Personal interview
In this step, you attend a personal interview about your asylum application.
This is an important part of the asylum process. Here, you explain why you need protection.
What happens in this step?
The authorities will examine whether you need international protection.
You will be invited to a personal interview. You will receive the invitation by post or in some cases in person.
The interview will take place in person or, in exceptional cases, remotely.
The interview will be audio recorded.
The interview is the opportunity for you to present in detail the reasons you are asking for international protection and why you do not want to return to your home country.
Your interview is the possibility to tell the authorities about the events that made you leave your country. Decisions will be based on all the information you give them during the interview. While trying to gain as much information about your case as possible we will ask questions in order to learn more about the most important things.
You must attend the personal interview and arrive on time. If you do not attend the personal interview without a serious and justified reason, your application will be considered withdrawn and your case will no longer be examined. If you refuse to respond to questions during the interview without a serious reason, your application will also be considered withdrawn.
Each adult applicant will be interviewed separately.
Your children will be provided with the opportunity to have an interview.
After the personal interview, your application will be assessed. The authorities will decide whether you will receive international protection or not.
In exceptional situations, the personal interview may not take place. The authorities will inform you if this applies to you.
Your rights in this step
From the moment you apply for asylum, you have important rights. The most important rights during the personal interview are explained below. You can find a full overview of your rights here.
If you do not speak German, an interpreter will help you to communicate with the authorities during the registration and the lodging of your application as well as during your personal interview. The interpreter is free of charge and is appointed by the authority.
The interpreter is neutral, meaning they do not favour anyone. They respect confidentiality and will not share anything you say with anyone outside of the competent authorities.
The interpreter has no influence on the decision on your application.
Inform the authorities immediately if you do not understand the interpreter or you think that the interpreter is not neutral.
You can ask for a male or female interpreter and interviewer for your personal interview, if this helps you to fully express yourself. Depending on your reasons and if there is availability, your request will be met.
You can ask for legal counselling, free of charge, during the asylum procedure.
Legal counselling means that you can receive general explanations on:
- your rights and obligations in the asylum procedure
- the different procedures
- general legal questions regarding the asylum procedure
You can request information and legal counselling here.
A legal adviser is a person providing personal legal assistance or representation to you in dealing with the authorities. A legal adviser is independent from the authorities and defends your interests. A legal adviser can assist you with your application for international protection, with the asylum procedure, with official communication and they can stay with you during the personal interview.
It is your right to consult a legal adviser at any stage of the asylum procedure at your own expense.
Share the details of your legal adviser with the authorities so that they can keep them informed about your application.
Your duties in this step
From the moment you apply for asylum, you also have certain duties. The most important duties during the personal interview are explained below. You can find a full overview of your duties here.
You must attend all appointments in person whenever you are requested to do so by the authorities. You must be there on time.
If you are unable to attend an appointment for a serious reason, inform the authorities immediately and explain the reason.
When requested, you must do the following:
- Provide your personal details.
- Provide identity documents. If you do not have them, explain why.
- Have your fingerprints and photograph taken.
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Lodge your application at a designated date and place.
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Attend the personal interview and respond to questions during the interview.
- Agree to be searched and to have your items searched, if the authorities request to do so. A search will only occur where necessary and justified. The authority will explain the reasons for the search. The search will be carried out by a person of the same sex as you and will be done in a way that respects your dignity.
What you say is very important for the credibility of your application. This is why you need to be honest and give full and correct information about your identity, family, country of origin, the reasons you have left your home country and why you do not want to return there.
You may not remember everything so you may not be able to answer all the questions. In this case, do not invent answers but explain that you do not remember.
The authorities are interested in your story. Others might have told you to tell another story. You know your story, please tell it correctly. Trust your memories.
The authorities must be able to reach you regarding your application for international protection.
If your address, email or telephone number change, inform the authorities immediately.
Remember, you must not leave Austria while your application is being examined.
If you are being accommodated in a centre, you should not move elsewhere without the permission of the authorities.
If you have identity documents, you must present them as soon as possible.
You must submit any other information and documents that may help the authorities to examine your application or to decide the country responsible for the examination of your application. These documents can be, for example, a passport, wedding certificate, family book, military ID card, evidence of employment, membership card of a political party, certificates, court and police reports, photographs and medical or psychological documentation.
You do not need to submit documents that only contain general information about your country. The asylum authorities are aware of the situation in your country.
You should submit all information and documents as soon as possible when lodging your application. If you don’t have the documents immediately available, you must submit them as soon as you have them, until the decision on your application is made.
It is mandatory to present original documents, where possible. You must not destroy or dispose of any identity documents. You must not withhold any relevant documents. You must never submit a fake or forged document.
If possible, and to the extent that this does not create a risk, ask your friends or relatives to send your documents to you.
What happens if you do not follow your duties?
If you do not follow your duties, this can have serious consequences for your asylum procedure. The most important consequences during the personal interview are explained below. You can find a full overview here.
Your application will be considered withdrawn or rejected. This means that you may lose your status as an applicant for international protection and all the related rights.
This will happen if you refuse to:
- provide information when requested to do so
- have your fingerprints or photograph taken
- provide your address
- respond to questions during your personal interview.
It will also happen if you:
- do not lodge your application within the set time limit without a serious reason
- do not attend the personal interview without a serious reason
- do not report to the authorities when requested to do so
- do not remain in the place you are obliged to stay
- cannot be reached by the authorities
- leave the country.
If you provide misleading or false information related to your identity or your application, or if you destroy or forge documents, this may have a negative impact on your application, for example as follows:
- Your application may be rejected and you may not obtain international protection.
- Your application may be examined in the asylum border procedure. (If this happens, you’ll receive specific information on the procedure).
- Your application may be accelerated. In this case, the time to examine your application will be reduced to three months. The accelerated procedure can also be applied for other specific reasons. The authorities will inform you and provide further explanations if the accelerated procedure applies to you.
International protection could also be taken away from you if the authorities find out later that you did not tell the truth during the asylum procedure.
What happens next?
After the personal interview, the authorities will examine your case in detail.
This is the next step, where they review all information before making a decision.