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When you submit an international protection application, your fingerprints, as well as the fingerprints of any members of your family who are above fourteen (14) years old, will be taken. The fingerprints will be entered into EURODAC, the European Central Database, which aims at the implementation of the “Dublin III” Regulation.
The “Dublin III” Regulation determines which of the European States that are bound by it is responsible to examine your application.
The States which implement the “Dublin III” Regulation are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom (hereafter “Dublin III” countries).
If you are an unaccompanied minor and a member of your family (parent, brother/sister, uncle/aunt, grandfather/grandmother) is legally present in a “Dublin III” country, then this country is responsible for the examination of your application.
If you are an unaccompanied minor and no members of your family are legally present in any of the “Dublin III” countries, your application will be examined by Greece.
If you are an adult and a member of your family, provided the family already existed in your country of origin, is present in one of the “Dublin III” countries as a beneficiary of international protection or as an international protection applicant, then that country is responsible for examining your application, if you so wish. Members of the family are considered to be: the spouse (husband or wife) or the life partner (not in all countries) and the minor unmarried children.
If you have a residence permit, the country responsible for the examination of your application is the “Dublin III” country that issued the residence permit, even if it has expired for two years.
If you have a visa, the country responsible for the examination of your application is the “Dublin III” country that issued the visa, even if it has expired six (6) months ago.
If you have more than one residence permit or visa, which “Dublin III” country is responsible for the examination of your application depends on the duration and the expiry date of the residence permits or visas.
If, before entering Greece, you irregularly entered another “Dublin III” country, then that country is responsiblefor the examination of your application. This responsibility expires twelve (12) months after the irregular entry.
In the event you were staying irregularly in another “Dublin III” country for five (5) consecutive months before submitting your application in Greece, then that “Dublin III” country is responsible for the examination of your application.
If you legally entered a “Dublin III” country, which does not require a visa, then that country is responsible for the examination of your application.
If you submitted your application in an international transit area of an airport of a “Dublin III” country, then that country is responsible for the examination of your application.
If you have already submitted an application in another “Dublin III” country, then that country is responsible for the examination of your application.
A “Dublin III” country may agree to examine your application on humanitarian grounds.
If none of the aforementioned criteria apply in your case, then the country which is responsible for the examination of your application is Greece.
If, based on the aforementioned criteria, another “Dublin III” country is responsible for the examination of your application and agrees to examine it, then your application in Greece will be rejected as inadmissible and you will be transferred to that country, normally within six (6) months from the date it agreed to examine your application.
You have the right to submit an appeal against this decision before the Appeals Authority, within the deadline stated in the decision you received. You must submit your appeal to the Regional Asylum Office or Asylum Unit that issued the decision.
In order for the above criteria to be effectively applied, when you submit your application for international protection, you must inform the Asylum Service regarding the following:
1) if you have a visa for any other “Dublin III” country,
2) if you have a residence permit for any other “Dublin III” country,
3) if you entered Greece irregularly through another “Dublin III” country,
4) if you stayed irregularly in another “Dublin III” country before coming to Greece, and for how long,
5) if any members of your family are legally present in another “Dublin III” country, and if that is the case, regarding their status of residence there.
You will have to provide all required information and submit any evidence you have in your possession (e.g. residence permits, yours and those of your family members, documents regarding your family situation or other certificates, visas, documents that certify your presence in another “Dublin III” State – such as travel tickets, hotel receipts etc).
For more information on family reunification according to the Dublin III Regulation refer to the official website of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum in this link where also relevant templates and guidance regarding best interest assessment for minors is available. An overview of the Asylum Service in 18 different languages is available at the website of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum here https://migration.gov.gr/en/gas/plirofories-se-18-glosses/.
Last update: 11 Feb 2021