How to Apply for Asylum in Germany as a Nigerian

Check whether you need protection before starting a German asylum application

Asylum is for a person who needs protection from persecution or serious harm. It is not an ordinary way to extend a visa, replace an expired residence permit or obtain permission to work. If your problem is an expired student or employment permit, ask a German immigration lawyer to check that permit and any renewal or change application before you describe the problem as an asylum matter.

Germany examines whether you qualify for constitutional asylum, refugee protection, subsidiary protection or a national ban on deportation. The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, known as BAMF, decides the protection application. The local immigration authority, or Ausländerbehörde, deals with many residence and enforcement matters outside BAMF’s protection decision.

Tell a protection lawyer or an independent asylum-procedure counselling service about your actual fear of return, your travel history and any earlier application in another European country. Do not select a protection category for yourself. BAMF must assess the facts against the applicable forms of protection.

Tell an authorised German office that you want to apply for asylum

If you are already in Germany, you can state that you want asylum to the police, an immigration authority, a reception facility or another authorised public office that handles the initial request. At a German border, tell the border authority. Use clear words. If you need an interpreter, say which language you understand best.

This first statement is not the same as a private consultation or an online form submitted to an adviser. The public office records the protection request and directs you into the registration and reception system. Keep every paper you receive, including the date, office and any reference number.

Give truthful information about your name, nationality, date of birth, family members, route to Germany, visas, fingerprints and earlier protection applications. German and European authorities compare these records when deciding which country is responsible for the application. If a name, date or country is recorded incorrectly, ask how to correct it and keep evidence of the request.

Complete registration and keep the proof of arrival

Registration normally includes identity details, a photograph and fingerprints where the law requires them. The information is checked against German and European systems. The authorities then arrange distribution to the responsible reception facility and federal state.

The registration record and proof of arrival are not the final BAMF asylum decision. They show that the authorities have recorded you and allow the reception and asylum procedure to continue. Check the spelling of your name and the address or facility shown. Keep the document even after you receive a later applicant document.

Tell the official about a spouse, minor child, close family member, serious illness, disability, pregnancy or other vulnerability that may affect reception or procedure. Provide the exact medical or family document available. A general statement that you have family somewhere in Europe is not enough for the authority to identify the person or legal issue.

Attend the BAMF appointment and make the asylum application personally

The formal asylum application is normally made in person at the responsible BAMF branch office. BAMF records the application, explains rights and duties and issues or arranges the document that records your permission to remain during the procedure, commonly called the Aufenthaltsgestattung. The exact document and restrictions depend on the stage and procedure.

Bring the passport, identity card or other identity and travel records you genuinely hold. Do not destroy a passport or claim that it is missing when it is available. If you do not have a passport, explain why and provide other genuine records that help establish identity.

An Aufenthaltsgestattung is not a residence permit. It records the person’s lawful presence for the asylum procedure and may include a residence obligation, work restriction or geographic condition. Read the entries on the document and ask the responsible office before starting employment, moving to another area or travelling.

The current procedure is governed by Germany’s Asylum Act and the European rules applying to applications lodged from 12 June 2026. Earlier applications may remain subject to transitional provisions. Keep the BAMF document showing the application date so that a lawyer can identify which framework applies.

Give complete information about earlier European visas and applications

Germany first examines responsibility for the claim under the applicable European system. An earlier visa, fingerprint, border registration, protection application, protection grant or family relationship in another participating country can affect which state handles the case.

Do not assume that arrival in Germany means BAMF will automatically examine the substance of the claim. BAMF may issue a transfer or inadmissibility decision where another country is responsible or where protection was already granted elsewhere. The decision, notification date and available court remedy require immediate review by a German protection lawyer.

If a spouse, minor child or another qualifying family member is in Germany or another participating country, identify the person and provide the birth certificate, marriage certificate, residence document or other record that proves the relationship. A relative’s WhatsApp message is not a substitute for the civil-status evidence the authorities may need.

Use the BAMF interview to explain your own protection case fully

The personal interview is the main opportunity to explain why you cannot safely return. BAMF provides an interpreter where required. Tell the interviewer immediately if you do not understand the interpreter, the dialect or a question. Do not continue politely while important facts are being translated incorrectly.

Describe what happened in your own words. Separate events you experienced from information somebody else gave you. If a date is uncertain, say that it is uncertain and explain what helps you place the event. A truthful explanation of a gap is safer than changing a date to make the account look neat.

Bring relevant evidence, such as messages, photographs, medical reports, police or court records and membership or employment records connected to the protection concern. Keep the original digital files where possible. Explain what each item shows and who created it. A cropped screenshot without the sender, date or context may be difficult to assess.

Ask for the interview record to be read back or translated in a language you understand. Correct errors before confirming the record. Keep the copy or written confirmation BAMF provides. Tell a lawyer promptly if the record does not contain an important correction you requested.

Do not buy a persecution account, alter a police report or ask somebody to produce a false letter. Antarch Consulting does not write asylum statements, coach testimony or decide whether a person qualifies for protection.

Keep BAMF and the responsible offices informed while the application is pending

Read every letter from BAMF, the reception authority and the Ausländerbehörde. Record the delivery date and keep the envelope where it helps show service. If you move, use the official procedure to notify every authority that requires the new address. Telling a landlord, school or adviser does not prove that BAMF received the change.

Attend appointments and respond to requests for a named document within the stated time. Submit the document to the office and channel identified in the request, then keep the registered receipt. Sending a photograph to a private intermediary does not show that BAMF received it.

Ask the Ausländerbehörde what employment is permitted on the applicant document you hold. Work access can depend on time in Germany, reception-centre residence, the job and an authority’s permission. A job offer does not change the words printed on the document.

If you need reception support, ask the reception authority or a recognised counselling organisation which office assesses accommodation and basic-support needs. Do not pay anyone who promises a favourable BAMF decision or a guaranteed place in public accommodation.

Read the written BAMF decision before deciding what to do next

BAMF sends a written decision explaining the result. The letter may grant a form of protection, reject the application, find it inadmissible, or make another procedural decision. The Ausländerbehörde is also informed.

If the decision grants protection, take the complete BAMF letter to the Ausländerbehörde and ask which residence permit must be requested, which form and photographs are required, and what document you will receive while the card is produced. Keep the BAMF decision as well as the later residence card.

If the decision is negative, send every page and the proof of delivery to a German protection lawyer immediately. Do not calculate the court deadline from a general article. Current German law uses different periods for different decisions, and the right to remain while a case is before the court also depends on the decision and applicable European rule. Read the separate Germany refusal guide before taking another step.