I have recently arrived in Greece through the land border without being arrested / registered and want to apply for asylum. Where and how can I do that?
You can register your claim for asylum in one of the state’s closed first reception centres. On the mainland they are officially called „Reception and Identification Centres“ - RICs. If you arrive by land without being arrested, you can only register your claim for asylum in Diavata RIC (for North Greece, including Thessaloniki) or Malakasa RIC (for South Greece, including Athens).
If you are apprehended by authorities after crossing the land border, you may be taken to another RIC called Fylakio - there is no online booking system to make an appointment here.
In general, these RICs normally do not let you enter if you turn up without an appointment. You can book an appointment using an online application form of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, however often the website does not work, or says that there are “no appointments available”.
If you are a family you have to name the number of persons (family means: spouses and minor children) when you book an appointment for registration and the form will ask you only to submit the name of one adult member. You will then go together with your family to the registration appointment.
Attention: Print your appointment in two copies at least if you are a family so that both spouses can hold one paper in case of police controls. The appointment is not an identity document legally protecting you from arrest, but it’s proof of your attempt to apply for asylum and better than not holding any documents.
Attention: In some areas in Greece more near to the Turkish border, people have been reportedly arrested and unlawfully sent back to Turkey, which is why most newcomers try to reach camps further away in West-, Central or Southern Greece.
Find the online application form to apply for an appointment to register your
asylum claim here.
Attention: To use the form you must have an email address and know your password to this email account, because a code will be automatically sent to you by email, which you need to log in and fill the form.
Attention: Always monitor your email - the spam folder as well as the inbox - as the Asylum Service can send you important information by email such as decisions on your case or changes of interviews and appointments.
Where can I find shelter until I register my asylum claim
According to law, you have the right to reception conditions as an asylum seeker, therefore you can attempt to ask for shelter in one of the open camps of mainland Greece in advance of registering your asylum claim officially. If a camp accepts you to stay there and you do not have an appointment to register your claim for asylum in Malakasa or Diavata, they should arrange your appointment directly with Malakasa or Diavata. There have been periods with delays of weeks and even months, in order to arrange this though.
Attention: There is no official procedure to accept persons prior to the official asylum application in these camps. You can only ask for their help and tell them that you are homeless and want to ask for asylum and explain your situation.
What is the procedure of registering my asylum claim inside Malakasa or Diavata RICs
The registration of your asylum claim within one of these two closed first camps may take up to 25 days according to law. In practice, people sometimes stay longer than this 25 day period - you should contact a legal aid organisation if this happens. (See section „Contacts“).
During the time you are in Malakasa or Diavata, you are generally forbidden from leaving the camp. You can leave if you wish, but you will lose your chance to register your claim for asylum and have to obtain another
appointment to enter Malakasa or Diavata again in future. You are allowed to use your phone freely and the RICs should have Wifi.
Attention: It is possible that the camp management allows you exit and reentry for short periods of time, but this is not guaranteed.
During registration you will be photographed and your fingerprints will be taken. Your fingerprints will be put into a European Union database called „EURODAC“, which is designed to identify recognised refugees, asylum seekers and people who have crossed borders without legal permission. EURODAC allows European countries to see where someone was first fingerprinted - this is considered the first country of arrival which is responsible for the claim for asylum - but there can be exceptions to this rule. (See also section „Asylum procedure“)
You will also have a short interview as part of your registration. You will be asked your basic personal information such as name, family name, birthdate, nationality, mother’s and father’s name, years you attended school, your job, family status, religion and you will be asked to answer very briefly why you
left your country of origin and in some cases also why you didn’t stay in Turkey. If you hold identity documents of your country (or photos of these) you may show them for proper writing of your personal data. If you have the original passport from your country, the Greek authorities will take this and not give it back. That is because as an asylum seeker you are saying you cannot return to your home country. Though the questions in this interview may seem simple, it is very important to understand that your answers are being recorded and will be kept on your file, forming the foundations of your claim for asylum. It is important to have legal information before this interview, because one of the questions will ask you why you left your country and why you cannot return there - it is important to understand which parts of your story are relevant (and therefore essential) to state here. (See section „Asylum procedure“ for more information on who is considered a refugee according to law)
Remember: If you have close family members in another European country, you may be able to request family reunification when you register your asylum claim in Greece.
Attention: This is not the asylum interview but it is important when being asked why you left your country to state one sentence for each reason. Do not generalise but be specific about your reasons for persecution. You may name more than one reason why you were not safe in your country and cannot return there.
During the procedure of registration of your asylum claim you will also be briefly examined by a doctor. At this stage it is important to explain any illnesses, medications you need, psychological problems, disabilities,
pregnancy and also if you are a victim of any form of violence (such as torture, rape, domestic violence or other). Many health problems are not visible as well as special conditions or experiences of violence. You should explain these to the doctor as he or she is responsible to register any special needs or vulnerabilities.
Attention: If you are a parent and your children are underage you have to speak also on their behalf. Children 15 years old and above are briefly interviewed too.
Once the registration procedure is completed, you will be handed an asylum applicant card - this is a legal form of identification in Greece and it shows that you are in the asylum procedure. On your asylum seeker card are registered your personal file number (FOLDER ID), your asylum case number (CASE NO), your
asylum card number (CARD NR) and your social insurance number (PAAYPA).
With the PAAYPA number you have access to the Greek public health system – meaning you can book appointments and visit doctors, make examinations in the hospitals and pay less for prescribed medicines. In the bottom of the card it is noted first the validity of the card (i.e. for two years) and below when you have to renew your card (i.e. “every 3 months”). Ideally every adult should also receive a tax number (AFM), which will be printed on a white paper including your personal details. You will also be given an appointment for your asylum interview.
Attention: In some cases, people have their asylum interviews within the RIC where registration takes place - usually this only happens to single men from countries that the Greek state considers safe according to law (see section „Asylum procedure“), but there have been cases where women from countries that have high chances of being granted asylum are interviewed also. For this reason it is good to have proper advice about asylum, before going to register your claim.
Remember: Never miss the date for renewing your asylum applicant card, as otherwise your asylum file might be closed and your asylum procedure ended.
Attention: The expiry date on your applicant card does not mean that you have legal permission to be in Greece until that date. If you receive a negative decision on your claim for asylum and you do not successfully appeal, your card will be deactivated. This means that also the PAAYPA number will not work anymore and if you are stopped by police and they check your case number, you could be detained. In practice, women are less often arrested and detained than men and deportations to most of the countries of origin are not implemented. So don’t be scared but be careful to renew your card in time and in case of a rejection appeal or submit a new application!
Attention: 30 days after you are given a positive asylum decision your PAAYPA will be deactivated as you need to turn it into a social insurance number for the recognized refugees - called AMKA. Once you receive your residence permit, the asylum applicant card will be deactivated.
I have an appointment for my asylum claim registration in Malakasa/ Diavata, but currently I have no documents in Greece. Am I in danger of being arrested and detained?
According to the Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum, the appointment by itself is not a legal document of identity as it does not hold a photo and it is issued only on the name of the main applicant not including information on the other core family members. There have been people detained for being without papers while holding such an appointment paper but human rights lawyers appealed their arrests mostly successfully and the arrested got released after some time.
Attention: If arrested and detained you can still access the asylum procedure.
Attention: While there is always a risk of arrest and detention also for women holding no other documents in Greece than an appointment for the registration of their asylum claim, the real risks are much lower than for single men.
Attention: In case of arrest and detention, inform the police that you hold an appointment for registration and in which camp you reside and repeat that you want to apply for asylum. If you have relatives or friends in the camp you live in, tell them to inform the camp management of your arrest and place of detention. Take a lawyer to struggle for your quick release.
Can women on mainland Greece be detained?
Usually, refugee women are not detained in Greece for lacking identity documents. Detention centres where refugees are imprisoned are generally for men only, but women can be detained in Athens Aliens Aliens Department („Allodapon“), in Amygdaleza “pre-removal detention centre” – a closed container camp in Acharnes area (north-western outskirts of Athens) or in Fylakio pre-removal detention centre at the land border to Turkey.
If you have a relative or friend detained, ask for the official visiting hours. You can bring food and other essential items to give to your friend, but nothing should be in a glass or metal container, as it is considered the materials could be used as weapons. The police will check the things and decide what they allow you to give and what not.
A “pre-removal detention centre” is a detention centre for the detention of undocumented refugees. Detention is aimed to ease deportation (removal). There are currently seven pre-removal detention centres in Greece: Amygdaleza (also known as: „Menidi“) and Petrou Ralli for Athens broader region, Korinth, Xanthi,
Paranesti in Drama, Fylakio (at the land border to Turkey) and on the islands of Lesvos, Kos and Samos.
Where will I live after registering my asylum applicationand what support will I get?
From the beginning of your asylum procedure you have the right to seek support from the Greek government for housing and cash assistance (as the main provisions of reception conditions).
“Cash assistance” is the money asylum seekers receive from the state during their asylum procedure through a “cash-card”. You will first receive the card after getting your asylum applicants card, though there can be some weeks delay before receiving the card and the first money to be charged on it.
When you register your claim for asylum you will be asked if you need accommodation - if you
request accommodation, housing will then be provided in one of about 20 camps in mainland Greece – upon choice of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum. If you were already staying in an open camp before going to Malakasa or Diavata to register your claim, you may be allowed to return there or you may get transferred to another camp. If you do not wish to be housed in the camp assigned to you, you have the right to reject staying in a camp in general and choose your own place of residence at your own expenses, but you will
lose the right to have a cash card as you will be considered “not in need of reception conditions in general”.
If you did not request accommodation when you claimed asylum and are not currently living in a camp but are in need of it, some NGOs with social workers (find contacts here) are able to make a request for accommodation in a camp to the Ministry on your behalf.
It can take some a while to process and again, you will not have a choice which camp you go to. If you choose not to go to the camp that the Ministry offers you, they cannot punish you in any way and this doesn’t affect your asylum procedure, however the Ministry does not have to give you another choice of accommodation.
The Greek government prefers asylum seekers to live in camps and outside of the cities in order to “manage” and “control” them, which is why it is favoring residents of camps by providing to them faster procedures (i.e. to get IDs and travel documents) and exclusive access to special procedures or programs such as relocation (legal procedures to be transferred to another EU country) or HELIOS integration program for people holding asylum status or other benefits, which is run by the International Organisation of Migration (IOM).
(See more details on HELIOS in section „Upon receiving a positive asylum decision“)
Most camps are located around the cities Athens and Thessaloniki in 1-2 hours driving distance, but there are some more distant camps near other Greek cities such as Ioannina, Volos, Serres, Korinth, Kavala or Larissa.
In the majority, the camps consist of prefabricated houses in forms of containers.
Currently there are only few „relocation programs“ in place carried out in cooperation between the Greek asylum service and one other EU-country (such as France). You can not pro-actively apply for relocation, but usually camp staff suggest and refer individuals/families to the asylum service. If chosen, you will be asked if you agree to apply for relocation and to proceed with the application procedure. You have free choice to accept or deny the proposal without any harm to your asylum procedure in Greece. If you agree, you will have an additional interview with the authorities of the respective EU country, through which they determine
that there are no reasons to exclude and reject you for relocation. They mainly examine if you are no person that would be a threat to the national security of that country, meaning that you haven’t been participating in (war) crimes, are not part of any terrorist organisation etc. You can withdraw from the procedure anytime.
Korinth camp is currently the only camp where people are housed in separate rooms inside big tents (so called rub-halls).
Attention: Most camps in mainland Greece are located far from urban centres, they are fenced, controlled by security and cameras. Inside the camps work state employees of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum and the Health Ministry offering very basic services.
Remember: Even if moving around seems difficult and expensive, try to visit the nearest city for legal, medical, psychological, humanitarian and other kinds of support and don’t limit yourself to a life inside the camp depending only on the Ministries’ employees. You have a right to take a lawyer of your choice, go to the doctor, visit classes or seek other kinds of support outside the camps.
I have recently arrived in Greece through the sea / Greek islands. Where can I find help?
This information provides information for people already on the mainland. We decided to set this focus as the situation on the different Greek Islands is in each locality slightly different, changing constantly and special procedures apply there such as the “fast track border” asylum procedure that is aimed to conclude within only short periods. As soon as you get transferred to a camp in the mainland your case has to be proceeded with the “regular” procedure.
However, if you are still on one of the Greek Islands that provide for first reception and identification camps (RICs), we would like to suggest to you to seek information and help locally from one of the refugee rights organisations present and near to you - whose assistance is free of charge. (See section
„Contacts“)