Information for New Arrivals in Greece

You have the right to seek asylum if you do not wish to return to your country because of fear for your life and safety for reasons of race, religion, political beliefs, nationality, or membership in a particular social group or because of war or violence, or because you are afraid of being discriminated or seriously harmed.

General information

1. You are in the European Union, in Greece.
2. This State facility is managed by the Greek authorities. You must stay here until the finalization of the procedures.
3. The entrance exit from this facility is managed by the authorities.
4. You will receive information about the procedures, your rights, and obligations, with the support of an interpreter.
5. While staying officially in this Center you are entitled to free of charge basic healthcare, food, basic items, shelter, water, hygiene, and other services.
6. The staff of the Center will inform you accordingly.
7. Gender-based violence, including harassment, sexual abuse, domestic violence, and discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, etc., is a criminal act.
8. Ask to speak with medical staff immediately if you survived sexual violence within the last 72 hours to receive medication.
9. In case of emergency or if you do not feel safe, please call the 100-emergency number, or inform the Police in this facility.

Registration Procedure

1. You will be registered by the authorities with the support of an interpreter.
2. If you have been forced to flee your home country because of war, violence, conflict, or persecution, to find safety, or because you are afraid of being discriminated against or seriously harmed, please inform the authorities to register your asylum application.
3. You will receive instructions on the date/time of your asylum interview.
4. The registration procedure is mandatory for all.
5. The authorities will take your fingerprints if you are above 14 years old.
6. It is important to provide accurate information and any ID or document you hold.
7. If you are under 18 years old and unaccompanied you will be accommodated in a specific facility.
8. Your medical and psychological condition will be examined by professionals. Please declare if you are under medication. During your registration, please declare if you belong to any of the following categories:
   • You are under 18 years old traveling without a parent.
   • You are over 65 years old.
   • You are pregnant.
   • You have a disability or suffer from a serious illness.
   • You are a single parent with underage children.
   • You have experienced torture, rape, or other serious forms of violence or exploitation.
   • You are a survivor of trafficking, or you were taken to Greece against your will/with the threat or use of force.
   • You lost a family member in a shipwreck.
9. You may be eligible for family reunification if you have close family members legally residing in a European Union country. Please inform the authorities.
10. The Asylum Service may first examine if it is safe for you to return to Türkiye and may subsequently examine the reasons you left your country.
11. The authorities will examine your claim and will inform you about the decision.
12. If your application is rejected you have the right to appeal against the decision with the assistance of a lawyer free of charge within the deadline set by the Asylum Service.
13. The asylum procedure, including the interview, is confidential and free of charge.
14. If you receive a positive decision, you will be recognized as a refugee or receive subsidiary protection status; you could then apply for a residence permit in Greece and for other documents to exercise your rights and duties.
15. You can also request from the authorities information about voluntary return to your home country.
16. UNHCR does not issue any documentation and is not responsible for the management and services in this center.

In case you have not passed through Reception and Identification procedures upon your arrival in Greece, you will be able to schedule an appointment 🗓 for registration of your asylum application via an online platform of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, available at this link 🔗

https://asylum.migration.gov.gr/international-protection-registration/registration_appointment

The platform is available in English, Arabic, Farsi, Dari, Urdu, Pashto, Turkish, Bengali, Albanian, Greek, Kurmanji, Georgian 🌎

The registration of asylum applications takes place at the Reception and Identification centers (RICs) on the mainland in Malakasa and Diavata.

📌Greece’s climate is Mediterranean with long sunshine, mild temperatures and limited rainfalls. It is characterized by great variation, due to the country’s geographic location and the distribution between the mainland and the sea.

📌In the summer, dry hot days are often cooled by seasonal winds while mountainous areas are more cool.
Winters are mild in the plains with little ice and snow, but the mountains are usually covered with snow.

📌Greece is a Member-State of the European Union and uses its uniform currency: the Euro.

📌Banks and Public Services usually operate from 08:00 to 14:00, Monday to Friday. The shops are usually open Monday-Wednesday-Saturday from 09:00 to 15.00 and Tuesday-Thursday-Friday from 09:00 to 14:00 and 17:00 to 20:00.