Refugees slowly return from Germany to Syria, but concerns persist

The number of refugees returning to Syria from Germany since the fall of longtime president Bashar al-Assad has been slowly rising, though it remains relatively low, the Interior Ministry has told dpa.

The low level of returns is linked to security risks and the heavily destroyed infrastructure following the civil war, aid organizations have reported.

By the end of August, 1,867 Syrians had left Germany with federal assistance, up from 804 at the end of May. Returns are also supported through state-level programmes, while others depart without official aid.

Pressure on refugees in Lebanon and Turkey

Since the overthrow of al-Assad in December, refugees have mainly returned to Syria from neighbouring countries, including Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.

Janine Lietmeyer, a board member of World Vision Germany who visited Syria in August, said families often struggle with the decision to return. She noted that relative normality in central Damascus contrasts sharply with hardship in other regions, making reintegration difficult.

Electricity and schooling are scarce in many places

For the returnees, in addition to the still difficult security situation in some regions, fundamental questions arise, such as: "Is there a functioning school? How many hours a day do I have electricity? Are there any housing options at all?"

Lietmeyer said that in some former rebel strongholds, practically all houses are destroyed. Residual munitions make staying in these areas dangerous.

At the end of July, according to the Central Register of Foreigners (AZR), just under 955,000 Syrian nationals were living in Germany, about 20,000 fewer than at the beginning of the year.

However, this does not mean that Syrians are leaving the country in large numbers.

The Federal Statistical Office recorded only 1,562 departures to Syria in the first five months of this year. However, not everyone who leaves deregisters, which leads to delays in updating the AZR data.

Many Syrians becoming German citizens

Last year, around 83,150 Syrians became German citizens, Interior Ministry data showed. Figures for 2025 are not yet available.

Many of the refugees who arrived in Germany in 2015 or 2016 now meet the criteria for naturalization, from securing their own livelihood to German language skills.

At the same time, new asylum applications continue: Between January and August, 17,650 Syrians applied for protection at the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF).

However, since the change in the German government, applications from Syrian nationals are generally not being decided upon - except for a few exceptions and cases where it is clarified whether another European country is responsible for the procedure.

This is justified by the fact that the situation in Syria is still subject to significant changes. This delay has led to 53,187 cases from people from Syria accumulating at the authority, where the decision is still pending.

New situation report

The Foreign Office did present an updated report on the situation in Syria at the end of May, which is intended to help BAMF with its decisions on asylum applications.

The only Syrians whose protection status BAMF is now deciding on, according to a directive from the Interior Ministry from this summer, are criminals and so-called threats, namely people suspected of a serious politically motivated crime.

They do not yet have to expect rapid deportation, even though Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) has stressed that he wants to make progress in this area.

There have been no deportations from Germany to Syria since 2012. "The Federal Ministry of the Interior is working intensively to enable returns to Syria, as agreed in the coalition agreement, and to support the states in this," said a spokeswoman.

Joint trip laid the foundation for deportation from Austria

In July, neighbouring Austria deported a Syrian to his homeland for the first time in about 15 years. The foundation for this was reportedly laid by Interior Minister Gerhard Karner during a joint trip to Syria with his then German counterpart Nancy Faeser in April, according to the Interior Ministry in Vienna.

The man, considered a sympathizer of the terrorist militia Islamic State, was taken to Damascus via Istanbul, where he initially disappeared.

Recently, the European Court of Human Rights temporarily stopped another planned deportation from Austria to Syria.