Refugees in Need of Special Protection ("besonders schutzbedürftige Flüchtlinge")

The following groups of people, among others, are considered ‘particularly vulnerable refugees’:

• Minors
• Unaccompanied minor refugees (read more on www.handbookgermany.de)
• People with disabilities
• People with severe physical or mental illnesses
• Elderly people
• Pregnant women
• Single parents with minor children
• Victims of human trafficking
• Individuals who have experienced torture, rape, violence or female genital mutilation (FGM).

If you belong to one of these groups, according to Article 21 of the EU Directive 2013/33/EU, you are a vulnerable individual entitled to special protection ("Person mit besonderem Schutzbedarf").

As soon as a person has applied for asylum, the authorities must check whether the individual belongs to a group of particularly vulnerable refugees. The evaluation often takes place through questionnaires or short conversations with employees. It is advisable to inform them if you are, for example, pregnant, ill or traumatised as early as possible.

If you are identified as a particularly vulnerable person, you will have special rights; for instance, you are entitled to accommodation and care that suits your condition and special support during your hearing.

Important: If you belong to the groups mentioned above, but the authorities failed to recognise you as a "vulnerable person", it is best to seek advice and at a counselling centre and find support. 

You can find an advice centre near you using the BAMF Navi. To do this, enter your postcode or the name of your place of residence and select ‘Asylum procedure advice’ as the type of advice centre. You can also search for an advice centre in your federal state at proasyl.de. In addition, a refugee council or Pro Asyl can offer you support. You can find the refugee council responsible for you at fluechtlingsrat.de. You can contact Pro Asyl at the email address beratung@proasyl.de in English and German.

Vulnerable refugees are entitled to have their hearing conducted by a so-called "special representative" ("Sonderbeauftragten"). Special representatives are decision-makers specially trained to interview vulnerable refugees who are particularly in need of protection. The hearing is where you need to elaborate on why you have fled to Germany and counts as the most crucial part of your asylum procedure. 

The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) conducts the hearings. You need to let them know that you are a particularly vulnerable person. You can do so, for instance, when you apply at the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees for asylum. If you have medical certificates or other evidence, you can hand in a copy of it. You can learn more about the hearing under "Asylum Procedure".
 

Vulnerable persons must not be held in initial reception centres for long – they must be distributed to smaller accommodation facilities or private housing as soon as possible.

You can also apply for your mandatory residence in an initial reception centre to be lifted ("Antrag auf vorzeitige Aufhebung der Verpflichtung zum Verbleib in der Erstaufnahmeeinrichtung"). 

Ask the social workers in your initial reception centre about the application. You can also seek advice from a counselling centre.

In addition, the federal states are to implement measures to ensure protection for women and particularly vulnerable persons in the accommodation facilities.

You can find an advice centre near you using the BAMF Navi. To do this, enter your postcode or the name of your place of residence and select ‘Asylum procedure advice’ as the type of advice centre. You can also search for an advice centre in your federal state at proasyl.de. In addition, a refugee council or Pro Asyl can offer you support. You can find the refugee council responsible for you at fluechtlingsrat.de. You can contact Pro Asyl at the email address beratung@proasyl.de in English and German.

Refugees who are particularly vulnerable and have special medical or financial needs can receive additional help from the state.

For example, pregnant women and mothers are entitled to all medical services that are standard in Germany during pregnancy and childbirth in the first few weeks after giving birth. Further information on medical care for pregnant women can be found at handbookgermany.de. 

Children and young people (under the age of 18) can, for instance, receive additional support through the so-called "Educational package" ("Bildungs- und Teilhabepaket"). You can find more information on the education and participation package at handbookgermany.de.

To receive these additional aids, you need to apply to the Social Welfare Office responsible for you. The social workers at your accommodation centre and staff at counselling centres can support you fill out the application forms. 

You can check out proasyl.de or BAMF-Navi. On BAMF-Navi, enter the postcode or name of your place of residence and select ‘Asylum procedure advice’ as the type of counselling centre.

For detailed information on medical care for refugees, visit "Healthcare for refugees". 

You can find support at a counselling centre nearby– you can search for one using the BAMF Navi. To do so, enter your postcode or the name of your place of residence and select ‘Asylum procedure advice’ as the type of counselling centre. You can also search for a counselling centre in your federal state at proasyl.de. In addition, a refugee council or Pro Asyl can offer you support. You can find your local refugee council at fluechtlingsrat.de. You can contact Pro Asyl in English and German at beratung@proasyl.de. 

For people in Berlin, there is the ‘Berlin Network for Refugees in Need of Special Protection’ or “Berliner Netzwerk für besonders schutzbedürftige  geflüchtete Menschen” (BNS). You can find counselling centres in Berlin on their multilingual  website.