Greece’s new age verification system found that the majority of asylum seekers are lying about their age, claiming to be minors, Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris said on Tuesday, November 12th.
Plevris stated that out of 104 cases reviewed since late August, 59 individuals were determined to be over 18. “The repercussions for those who filed a false statement are self-evident,” he said.
The new, stricter verification process requires age determination to be completed “once and on the same day” using three methods: a medical evaluation of physical development, a psychosocial assessment, and an X-ray of the applicant’s left wrist to assess skeletal maturity. Officials say the system is designed to prevent adults from posing as minors to gain preferential legal protections.
The new verification procedures are one part of a wider tightening of Greece’s migration policy launched earlier this year. In July, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced a temporary suspension of asylum applications for immigrants arriving by sea from North Africa, citing national security concerns and rising arrivals on Crete and the nearby island of Gavdos.
“The Greek government has decided to inform the European Commission that it is proceeding with the suspension of asylum application examinations for three months for those arriving in Greece from North Africa by sea,” Mitsotakis told parliament. He added that those entering the country illegally “will be arrested and detained.”
In August, the government announced plans to fit rejected asylum applicants with electronic ankle bracelets to track their movements during the 30-day period before deportation, a measure intended to ensure removals are carried out efficiently.
The tightening continued into September, when Greece’s parliament enacted strict new immigration legislation further hardening its stance toward rejected asylum seekers. The law, approved on September 3rd, introduced prolonged detention and steep fines for illegal entry while accelerating returns to countries of origin. Undocumented migrants arriving from EU-designated safe countries and denied asylum must now choose between voluntary return or mandatory detention for up to 24 months and fines reaching €10,000.
Migration Minister Plevris defended the policy in parliament, stating that the rights of Greek citizens outweighed those of migrants whose asylum claims were rejected and who remained in the country illegally.
The Mitsotakis government, in power since 2019, has expanded border fencing along Greece’s northern frontier and strengthened Aegean Sea patrols to deter crossings. Authorities report that the new measures have already led to hundreds of returns since July, with additional deportation flights planned to countries including Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Egypt.
In October, the government announced a nearly 30% reduction in asylum-related spending, cutting the annual budget from €400 million to €288 million. Rent subsidies for refugees will be phased out, direct cash payments halved, and funds redirected toward job training and Greek-language instruction.
“Those granted asylum in the future will no longer live on permanent subsidies, but will be integrated into society through work,” Plevris said, describing the reforms as both a deterrent to illegal migration and a shift toward self-sufficiency.
