Why Ukrainian refugees who received protection in one of the EU countries began to be denied entry to Germany? And do they have the opportunity to legally move to live in Germany? – DW found out.
Citizens of Ukraine who have biometric passports, can still enter Germany or any other Schengen country and stay there for no more than 90 days in a 180-day period.
This was officially confirmed by the German Ministry of the Interior in response to a request from DW. The visa-free regime for Ukrainian citizens was introduced back in June 2017. But now some restrictions have arisen.
Germany has already accepted more than a million Ukrainian refugees
The reason for contacting the German Ministry of Internal Affairs was reports that federal police officers acting as border guards began to refuse to cross the German border to Ukrainians wishing to enter Germany.
In the German government's response to a parliamentary question from the Left Party parliamentary group, it is noted that between July and December 2024, almost 20 percent of illegal migrants stopped at German borders were Ukrainian citizens. They are second only to Syrians who were not allowed into Germany.
After the start of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022, the European Union decided to exempt Ukrainians from the requirement to apply for asylum. Refugee status in one of the EU countries is obtained automatically.
Germany has accepted the largest number of Ukrainian refugees – more than a million people. Almost the same number of asylum seekers or protection have arrived in Germany over the past three years from other countries (in 2022 – 244,132 people, 2023 – 351,915, 2024 – 250,945, according to the Federal Statistical Office). Such a large number of refugees is a serious problem for municipal authorities and the German budget.
Stay where you got protection
Most likely, this circumstance prompted the German Ministry of the Interior to introduce some restrictions. “In order to optimally use the limited reception capacity (of refugees and asylum seekers – Ed.) in Germany, Ukrainian citizens who have already received protection in other EU member states and intend to move to Germany may not be allowed to cross the German border,” explains the press service of the German Ministry of the Interior.
In doing so, the German Ministry of the Interior refers to Article 26 of the EU Directive on the mass influx of displaced persons, number 2001/55/EG. According to this article, the move of a person who has already received refugee status from one country to another must be carried out by agreement between the authorities of these states.
But if we are talking about a Ukrainian who has been living in one of the EU countries for a long time and wants to move to Germany for permanent residence, the letter from the Ministry of Internal Affairs goes on to say, then he can do this only after he has gone through the formal procedure of obtaining a visa and residence permit in Germany.
You can be a tourist, but not a permanent resident
Short-term trips of Ukrainian refugees from one EU country to another, the Ministry of Internal Affairs assures, are still possible: “Almost all EU member states (together with Germany) issue citizens of Ukraine who have been granted protection a document on types of stay that is valid in the Schengen area. to be here temporarily.
But how can a police officer at the border determine for what purpose a Ukrainian refugee is traveling, for example from France to Germany – to see the Cologne Cathedral or to settle in some German city for a long time? The press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs explained to a DW correspondent that a federal police officer finds out during border control for what purpose and for what period of time a person is entering Germany.
“A person entering the country is obliged to provide evidence indicating the purpose and duration of their planned stay in Germany,” added the press secretary of the German department. If a person is being disingenuous and is only pretending to be a tourist, and a German police officer has convincing suspicions about this, then, as noted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, such a person may be denied entry into the territory of Germany.
And if by plane?
Lazovka in this sense can be the air gate of Germany: for passengers from flights coming from any EU country, there is no border control at German airports, unlike at land borders.
But the official of the Ministry of Internal Affairs warns that the above rules apply at all borders of Germany, and he does not advise Ukrainian refugees to try to move to Germany for permanent residence by air, since airports can also random checks are being carried out.
When asked by DW how many Ukrainian refugees moved from EU countries to Germany in 2024 legally, that is, with the consent of the German authorities, the Ministry of Internal Affairs promised to respond in writing. At the time of publication of this text, the letter from the department had not yet been received.
Author: Petr Petrenko, Deutsche Welle.
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