(de-news.net) – In the first half of 2025, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bamf) discontinued 7,264 asylum proceedings, citing applicants’ failure to engage in required procedural steps – or due to disappearance. According to Section 33 (1) of the Asylum Act, such determinations are rendered following substantive review and contingent upon the applicant’s formal acknowledgment of the legal consequences through written notification.

Non-compliance is adjudicated when individuals neglect to submit requisite documentation, are absent from legally mandated hearings without justification, violate residency stipulations, or repatriate during the adjudication period. The term ‘disappearance’ is legally invoked when an applicant becomes unreachable by state authorities, constituting a breach of accessibility obligations. Bamf is required to base such assessments on verifiable facts, including the duration of inaccessibility.

Termination of asylum procedures typically results in the issuance of a departure mandate accompanied by potential deportation orders. Political discourse around the matter has intensified, with policymakers such as Brandenburg’s Interior Minister René Wilke advocating for automatic forfeiture of asylum rights upon disappearance. In contrast, Bavaria’s Interior Ministry asserts that current legislation already permits cessation of proceedings under these conditions.

Anticipated reforms under the Common European Asylum System (GEAS), effective June 2026, are expected to impose stricter regulations. The revised Asylum Procedures Regulation will stipulate that applications from absconding individuals are to be considered tacitly withdrawn, eliminating the possibility of procedural reinstatement under the forthcoming framework.