Refusing military service after enlistment: no travel abroad, no further education, and barred from civil service and state-owned enterprises for two years

If you sign up and then refuse to serve, and still do not correct it after being ordered to, the consequences come as a set. You cannot be hired as a civil servant, and a state-owned enterprise or a public institution cannot hire you either. For 2 years you may not leave the country, start further study, or return to school, and you are put on the list of subjects in serious breach of the duty to fulfill national defense obligations. So "sign up first and pull out if it does not work" is an expensive idea.

Cost

There is no monetary cost. The price is having to decide well in advance whether you want to serve or not.

Benefit

Article 57, Paragraph 1, Item 2 of the Military Service Law explicitly states that “any conscript who refuses or evades enlistment shall be subject to penalties.” These penalties include a requirement to correct the behavior within a set timeframe; if they still refuse, the local county-level government may compel them to serve and impose a fine. Paragraph 2 adds that such individuals must also be barred from civil service roles, from employment in state-owned enterprises and public institutions, and from any travel abroad or further education for two years. They are placed on a special list of those who have failed to meet defense obligations, leading to joint enforcement actions by various agencies. Article 58 extends these same penalties to active-duty personnel who deliberately evade service or desert. Those who are discharged, expelled from the military, or face criminal prosecution are subject to the same restrictions outlined in Paragraph 2 of Article 57, including a nationwide fine effective as of October 1, 2021.

Notes

This rule concerns personal freedom and employment eligibility rather than financial penalties. Only two categories of people are subject to these measures: those who refuse or evade enlistment after being called up, and those who are discharged, expelled, or criminally prosecuted after already joining the armed forces. Individuals who simply fail to register for conscription are not included; registration details are covered in Item 2. The penalties apply only when the person refuses to comply after being instructed to do so, as determined by the local county-level government. The exact amount of any fine is set locally and is not specified in this guide. This information is provided solely to illustrate the irreversible nature of the decision once enlistment is initiated; it does not serve as encouragement or discouragement regarding military service.

Sources · 1

1. 全国人大常委会 (2021). 兵役法（2021 年修订，第五十七、五十八条）. mod.gov.cn/regulatory/2021-08/20/content_4892…（国防部刊登）