On this page, you will find:

To find organisations working for LGBTQI+ rights, visit our Germany LGBTQI+ Resources page.
For Germany country of origin information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries, and relevant documents visit our Germany COI page. 

Refugee protection

Click here to see the numbers and origins of refugees hosted by Germany. 

The following sections contain information on the most important international treaties and agreements of which Germany is signatory, as well as national legislation relevant to the protection of refugees.

Germany signed the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees upon its creation and is similarly party to its 1967 Protocol. Germany has additionally signed and ratified the 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. In addition to these international protection frameworks, and as part of the European Union (EU), Germany is bound by the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) which sets out EU-wide standards for the treatment and protection of refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers entering the EU. 

Article 16a of the German Constitution grants asylum to those who are victims of political persecution. However, this only applies if the applicants did not travel to Germany from a safe third country (this includes all EU-member states) or via an overland route.

In Germany, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) will carry out the asylum procedure and refugee status determination claims as informed by the Dublin III Regulation.

Legal aid organisations

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Address: Augsburgerstraße 13, 80337 Munich, Germany
Email: kontakt@fluechtlingsrat-bayern.de

The BRC advocates for the rights of refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants. The organisation provides legal advice and training for refugee advice centres and volunteers. 

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Address: Görresstraße 43, 80797 München (Take U2 to ‚Josephsplatz‘ or Bus 154 to ‚Görrestraße’
Tel: +49 (0)89 45 20 76 56
Fax: +49 (0)89 45 20 76 57
Email: cafe104@live.de

Café104 provides support to individuals and families without official permission to reside in Germany. Café104 will accompany clients to their meetings, propose applications for humanitarian protection, search for accommodation, and obtain medical and psychiatric examinations as needed. In particular, Café104 provides medical and legal assistance to pregnant women experiencing displacement. 

Email: Afghanistan.support@rescue.org
Contact person: Melina Garcin (Melina.Garcin@rescue.org)

Launched in May 2022, the collaborative project offers pro bono legal support to Afghan refugees seeking resettlement in Europe following the Taliban insurgency. DBAF is in cooperation with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and an additional 10 commercial law firms. Pro bono lawyers from across the firms are trained and supervised by legal experts at the IRC to work on family reunification applications and additional legal pathways into Germany for Afghan individuals and families. 

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Legal Information Website – Legal information available in English, Spanish, Creole, Arabic, Pashto, Farsi (Dari). 

The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) provides free legal help to some refugees and displaced people. IRAP cannot grant refugee status or visas or speed up cases. IRAP cannot provide financial help, find or pay for housing, or find jobs. They do not make any decisions concerning resettlement and they are completely independent of UNHCR and national governments. Any information sent to IRAP is highly confidential, and all services are free of charge. IRAP provides free legal services to refugees seeking refugee protection and resettlement. 

IRAP can help some people in processes like: 

  • Afghan and Iraqi Special Immigrant Visa applications. IRAP helps with some kinds of Chief of Mission appeals.
  • Family reunification for refugees with relatives in the United States and in some European countries. IRAP helps with some stages and some kinds of family reunification processes.
  • UNHCR processes. IRAP represents some refugees in certain UNHCR processes in certain countries. 
  • U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) applications. IRAP helps with some kinds of Requests for Review (RFRs) of USRAP denials.
  • Some other processes, like refugees in the U.S. applying for a refugee travel document.

How to contact IRAP

Anyone can request legal help through their chatbot on Facebook by clicking here or on Telegram by clicking here

This webform is for Afghan SIV applicants who want to file or have received denials from the Chief of Mission (COM) and who do not currently have an application or appeal pending review at COM to request legal help.

IRAP Jordan accepts requests for assistance through this form. The form is only available when IRAP Jordan is accepting new requests for assistance. If the form is not available, please check back to that link regularly.

IRAP is not able to assist everyone who contacts them, and emailing them or getting in touch does not create an attorney-client relationship.

 

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Migrationsrecht.net compiles relevant German and European case law and additional useful instruments for legal aid organisations and individuals providing asylum support in Germany, as well as those seeking legal advice. Some information includes online seminars, immigration law e-books, and European Court of Justice (ECJ) caselaw.

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Address: Paulsenstr. 55-56 12163 Berlin, Germany
Tel: +49 (0)30 82 09 743 – 0
Fax: +49 (0)30 82 09 743 – 9
Email (General): info@b-umf.de
Email (Consultation): beratung@b-umf.de

The Federal Association of Unaccompanied Refugee Minors has been supporting refugee children, young people, and adolescents since 1998. The Association offers assistance to young refugees through the inclusion of counseling services, legal services, youth conferencing, job training, and advocacy efforts. You can reach the individual case advice phone line (consultation email) on Thursdays from 2:30pm to 4:30pm. However, you are welcome to send an email requesting a callback, including a brief description of the case and indication of your availability during office hours. 

Website
Email: contact@w2eu.info

The Welcome to Europe website is an independent source of information for refugees coming to Europe. It might be useful on their journey to and through Europe by giving access to counseling and useful contacts in different European countries. Their Germany country page provides information on the German asylum application process and provides useful contacts.

Organisations providing other support to refugees

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Address: Zinnowitzer, Straße 8, 10115 Berlin 
Tel:+49 (0)30 / 420248-0
Fax:+49 (0)30 /420248-488

Amnesty International Germany carries out research related to aspects of migration and asylum policy, developing proposals aimed at improving such practices. Amnesty will intervene in key court cases to ensure asylum decisions are made using the best available evidence on human rights conditions.

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Address: Dachauerstr. 161, 80636 München
Tel: +49 (0)177 / 511 69 65
Email: suzanne.bruins@aerztederwelt.org

Doctors of the World offers medical aid and social support to refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants experiencing pyschosocial health concerns and people without health insurance. Doctors of the World ensures anonymity of their patients and works independently from authorities. 

Website
Address: Mainzer Landstr. 50, 60325 Frankfurt/M.
Tel: +49 69 13826078
Email: vorstand@forward-germany.de

Forward Germany organizes campaigns against FGM/C and advises women at risk of undergoing such procedures. They additionally provide advice and support over the phone and have a monetary fund for vaginal reconstructions.

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Phone: +49-30-25 89 88 91
E-Mail: info@kirchenasyl.de

German Ecumenical Committee on Church Asylum offers a form of temporary protection for refugees who do not have legal residence status and who would face persecution if returned to their country of origin. The parish provides accommodation, basic needs, and sometimes medical services. 

Website
Address: Saargemünder Straße 95, 66119 Saarbrücken
Tel:  +49-(0)681-32400
Email:  info@intact-ev.de

(I)NTACT campaigns and produces advocacy materials aimed at ending the practice of FGM/C and raises public awareness about its consequences. The organization also finances and coordinates projects in Burkina Faso, Togo, Senegal, Benin  and Ghana. 

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Address 1: Wattstraße 15A, 10179 Berlin, Germany
Tel: +49 30 55204697

Address 2: Friedrichstraße 57 5311 Bonn, Germany
Tel: +49 228 52261628
Email (for both): irc.deutschland@rescue.org

The IRC in Germany provides a number of support services including equipping teachers with the necessary skills to provide safe and positive learning environments for refugee children, working with local partners to help refugees find jobs, and provide refugee families with psychosocial support to improve stress management, coping skills, and positive parenting practices. 

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Address: Postfach 160624, D-60069 Frankfurt am Main
Central contact email: proasyl@proasyl.de

Consulting hotline
Tel: +49 (0) 69 – 24 23 14 20
Fax: +49 (0) 69 – 24 23 14 72

Secretariat:
Tel: +49 (0) 69 – 24 23 14 10 
Fax: +49 (0) 69 – 24 23 14 72

Pro Asyl is an advocacy organization who work to influence German and European policy related to refugee rights. Pro Asyl provides German-specific legal aid organisation information on their Help and Advice for Refugees page as well as the Legal Handbook for Refugees.

Germany LGBTQI+ Resources

Find organisations working for refugee LGBTQI+ rights in Germany.

Germany COI

Find Germany Country of Origin information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries, and relevant documents. 

We are always looking to expand the resources on our platform. If you know about relevant resources, or you are aware of organisations and/or individuals to include in our directories, please get in touch.

Last updated May 2023