Germany is facing a serious loophole in its asylum system that is being exploited by migrants arriving through Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania, according to a report in BILD. While these countries lie within the Schengen Area, which allows for free movement, many migrants use them as entry points but ultimately aim to reach Germany, where asylum benefits are more favorable.
After a successful asylum application in Greece or Bulgaria, migrants receive a refugee ID valid for up to 90 days. Using this document, they book a cheap flight to Germany and reapply for asylum upon arrival, hoping for better conditions. The report states that nearly 25,000 migrants arrived in Germany from Greece using this method in 2024 alone.
The Federal Police reported that from January to the end of March 2025, they registered 2,032 people arriving by air from Greece with refugee travel documents issued there. Of those, 1,896 submitted new asylum applications upon arrival in Germany.
Marian Wendt, CDU politician and Head of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation’s office in Greece, confirmed the loophole, calling it a “new phenomenon.” He told BILD: “More and more migrants who have already gone through the asylum process in Bulgaria are now turning to Greece to obtain a residence permit, which is referenced in the Schengen Borders Code and must be recognized by other EU and Schengen member states.”
