Initial Reception

The first contact point for asylum seekers is the Arrivals Centre. First, personal data is collected, an identity check is carried out and a medical examination is offered. In the first weeks before (and if necessary also after) the asylum application, asylum seekers are accommodated in an initial reception facility. After the asylum seekers have completed this registration procedure, they receive temporary identification documents and can be distributed to the reception facilities of the federal states.^{2 3}

The choice of accommodation and the federal state depends on the current capacity and the respective country of origin.⁴

The branch office of the Federal Office responsible for processing the application is regulated in accordance with the so-called country of origin competence. To ensure that the distribution is fair, the distribution is also determined with the help of the so-called Königsteiner key (Königsteiner Schlüssel).⁵

Naturally, the exact distribution quotas vary from year to year. In principle, however, North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria stand out as the strongest receiving federal states, while Bremen and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are at the bottom of the list.⁶ The following chart illustrates the distribution.

Depending on availability, asylum seekers will stay between six weeks and six months at such a reception centre. If the asylum procedure has not yet been completed and the asylum seeker is therefore still in an initial reception facility, he is bound by certain conditions which restrict his freedom of movement. On the one hand there is a residence obligation and on the other there are certain residence requirements that must be observed.

Residence obligation

Residence obligation means that the asylum seeker is not to leave the district of his foreigners authority without permission. Leaving the assigned area is only permitted in certain exceptions:

• urgent family matters
• health difficulties
• special religious acts
• Observance of urgent appointments (administrative visits)⁷ For refugees with residence permits, the spatial restriction on residence „expires“ when they leave the initial reception facility, but not before three months have elapsed

Residence requirement

A residence requirement is the obligation to take up a habitual residence in a certain place. During the asylum procedure and for up to three years after recognition, the refugee must remain resident in the assigned federal state. ⁸

The accommodation is administered municipalities and regional districts. In most cases, these are decentralised communal accommodations operated by private institutions or welfare associations. In rare cases, asylum seekers are accommodated in flats. A home of their own is usually only relevant for accepted refugees. You can find out which information is then important in the next course unit. ⁹

The explanations under „Procedure of the asylum system“ in the main tab Asyl- und Flüchtlingsschutz should help you. And always remember: distribution takes place only after arrival and registration.