❖ Expansion of Detention Grounds and time limits: Law 5226/2025 drastically expanded
administrative detention grounds, criminalising "illegal stay”, and lengthened maximum
administrative detention limits from 18 to 24 months, extending the possible duration of migrationrelated detention to 48 months (24 months in the context of asylum + 24 months in view of
removal).
❖ Deficiencies in Judicial Review: Structural deficits in automatic legality oversight remained
acute in 2025. Out of 25,497 police detention orders, less than 1% were overturned via ex officio
judicial reviews.
Content of international protection
❖ Statistics: A total of 27,181 individuals were granted international protection in Greece in 2025
(at first or second instance). By the end of the year, 96,438 international protection Residence
Permits (ADET) were active, concerning primarily nationals of Aghanistan (35.8%), Syria (20.2%),
Palestine (11.5%), Iraq (8.1%) and Eritrea (4%).
❖ Ongoing renewal bottlenecks: Delays particularly in the renewal of residence permits (ADETs)
persisted in 2025, with 7,640 renewal applications pending at the Asylum Service at year’s end,
in several cases for over a year.
❖ Format Changes to Application Attestations: The attestation of application status issued by
Aliens Directorates was reformatted in 2025 to include a photograph, a fixed six-month validity,
and an explicit reference to Article 31 of Law 5226/2025. However, the document lacks a unique
identification number, which prevents it from being processed through the ERGANI system,
actively blocking access to the labour market and social benefits.
❖ De-facto Re-examinations and Mass Revocations: In late 2025 and early 2026, the Hellenic
Police initiated a highly restrictive practice during the residence permit (ADET) renewal stage,
demanding that beneficiaries under the "old procedure" submit proof within 20 days detailing why
they still face persecution. This has effectively functioned as a merits re-examination, sparking
non-renewals and cessations of protection, particularly for Afghan nationals. In parallel, between
March and April 2026, the Asylum Service proceeded with the mass revocation of refugee status
for 1,203 Syrian nationals.
❖ CJEU Referral: In November 2025, the European Commission officially referred Greece to the
CJEU due to discriminatory treatment regarding beneficiaries' access to social welfare. Despite
this, discriminatory AMKA (Social Security) activation requirements introduced in late 2023 were
maintained and continued to systematically lock beneficiaries out of public healthcare.
❖ Intensified European Returns: Readmissions of recognised refugees from other EU member
states intensified during 2025, despite ongoing barriers to integration. European authorities,
primarily from Germany and Switzerland, issued 3,710 readmission requests to the Hellenic
Police, resulting in the physical return of 725 beneficiaries to Greek territory.
Temporary protection
The information given hereafter constitute a short summary of the 2025 Report on Temporary Protection.
For further information, see Annex on Temporary Protection.
❖ Key temporary protection statistics: A total of 38,138 people were granted temporary
protection (TP) or received temporary protection cards in Greece since 2022, 5,566 of which
during 2025. The vast majority of TP beneficiaries since 2022 have been women (26,759), mostly
between the ages of 35 and 64.
25