Admissibility examination

After you apply for asylum, the authorities first check whether your application can be examined in Austria. This step is called an admissibility examination.

If the authorities decide that your application is not admissible in Austria, they will not examine whether you qualify for asylum or another form of protection in Austria. Instead, they will decide what should happen next, for example whether another country is responsible for examining your application.

The authorities will inform you if the admissibility examination applies to you. You can also find the type of procedure that applies to your case on the document you received after registration.

On this page, you can learn how the admissibility examination works and what it means for your case.

What does the authority check?

An applicant talking with an asylum official with the help of an interpreter.

In some situations, there will be a pre-examination of your application.

This pre-examination is called an admissibility examination and it takes up to 2 months.

This means that the authorities will first examine the five following questions.

  • Have you already received international protection in another EU+ country?
  • Have you already received international protection in a non-EU country, where you will be safe and to which you can return?
  • Can you be readmitted to a country where you are safe and where your application for international protection can be examined?
  • Did you ask for international protection more than 7 days after receiving a return decision?
  • Has an international criminal court or tribunal provided you with safe relocation to another country or is an international criminal court or tribunal in the process of doing so?

You may be invited to an interview covering these questions. This is called an admissibility interview. During this interview, you may also be asked about the reasons why you applied for international protection and why you do not want to return to your country.

Depending on your circumstances in relation to the questions above:

  • your application may be rejected, or
  • the procedure will continue and the authorities will examine whether you need international protection.

The BFA will inform you if the admissibility examination applies to you and will provide further explanations.

What happens if your procedure continues?

If Austria examines your application, your asylum procedure continues. You can learn more about the next steps here:

See the asylum procedure