What is a safe country of origin?
A country of origin is considered to be safe if there is generally and consistently no persecution according to the Geneva Convention or risk of suffering serious harm according to the subsidiary protection definition. This is determined on the basis of:
- the legal situation in the country of origin;
- the application of the law in a democratic system;
- the general political circumstances;
- the extent to which protection is provided against persecution and abuse.
This ground for acceleration applies to applications filed before and after 12 June 2026.
For applications filed before 12 June 2026, the list of safe countries is determined at a national level by the Royal Decree of 3 December 2025.
Which countries?
Kosovo, Albania, North Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Morocco.
Conditions for applying the acceleration ground:
- The applicant has the nationality of that country or, as a stateless person, previously had his or her habitual residence in that country.
- In the context of an individual assessment, the applicant does not provide substantial grounds for not considering the country as a safe country of origin.
For applications filed from 12 June 2026, the list of safe countries of origin will be determined at the European level.
The list of safe countries of origin is determined by the European Union in accordance with Article 62 of the Asylum Procedure Regulation. (See Regulation (EU) 2026/464 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 February 2026 amending Regulation (EU) 2024/1348 as regards the establishment of a list of safe countries of origin at Union level).
Which countries?
Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Kosovo, Morocco, Tunisia.
In addition, this also applies to the following candidate countries:
Turkey, Moldova, Georgia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Conditions for applying the acceleration ground:
- The applicant has the nationality of that country or, as a stateless person, previously had his or her habitual residence in that country.
- The applicant does not belong to a category of persons for whom an exception is made when designating a third country as a safe country of origin.
- In the context of an individual assessment, the applicant does not provide elements justifying why the concept of safe country of origin does not apply,. This is further determined by the country policy/instructions of and by the sections.
The CGRS only grants protection status to an applicant from a safe country of origin if he gives fundamental reasons why the country is not a safe country of origin in his case.
If after an individual assessment of all elements, the applicant thus appears to meet the criteria of the Geneva Convention or the subsidiary protection definition, the CGRS decides to grant international protection.
Other specific procedures