RESOURCES
Click on the links below to learn more about legal aid in the Greek context & find key information on the process of applying for asylum.
INFORMATION
Ministry of Migration – Greece
https://www.migration.gov.gr (general in Greek and English)
https://migration.gov.gr/en/applications/(click on English at the top right of the page to change languages)
International Protection – Registration
Asylum Applications
- Asylum Information Database – https://asylumineurope.org
- European Council of Refugees and Exiles Resources – https://ecre.org/ecre-publications/
- European Union Agency for Asylum – Training | European Union Agency for Asylum (europa.eu)
- Greek Council for Refugees – https://gcr.gr/en/
- Mobile Info Team – https://www.mobileinfoteam.org/
- Refugee Info Greece – https://greece.refugee.info/en-us
- Refugee Support Aegean – https://rsaegean.org/en/reports-briefings/
- https://greece.iom.int/implementation-assisted-voluntary-returns-including-reintegration-measures-and-operation-open-center-prefecture-attica-applicants-voluntary-return-avrr/ocavrr (scroll down for information)
- UNHCR – https://help.unhcr.org/greece/ (for asylum seekers and refugees)
https://help.unhcr.org/greece/seek-help/other-services/ (City Guides to Athens and Thessaloniki also available at Refugee Info – Greece above)
NGO Registry & Accountability in Greece
Civil society organisations working in migration and asylum in Greece are required to register under the NGO Registry, established under Joint Ministerial Decision (JMD) 10616/2020.
The registry has been widely criticised for its restrictive nature and its impact on NGO access to asylum seekers
- RSA Annual Report 2021 – analysis of the NGO Registry and its implications for civil society.
- Expert Opinion by ECRE/ELENA – legal assessment of the lawfulness of JMD 10616/2020.
- AIDA Country Report – Access for NGOs and UNHCR – documentation of barriers and challenges.
- Ministry of Migration – NGO e-Services Portal (Note: as of the latest reports, the e-services platform for NGO registration was not fully operational.)
Additional information and commentary from civil society organisations is referenced in this table.
Recent publications:
The following Reports (and the Organisations that produce them) are also valuable Resources.
RSA-BIP, March 2025: “Recognised Refugees Report”
https://rsaegean.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/RSA_BIP_Report_EN.pdf
I Have Rights & Border Violence Monitoring Network January 2025. “Controlled and Confined: Unveiling the Impact of Technology in the Samos Closed Controlled Access Centre. https://ihaverights.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/FINAL_IHR-BVMN_TECHNOLOGIES-REPORT.pdf
Protecting Rights at Borders (PRAB), January 23, 2025.”The pushback – disconnect: current and anticipated practice. The EU’s newly agreed asylum and migration, a failed attempt to end pushbacks at EU borders“
https://drc.ngo/media/bjqfay25/prab-report-ix-january-to-october-2024.pdf
Greek Council for Refugees, 18 December 2024. “PROMISE VERSUS REALITY: ACCESS TO JUSTICE FOR REFUGEES IN GREECE”, https://gcr.gr/wp-content/uploads/Report_Access-to-Justice-1.pdf
Greek Council for Refugees, 26 November 2024. “At Europe Borders: Pushbacks continue as impunity persists’. https://gcr.gr/wp-content/uploads/EN-GCR_-Pushback-Report.pdf
Briefings and Reports by Refugee Support Aegean (RSA)
https://rsaegean.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2024-09_RSA_MD_submission.pdf
https://rsaegean.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/RoL2024_JointSubmission_CSO_Greece.pd
“The Concept of “Safe Third Country”Legal Standards & Implementation in the Greek Asylum System”. Prepared by Minos Mouzourakis, for PRO ASYL and Refugee Support Aegean (RSA) 2024
Legal Briefings 2024. Equal Legal Aid – Home page: https://www.equallegalaid.org/
2023, ““Prison for Papers” Last Resort Measures for Standard Procedures Researching Pre-removal Detention Centres on Mainland Greece”. Full Report by Border Criminologies and Mobile Info Team. https://www.mobileinfoteam.org/detention
2022 “Digitalisation of the Greek Asylum Procedure: A way into the future or a barrier to human rights?” Equal Legal Aid Report. https://www.equallegalaid.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/ELA-Final-Report-2.pdf