Germany restarts Dublin transfers to Italy, with the first one set for 19 August
Germany is restarting transfers of asylum seekers to Italy under the Dublin regulation, after almost four years in which virtually none took place. The first transfer is scheduled for Wednesday 19 August 2026.
The rule behind this is not new. Under the Dublin regulation, the country where you first entered the European Union is normally the one responsible for examining your asylum claim. Italy stopped taking these cases back in 2022. In December 2025 Rome and Berlin agreed to wipe out the accumulated backlog, and the German interior ministry now says it intends to apply the European rules strictly to people who arrived in Germany during 2026. Berlin has said it expects transfers to both Italy and Greece to resume following the new EU asylum rules that took effect on 12 June.
The first case is a 22-year-old Somali woman who reached Germany on 31 March after travelling through Italy, and who then applied for protection in Germany. On 25 June she was notified that Germany considers Italy responsible and that there is no basis for her claim to be examined in Germany. She had left Somalia to escape a forced marriage, and part of her family already lives in Germany. Germany's take-back request went to the Italian authorities in June; Italy did not answer within the two-week window, so the request was accepted by default.
If you have an asylum claim in Germany and you first entered the EU through Italy or Greece, check whether you have received a Dublin decision and what deadline is written on it. These decisions can be challenged, and family ties in Germany, health grounds or the length of time since your arrival can all matter. Speak to a lawyer or a refugee counselling service before the deadline runs out. No mass transfers have been announced — how many people this reaches will depend on individual files.