Thus, the current legal framework reflects a restrictive but focused approach, whereby residence permits without a valid visa are granted only to narrowly defined groups under specific humanitarian or exceptional conditions as provided in Article 134 of Law 5038/2023. D. Guarantees for vulnerable groups 1. Identification Indicators: Special Procedural Guarantees 1. Is there a specific identification mechanism in place to systematically identify vulnerable asylum applicants? Yes For certain categories No ❖ If for certain categories, specify which: 2. Does the law provide for an identification mechanism for unaccompanied children? Yes No According to Article 1(λγ) Asylum Code, the following non-exhaustive groups are considered as vulnerable: ‘children; unaccompanied children; direct relatives of victims of shipwrecks (parents, siblings, children, spouses); disabled persons; elderly; pregnant women; single parents with minor children; victims of human trafficking; persons with serious illness; persons with cognitive or mental disability and victims of torture, rape or other serious forms of psychological, physical or sexual violence such as victims of female genital mutilation.’ According to Article 62(2) Asylum Code, ‘[t]he assessment of vulnerability shall take place during the identification process, the registration process and the medical screening of the Art. 41 without prejudice to the assessment of international protection needs’. According to Article 62(4) of the Asylum Code ‘[o]nly persons belonging to vulnerable groups are considered to have special reception needs and thus benefit from the special reception conditions’. Article 62(3) of the Asylum Code provides that ‘[…] the special condition of applicants, even if it becomes apparent at a later stage of the examination of the application for international protection, is taken into account throughout this procedure […]’. According to Article 77(3) Asylum Code: […] Upon completion of the medical and psychosocial assessment, the [Medical Screening and Psychosocial Support] Unit of the RIC […] shall inform the Head of the competent RAO. The above-mentioned assessment is also notified to the Manager of the RIC. That assessment shall have as only consequence the immediate provision of special reception conditions and special procedural guarantees to the applicant. According to Article 72(1) Asylum Code relating to special procedural guarantees: The Receiving Authorities shall assess within a reasonable period of time after an application for international protection is submitted, or at any point of the procedure the relevant needs arise, whether the applicant requires special procedural guarantees, due to –among others- their age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, psychological disorder or because they are a victim of torture, rape or other serious forms of psychological, physical or sexual violence. A new General Secretariat for Vulnerable Persons and Institutional Protection (GSVPIP) falling under the responsibilities of the Deputy Minister of Migration and Asylum was established with Article 6(1) of P.D. 77/2023 (A' 130/ 27-06-2023) to which the services of the Special Secretariat for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors of Article 39 of the P.D. 106/2020 were transferred. 663 The number of vulnerable persons registered by the RIS during 2024 throughout the country stood as follows: 663 For more information, see MoMA’s General Secretariat for Vulnerable Persons and Institutional Protection, home webpage, available at: https://tinyurl.com/2u63bw7y. 132