Getting registered for accommodation
To stay in a camp or UNHCR accommodation, you must first register at a Reception and Identification Center or, under rare circumstances, with the police.
Reception and Identification Centers
When you first arrive in Greece, even before you apply for asylum, you can ask for accommodation at a Reception and Identification Center.
You can find Reception and Identification Centers on the islands of Lesvos, Chios, Leros, Kos and Samos and in the mainland in Evros (at Fylakio).
After you go through a few procedures, including an identity check and a medical exam, Reception and Identification Service Authority officials will assign you a place to stay inside a camp, if one is available. You might end up in a tent or be asked to stay outside the camp.
If you don’t go through a Reception and Identification Center when you first enter Greece, you won’t be able to enter a camp or other accommodation, and you will not have access to many services.
If you are applying for asylum in Greece and do not have a place to stay, you should contact a legal aid organizations.
Going to the police
The Greek Reception and Identification Service Authority told Refugee.Info that asylum-seekers who haven’t been to a Reception and Identification Center can instead go to the closest police station to register.
Greek police can perform some of the registration procedures the Reception and Identification Service performs, including taking your personal details, taking your fingerprints (if you are over 14 years old), verifying your identification and nationality, and storing all your information in the online database.
The police can’t perform a health and vulnerability assessment or provide psychosocial support.
The police might be able to refer you to a camp, but only if there is a place available.
Risk of detention or deportation
If you are over 18 and have a Pre-Registration card or Full Registration card, the police probably will not detain you, according to UNHCR and organizations that provide legal advice, including the Greek Council for Refugees and Solidarity Now.
If you don’t have a Pre-Registration or Full Registration card, declare right away that you want to apply for asylum in Greece or ask a lawyer to accompany you, legal organizations advise. By declaring that you will apply for asylum, you can avoid the risk of deportation.
People who go to the police before applying for asylum, especially single men, will probably be detained until they apply for asylum, legal organizations told Refugee.Info.
If you are under 18 and traveling alone, police might keep you in custody for your own protection.
Photo: Vicky Markolefa / Mercy Corps