After registration and your arrival at the reception centre, you will be given an appointment with the Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (Federal Office for Migration and Refugees). You must file your asylum application on site in person. Your personal data will also be recorded again here.

However, this is not yet the appointment for the hearing. How long it takes to get this appointment varies. An interpreter will be present both at the interview for the asylum application and later at the hearing.

What will happen at the Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (Federal Office for Migration and Refugees)?

The Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (Federal Office for Migration and Refugees) will take down your personal details. You will be photographed and your fingerprints will be taken if you do not yet have any proof of arrival (Ankunftsnachweis). Children under the age of 14 will not have their fingerprints taken.

Please bring your identity document (either the certificate of registration as asylum seeker or your proof of arrival) to the application appointment as well as the Federal Office letter inviting you to the appointment.

Bring also all the identity papers and evidence that are of importance for your asylum application or that prove why you had to flee your country of origin. These can include your passport, your birth certificate or travel documents including tickets. Photographs, documents issued by the police and other authorities and, where applicable, medical reports may also be important.

You are obliged to help prove your identity. If you are unable to do so, your origin will be identified using speech analysis, for example.

What will I be asked when applying for asylum?

During the interview for the asylum application, in the presence of an interpreter, you will be asked questions on several points, including the following: personal details, place of residence, school education and professional training, family members in your country of origin, language skills, and route of travel.

You will be asked about your reasons for seeking asylum later on in the personal hearing.

You will receive a temporary residence permit ("Aufenthaltsgestattung") from the Federal Office which is valid for the duration of the asylum procedure. This is an identity document which you must carry on you at all times and show during police checks. The temporary residence permit authorises you to live and work in Germany under certain conditions until a decision has been made regarding your asylum application.

Can I stay in Germany for good with a temporary residence permit?

A temporary residence permit does not mean you can stay in Germany forever. It only serves to identify you for the duration of the asylum procedure.