Author
Cessation of international protection is regulated by Articles 10 and 15 Asylum Code.
A third-country national or stateless person ceases to be a refugee if they:[1]
- Voluntarily re-avail themselves of the protection of their country of origin;
- Voluntarily re-acquire the nationality they had previously lost;
- Have obtained a new nationality and benefit from that country’s protection;
- Have voluntarily re-established themselves in the country they had fled or outside of which they had resided for fear of persecution;
- May no longer deny the protection of their country of origin due to the conditions leading to their recognition as a refugee having ceased to exist.
- in the case of a stateless person, are able to return to the country of former habitual residence because the circumstances which led to their recognition as a refugee have ceased to exist.
With regard to the provisions of Article (10)(1)(e) and (f), the change of circumstances must be substantial and durable.[2] Moreover, these provisions shall not apply to a refugee who is in a position to invoke compelling reasons arising from previous persecution to refuse the protection afforded to them by the country of origin or, in case of a stateless person, by the country of their former habitual residence.[3]
A third-country national or stateless person shall cease to be entitled to subsidiary protection when the circumstances which led to the recognition of their status have ceased to exist or when those circumstances have changed to such an extent that the protection granted is no longer necessary.[4] In this context, it is examined whether the change of circumstances is of such a substantial and non-temporary nature that the beneficiary of subsidiary protection no longer faces a real risk of suffering serious harm.[5] However, the cessation shall not apply to a beneficiary of subsidiary protection who is in a position to invoke compelling reasons arising from a previous serious harm to refuse the protection afforded to him by his country of nationality or, in the case of a stateless person, by his country of former habitual residence.[6]
Where cessation proceedings are initiated, the beneficiaries are informed in writing at least 15 days before the review of whether they meet the necessary conditions for international protection and the reasons for the review.[7] The beneficiaries are entitled to submit their views on why the status granted should not be withdrawn.[8] This provision is always respected by the Asylum Service. By contrast, in GCR’s experience, the Headquarters of the Hellenic Police[9] does not apply this provision in practice. It does not give the beneficiaries the right to a prior hearing either in writing or orally. The beneficiary is only notified of the cessation decision. During the renewal stage, even for the procedure before the Headquarters of the Hellenic Police, GCR observed that, in the years 2025–2026, following the submission of a renewal application, the Headquarters of the Hellenic Police notifies applicants who are beneficiaries of international protection with a document requesting that, either through an interview or by way of written submissions, they present within 20 days the reasons why they continue to face persecution in their country of origin. This practice effectively initiates a re-examination procedure on the merits, which in several cases—particularly concerning beneficiaries of subsidiary protection, including individuals originating from countries facing an extremely dangerous security situation, such as Afghanistan—leads to the non-renewal of residence permits and the cessation of their international protection status.
In case of negative decisions of 1st instance issued either by the Asylum Service or the Headquarters of the Hellenic Police, beneficiaries of international protection have the right to lodge an appeal before the Appeals Authority within thirty days from the service of the negative decision. However, as noted, beneficiaries of international protection for whom the competent authority is the Headquarters of the Hellenic Police, are in practice deprived of a degree of jurisdiction, since they are never heard at 1st instance. As these beneficiaries do not have an Asylum Service case number, but instead a Police Headquarters file number, they have to wait for months until their case is given an asylum service case number so that their appeal can be examined by the Appeals Authority.
During 2025, the Asylum Service did not renew international protection status (i.e., implying a cessation) in a total of 11 cases, the majority of which concerning nationals of Iraq (6) and Syria (3).[10] According to an announcement by the MoMA, the Revocations Unit of the Returns Directorate of the Asylum Service proceeded, during the period from 1 March 2026 to 9 April 2026, with the revocation of 1,203 refugee statuses of Syrian nationals.[11]
Pending the appeal, all beneficiaries of international protection are provided, either by the Asylum Service or the Headquarters of the Hellenic Police, with a certificate proving they have filed an appeal. This certificate, however, does not give them access to the labour market, health care, or social assistance. In fact, it only offers them protection from detention.
Where the person appeals the decision, contrary to the Asylum Procedure, the Appeals Committee is required to hold an oral hearing of the beneficiary in cessation cases.[12]
[1] Article 10(1) Asylum Code.
[2] Article 10(2) Asylum Code.
[3] Article 10(3) Asylum Code.
[4] Article 15(1) Asylum Code.
[5] Article 15(2) Asylum Code.
[6] Article 15(3) Asylum Code.
[7] Article 96(2)(a) Asylum Code.
[8] Article 96(2)(b) Asylum Code.
[9] The Headquarters of the Hellenic Police is competent for beneficiaries of international protection who applied for international protection before the start of Asylum Service’s operation.
[10] RSA, Recognised refugee statistics in Greece in 2025, March 2026, available at: https://tinyurl.com/435psr2v, p.6.
[11] MoMa, 14.4.2026 available at: https://migration.gov.gr/1-203-anakliseis-kathestoton-diethnoys-prostasias-politon-apo-ti-syria-protia-tis-elladas-me-50-ton-etheloysion-epistrofon-poy-ginontai-apo-tin-ee-pros-ti-syria/(in Greek)
[12] Article 102(3) Asylum Code.