Dublin procedure

The Dublin Convention

Liechtenstein has been an associate member of Schengen and Dublin since December 19, 2011. The Dublin Convention is a treaty under international law on the determination of the state responsible for examining an asylum application submitted in a Dublin state.

The corresponding procedure for determining the responsibility of the Dublin member state responsible for carrying out the Asylum Division and, if applicable, removal procedure is also referred to as the Dublin procedure.

The legal basis for this is set out in particular in the Dublin Regulation. The latest version, the Dublin III Regulation, came into force on July 19, 2013 and has been directly applicable since January 1, 2014.

On the one hand, the Dublin Convention aims to ensure that every foreigner who applies for asylum in the territory of the Dublin member states is guaranteed an asylum procedure. At the same time, it is intended to prevent asylum seekers from being able to pursue more than one procedure on the territory of the member states. The EURODAC database (European Dactyloscopy) is used to compare the fingerprints of asylum seekers for the necessary exchange of information. The national Dublin offices of the Dublin contracting states are responsible for the exchange of further information. In Liechtenstein, this is located at the APA.

The Dublin procedure

As part of the entry interview, the Migration and Passport Office (APA) checks its responsibility for processing an asylum application according to the criteria set out in the Dublin III Regulation. If the examination reveals that another state is responsible for processing the asylum application and, if necessary, for removing the asylum seeker from the territory of the Dublin states, and if this state has agreed to take in or take back the person, the responsible member of the government rejects the asylum application as inadmissible. If Liechtenstein is responsible for the asylum procedure, the first instance procedure is initiated.