Since Germany increased its border checks, an average of five people are sent back daily at the German-Belgian border, according to figures released on Thursday by the German Ministry of the Interior and published by the weekly magazine Knack.
Between 8 May and 27 July 2025, 387 individuals were returned to Belgium from the German-Belgian border, with 58 of them being denied entry based on their asylum status.
Border checks were introduced in 2024 but were intensified in May this year. In May, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt instructed police to refuse entry to asylum seekers arriving from what are deemed safe third countries.
Across all German borders, more than 3,000 people are turned back each month.
Notably, German authorities do not systematically inform their Belgian counterparts when asylum seekers are refused entry.
This is acknowledged by the office of Belgian Minister for Asylum and Migration, Anneleen Van Bossuyt (N-VA). “We maintain regular contact with the relevant authorities, both at the administrative and political levels,” she stated.
“Last week, Minister Van Bossuyt communicated with her German counterpart during the informal European Council of Ministers in Denmark.”
The border checks are set to continue until September, but they may be extended. In response, both the Netherlands and Poland have reintroduced their own border checks.
Minister Van Bossuyt recently announced new entry checks at international bus and train stations.
