Deadline
Germany: “unzulässig” in your asylum decision, meaning and appeal deadline
This word appears in asylum decisions (Germany). Below you find what it means, the appeal deadlines and what to do now. The exact deadline is written at the end of your decision; always follow it.
What does it mean?
Your application was not examined on its merits; it was found “inadmissible” (AsylG § 29). This happens, for example, when another EU country has already given you protection, when there is a safe third country or first country of asylum for you, or when a repeat application brings no new facts.
Deadlines
| What to file | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Court case (Klage) at the administrative court (Verwaltungsgericht) | 7 days |
| Urgent application (Eilantrag, § 80 Abs. 5 VwGO) * | 7 days |
* Only if the clause at the end of your decision mentions it.
The deadlines run from the day the decision was formally delivered to you (Zustellung). Keep the envelope: the date on it matters.
This is an estimate and deliberately shows the EARLIEST possible day. Your exact deadline is stated at the end of your decision; always follow the deadline in your decision. Some countries add extra days for decisions sent by post; do not rely on them.
Can I stay in the country?
With some inadmissibility decisions you may stay in Germany while the case runs, with others you may not. If the clause at the end of the decision mentions an urgent application (§ 80 Abs. 5 VwGO), file it in the same week as the court case; otherwise you can be deported.
If the court also says no
If the administrative court rejects the case as “offensichtlich unzulässig” or “offensichtlich unbegründet”, that ruling is final; there is no further appeal (AsylG § 78(1)). In other cases you can turn to the higher court (Oberverwaltungsgericht); a lawyer is needed there and the deadline is written in the court ruling.
What to do now
- Write down the day the decision reached you and keep the envelope.
- Read the “Rechtsbehelfsbelehrung” at the end of the decision: the exact deadline and the court's address are there. If it differs from this page, follow your decision.
- You can start the case at the administrative court yourself: in writing, or by stating it to the court clerk, who records it (VwGO § 81). No lawyer is required at this first level.
- Tell the court the facts and evidence you rely on within 1 month of delivery (AsylG § 74(2)); evidence that comes later may be ignored.
Official source
We prepare your appeal letter. Write to us before the deadline passes.