notice is placed on the register of call-up notices and duplicated in the person's account on the state services portal. It counts as served from the moment it is placed on the register.

If a person does not attend in response to a notice served in that way within twenty calendar days of the date stated in the notice, temporary measures are applied.

The practical consequence is that never opening your online account will not save you. Checking the register is as much an obligation as watching the post at your registered address.

Which restrictions apply

The first measure takes effect as soon as the notice is placed on the register: a ban on leaving the Russian Federation.

Then, if the person does not attend within the twenty-day period, further measures apply: a ban on driving a vehicle, on registering real estate and vehicles, on registering as a sole trader or as self-employed, and on obtaining credit and loans.

The measures are applied automatically and remain in force until the person attends the military commissariat. Once they attend, the measures are lifted — also automatically, though in practice with a delay, and that is a headache of its own: the record of the lifting has to reach every agency concerned.

What to do if attending on time is impossible

The valid reasons are listed in the statute: illness preventing attendance, the serious condition of a close relative or their funeral, force majeure, and other reasons recognised as valid by the conscription commission or by a court.

What matters is not merely having a reason but documenting it and notifying it. A sick-leave certificate, a certificate from a medical organisation, documents showing that you were in another region for work, a travel authorisation. The notification goes to the military commissariat in writing, with proof of despatch.

Silently failing to attend and then explaining "I was ill" works far less well than a notification sent in advance with supporting documents.

If the data on the register is wrong

This is the most common reason people come to us: someone has been removed from the register on health grounds, has a deferment for study or works for an accredited organisation, and a notice arrives all the same.

The procedure is as follows. An application to amend the register is filed through the portal or in person, with documents attached: a certificate from the educational institution, the order confirming employment with an accredited organisation, medical records, an extract from the conscription commission's decision.

At the same time a complaint is filed against the restrictions that have been applied. The time for considering it is set by regulation, and in practice a decision comes sooner where the application arrives complete with the full set of documents.

If it is refused, the next step is an appeal to the superior body or to a court. The relief is framed as a challenge to the decision applying the restrictions and an order requiring amendments to the register.

Fitness categories and the medical examination

This is a separate line along which most disputes are resolved. The finding on fitness for service is made following a medical examination, and it can be challenged.

What works: medical records prepared before the examination, showing a history of treatment, rather than a one-off certificate obtained the day before. A referral for further investigation where the symptoms are confirmed. An independent military medical examination — its result does not replace the commission's finding, but it does provide grounds for a review.

The order of appeal: first to the superior military medical commission, then to a court. The time limit for challenging a decision of the conscription commission is three months, and it is often missed because the person is waiting for a reply to their complaint.

Employers have something to keep in mind too

Organisations are required to maintain military registration records for their employees and to submit the relevant information. Failure to do so carries administrative liability, and the level of fines has risen substantially in recent years.

The questions worth checking: has a responsible officer been appointed, has the data been reconciled with the military commissariat, and how is the service of notices received by the organisation documented?

This material is for information only and does not replace advice on a specific matter.

If you or an employee of yours has received a call-up notice and restrictions have been applied, write to us. The first consultation is free when an engagement is signed. There is more in the military law section.

Yury Koval — advocate of the Kovalev, Malyutov, Tsypkalo & Partners Bar Association