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People considered vulnerable

People considered vulnerable often get priority for services and programs. Under Greek law, vulnerable people are:

  • Unaccompanied Minors (people under 18 years old) who are in Greece with or without their families
  • Direct relatives of those killed in shipwrecks (parents, siblings, children, and spouses)
  • People with disabilities
  • Elderly people
  • Pregnant women
  • Single-parent families with children under 18
  • Victims of human trafficking (people who have been forced into labour or sexually exploited)
  • People with serious illness
  • People with mental and psychiatric disabilities
  • Victims of torture, rape, or other severe forms of psychological, physical, or sexual violence, such as survivors of genital mutilation (FGM)

How does the vulnerability assessment take place?

The fact that you belong to one of the above categories of vulnerable people is a factor that should be taken into account both during the Reception and Identification Procedure in a Reception and Identification Center (RIC) and during the asylum procedure before the Greek Asylum Service, regardless of whether it takes place on the islands or the mainland, in a sense that authorities should make sure that you have access to adequate care and support. Your vulnerability does not, in principle, affect your asylum case.

Α) During the Reception and Identification Procedure in a Reception and Identification Center (RIC) or a Closed Controlled Access Center)

During the Reception and Identification Procedure, you will undergo medical control. During this control, the authorities attempt to identify people belonging to vulnerable groups to provide them with specialized medical care and protection and to refer them to competent public bodies for social support and protection. For example, in the case of unaccompanied minors will be referred to special shelters or safe areas.

Inside the Reception and Identification Centers and Closed Controlled Access Centers, the medical staff of the camp will give you an in-person medical examination. The clinical psychologists are responsible for your psychological evaluation. During these examinations, they will note your details and should ask about your medical history and current health condition. If you have any medical documents with you, you will be asked to present them. It is essential to describe your health condition and medical history with as many details as possible. This will make the process faster and more accurate. You might also get referred to the local public hospital for more specialized medical examinations.

Interpretation services in your language should be provided to you throughout these assessments. If an official interpreter is not present during your appointment, you should not proceed with your examination.

If the medical team considers you vulnerable after their assessment, they will prepare a written vulnerability report, which will also be shared with RIC or CCAC, police and the Asylum Service.

Until June 2024, EODY (National Public Health Organization) was providing medical and psychosocial support in the camps. Since September 2024, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has undertaken the provision of medical and psychosocial support.

Please note:

Recent reports have highlighted some concerns regarding the quality and timing of medical checks. Vulnerabilities may not always be identified on time, and in some instances, the assessments happen only after the reception and identification process has finished.

The levels of vulnerability: The assessment will determine if you have a "high" vulnerability, a "medium" vulnerability or "no" vulnerability at all. If you are considered "highly" vulnerable, the medical staff of the camp will refer you to a public hospital or a specialized doctor for medical care and treatment. If you are on an island when needed, you might be transferred to the mainland, where you can receive the medical support you need.

If your level of vulnerability is considered "medium", your condition could worsen if you do not receive more specialized support. You will receive accommodation outside the Reception and Identification Center or Close Controlled Access Center, where conditions might be better.

B) Vulnerability Reassessment on the islands (during the examination of your application for international protection)

Only unaccompanied minors under the age of 15 and minors who are victims of human trafficking, torture, rape, or other serious forms of psychological, physical or sexual violence shall be exempted from the border procedure. However, if certain conditions apply, such as their country of origin is designated as safe (Ghana, Senegal, Togo, Gambia, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Albania, Georgia, Ukraine, India and Armenia) or if they have submitted a subsequent asylum application, their application might also be examined according to the border procedure.

Other categories of vulnerable persons that arrive on the islands, even when identified, are not exempted from the fast-track border procedure unless it is proven that no adequate support can be provided to them on the island. In these cases, the geographical restriction imposed by RIS is lifted, and they are transferred or allowed to move to the mainland.

Vulnerability Reassessment

If you are not assessed as vulnerable and your health situation changes, you can request a vulnerability reassessment while the asylum application is ongoing, even after the interview. In that case, you will have to submit new documents to the Asylum Service to prove your vulnerability status so that they can review your case. It would be better to consult a lawyer to assist you in that procedure.

C) During the examination of your application for international protection before the Asylum Service (island or mainland)

In all stages of the examination of your application for international protection, the Asylum Service assesses and takes into consideration the person's vulnerability to provide the corresponding procedural guarantees, e.g. if the asylum seeker turns out to be a victim of human trafficking to make a referral to the National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings; or if a person has any disability to take the necessary measures to safeguard its procedural rights; or to request medical examinations that will prove its claim for international protection in a public hospital or private doctor contracted with the Greek state.

How does the vulnerability assessment affect my case?

It is important to note that the identification of vulnerability will not, in principle, affect your case. If you belong to a vulnerable group and your scheduled interview is set within fifteen (15) days from the lodging of your application, the Asylum Service might allow extra time (up to 3 days) for you to properly prepare for the interview and consult with a lawyer or other counsellor to assist you during the process. Vulnerability assessment is, in the first place, crucial for procedural guarantee provision.

Going through an interview while your vulnerability is being evaluated?

If you have an interview before the evaluation of your vulnerability is finalized (for example, going through an age assessment to establish that you are a minor), make sure to mention it to the Greek Asylum Service case worker at the beginning of the interview. Depending on the case, the interview will either continue or be postponed later.

Age Assessment

Both during the Reception and Identification Procedure in a Reception and Identification Center (RIC) or a Closed Controlled Access Center (CCAC) and the asylum procedure before the Greek Asylum Service, regardless of whether it takes place on the islands or the mainland, if an employee doubts about whether you are a minor or not,  they have to start an age assessment procedure.

The age assessment procedure includes a medical examination by a general practitioner or pediatrician, a psychologist and a social worker and an examination by ex-rays, depending on how difficult it is to determine the age. In every stage of the procedure, you have the right to be informed about the procedure that will be followed and its results in a language you understand. The results should be notified to you in the end. If you disagree with the results of the age assessment, you have 15 days to appeal. In that case, it is better to consult a lawyer.

If your interview takes place before your age assessment has been finalized, make sure to mention that to the Greek Asylum Service case worker at the beginning of your interview. Depending on the case, your interview will continue or be postponed to a later stage.