Since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, only a limited number of Afghans in Germany have voluntarily returned to their home country, according to figures released by the German government. The data has intensified criticism from refugee advocacy groups, which accuse the German government of toughening its migration policies despite deteriorating conditions in Afghanistan.

Government figures show that between 2023 and March 2026, only 222 people left Germany for Afghanistan with financial support from the state. An additional eight people received assistance to relocate to another country. Most of those who returned were men, though women and children were also among them.

Germany resumed financial support for voluntary returns to Afghanistan in 2025 through a federal-state program. Since then, authorities have supported 88 departures. Assistance includes travel costs, start-up aid and, in some cases, medical expenses.

At the same time, Germany has expanded deportations to Afghanistan. Since the current coalition government took office, 138 people have been deported, all of them men convicted of criminal offenses.

German government policy

When asked by InfoMigrants recently about its current policy on returns and contact with the Taliban, whose government has not been officially recognized either by Germany or most Western States, a spokesperson for the German Interior Ministry replied: "The German government is in contact with the de facto Afghan government [the Taliban] on a 'technical level.' The readmission of Afghan nationals who do not have a right of residence in Germany is an obligation under customary international law. This obligation applies to the State of Afghanistan and is therefore also binding on the de facto government."

They added that, "the de facto Afghan government has agreed to the repatriation of Afghan nationals subject to enforceable removal from Germany who were previously identified as Afghan nationals at Afghan diplomatic missions abroad. Upon confirmation of Afghan citizenship, travel documents for the return are issued. This is a standard procedure in the readmission process."

Clara Bünger, a migration policy spokesperson for Germany's Left Party, has said many so-called voluntary departures take place under significant pressure. She also questioned whether the financial support offered could realistically help returnees rebuild their lives in a country facing severe economic collapse and widespread hunger.

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The debate has been intensified by criticism from the German refugee rights organization Pro Asyl, which accuses the German government of turning a blind eye to the realities of Taliban rule. According to a recent Pro Asyl policy paper, between 2021 and 2025, around 169,000 Afghans applied for asylum in Germany. In 2025, they were the largest group of nationals applying for asylum.

The organization has called for an immediate halt to deportations to Afghanistan and condemned what it described as a sharp tightening of asylum policies, particularly toward single Afghan men. They published a policy paper on May 20, analyzing cases of protection for Afghan nationals in Germany which they detailed in a series of posts on the social media platform X on the same day.

According to Pro Asyl, the adjusted protection rate for single Afghan male asylum seekers dropped dramatically from 66.6 percent in January 2025 to just 16.2 percent one year later. The organization says the decline cannot be justified by improvements in Afghanistan’s security or human rights situation.

"It is not the situation in Afghanistan that has changed, but Germany’s assessment," said Pro Asyl co-director Helen Rezene. She said that the Taliban continue to govern through repression, arbitrary rule and systematic discrimination, particularly against women and political opponents.

Pro Asyl also criticized Germany’s decision to suspend humanitarian admission programs and limit family reunification options for protected Afghans already living in the country. The organization warned that deportation agreements and official talks with Taliban representatives risk legitimizing a regime that remains internationally isolated.

Despite the falling protection rates for some Afghan applicants, overall asylum recognition rates for Afghans in Germany remain stable because women and their relatives are generally entitled to protection under a recent European court ruling.

Still, advocacy groups say Germany’s broader Afghanistan policy reflects a growing political shift toward deterrence and stricter migration controls, even as humanitarian conditions in Afghanistan continue its downward spiral.  

With AFP, dpa and EPD