Travelling Abroad for Refugees

You will find all the essential information about the "travel document for refugees" in our chapter "Blue Passport".

In principle, you can travel abroad if you hold a "travel document for foreigners or stateless persons" (the so-called "Gray passport"). For most countries, however, you need a visa, plus, not all countries recognise the "Grey Passport" as a valid travel document. Before planning a trip, you can contact the embassy of the country in question to see whether they recognise your travel document and issue you a visa or not. On the last page of this UNHCR report, you can see a list of countries which recognise the "Gray Passport". Whether you will be issued a visa depends on various factors such as your country of origin, nationality, your situation in Germany and alike, so it is difficult to predict the result of your visa application.

As someone who holds a "Grey Passport", you can go to all the Schengen States without a visa and stay there for up to three months. You can find a list of Schengen states at auswaertiges-amt.de.

If you do travel to your country of origin, you could lose your residence permit in Germany. The immigration authorities can initiate revocation proceedings and you could lose your right of residence in Germany. You can find out more about this in our chapter “Revocation of protection status”.

Good to know: What are the “Schengen states”?

The "Schengen States" are a group of countries in Europe that have agreed to keep their shared borders open to free travel. This means that residents of these countries can travel from one Schengen country to another without passport controls or visa requirements as if they were in their own country. This means that you are allowed to enter and travel within the Schengen States as a tourist for three months within a period of 180 days.

Not all European countries belong to the Schengen area. Some countries have decided against joining and are maintaining their own border controls. Therefore, it is always a good idea to find out before travelling whether the country you want to travel to is part of the Schengen area. 

If you reside in Germany under subsidiary protection or due to a national ban on deportation and still have a valid passport from your country of origin, you can use this passport to travel abroad and present your German residence permit to be allowed back into Germany. Whether you need a visa for your destination country depends on your country of origin.

If you do travel to your country of origin, you could lose your residence permit in Germany. The immigration authorities can initiate revocation proceedings and you could lose your right of residence in Germany. You can find out more about this in our chapter “Revocation of protection status”.

In principle, when you have a tolerated stay permit, for example a vocationa training permit or an employment permit, you are not allowed to travel abroad. However, the immigration authorities can make exceptions. You might be allowed to travel, for example, and go on school trips (for school children). Or spend time with family on important occasions such as weddings or funerals.

You must apply for your trip abroad to the Immigration Office in advance. You can find the Immigration Office responsible for you at bamf.de. Be sure to submit your application as early as possible, as processing your application can take a long time. Each application is examined individually.

With a “Fiktionsbescheinigung” in accordance with Section 81, Paragraph 3 of the Residence Act, residence in the federal territory and travel within Germany is permitted. However, re-entry after a stay abroad is not permitted. The fiction certificate often states “does not apply to travel abroad” to indicate that it does not allow you to travel abroad.

In contrast, people with a “Fiktionsbescheinigung” in accordance with Section 81, Paragraph 4 of the Residence Act can move freely within the Schengen zone with recognized passports or substitute passport and re-enter Germany. However, the prerequisite for this is that, in addition to using the officially prescribed form, “the third box on page 3 of the foreigner's form” must also be ticked. Entry and exit stamps are affixed to the passport or passport replacement, not to the “Fiktionsbescheinigung”.

If you believe that your “Fiktionsbescheinigung” has been issued incorrectly and needs to be corrected, you can contact your local immigration office.  

A “Fiktionsbescheinigung” is issued when a decision has not yet been made regarding the residence permit for which one has applied, for example, when you want to extend your residence permit or apply for a new one.

In such cases, you will either receive a “Fiktionsbescheinigung” in accordance with Section 81, Paragraph 4 of the Residence Act or Section 81, Paragraph 3 of the Residence Act. 

Important: If you are not sure what type of “Fiktionsbescheinigung” you have, you can ask your local Immigration Office whether you are allowed to re-enter Germany or not. If you are planning a trip outside the Schengen area, also check with the authorities of the destination country whether you are allowed to enter and leave with the “Fiktionsbescheinigung ”.

Please note that a visa may be required in addition to the “Fiktionsbescheinigung” depending on the destination. 

Travel health insurance is a type of insurance that covers your medical treatment costs during your trip. Since German health insurance at best only partially covers medical costs abroad, it always makes sense to take out an affordable travel health insurance that covers medical emergencies abroad. It is important to read the insurance conditions carefully and select the insurance cover according to your individual needs.

If you receive social benefits from the Jobcenter, you are legally obliged to report your absence to them in good time. There you can apply for your absence. You can also do so online. After the Jobcenter has checked your application and if your absence is approved, you will receive your “Bürgergeld” and your health insurance payments will continue during your absence. However, if you are away for longer than 3 weeks or cannot be reached by the Jobcenter, your “Bürgergeld” and health insurance benefits will be cut.