You will first be accommodated at the nearest reception centre. It is possible that you could be moved to a different reception centre after a few days. It may happen that you will have to change your accommodation several times.

Your reception centre is responsible for the provision of your daily needs, accommodation and medical care. It is also where you will be provided with information about the next steps in the process and which regional office of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge) will handle your particular case. This is usually not far from the reception centre. This means you won’t have far to go to submit your application for asylum.

Can I choose where I will be staying?

You cannot choose where you would like to stay. This is because Germany distributes asylum seekers between the 16 federal states (Länder) according to a quota to ensure that applications for asylum can be processed as quickly as possible. Which regional office of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge) is responsible for your country of origin also plays a role.