Application
Access to the international protection procedure is unrestricted and free of charge.
The competent authorities for you to submit your application are the Regional Asylum Offices and the Asylum Units. In case you are in a Reception and Identification Center (RIC), your application might also be registered by the employees of the RIC.
For further information on the self-registration procedure, including eligible persons for this procedure, please consult the official website of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum in this link. The webpage is available in English and in Greek.
An international protection applicant is any third country national or stateless person who submits an international protection application before the Regional Asylum Offices or Autonomous Asylum Units or Units of the Asylum Service that operate within Reception and Identification Centers.
Any third country national or stateless person who is transferred to Greece from a European state which implements the ‘Dublin III Regulation’ is also an international protection applicant.
You may also submit applications for your family members, provided that they are in Greece with you and they wish to do so. They will also have to come along with you to the Asylum Service.
Please be informed that the Asylum Service is not competent to receive your application if:
a) you have already submitted an application for international protection to the Hellenic Police, and that application is still pending,
b) you already have a special alien’s requesting asylum card (pink card) in your possession.
The Asylum Service may accept an application as subsequent only in case you have received a final decision rejecting the asylum application you had submitted to the Hellenic Police.
In case you are a minor and not accompanied by your parents in Greece, follow this link.
In case you are detained or staying in a Reception and Identification Centre (RIC) this link (the information is available in Greek and in English).
For more information about the Asylum Application Procedure (First Instance), please refer to the official website of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum in this link (the information is available in Greek and in English).
General information about the asylum procedure in Greece
- If you are afraid to return to your country of origin, or country of previous residence in case you are stateless, because you are in danger of suffering serious harm for reasons related to your race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group or you flee war torture, or inhumane and degrading treatment, you can apply for asylum in Greece.
- The Greek Asylum Service at first instance and, in the event of an appeal, the Independent Appeals Committees at second instance will examine your application and will make a decision in accordance with European and Greek legislation.
- As an asylum seeker in Greece you may also be able to request family reunification with your close family members in other European countries, if certain criteria are fulfilled. Find more information below under “Dublin III”.
- You can also apply for asylum on behalf of your spouse and your children under 18 years old, or your children older than 18 years old who suffer from a mental or physical disability and are unable to submit an application on their own, if they are also in Greece with you.
- During the asylum procedure you have to stay in Greece. If you leave without permission to another European country while your asylum application is still pending in Greece, the authorities of that country have the right to return you to Greece.