As at February 2025 Information for former Afghan local employees working for German development cooperation

    The German government is taking responsibility for its former local staff. It is offering the opportunity to come to Germany to former local employees who were involved in efforts to promote social transformation in the period 2013 to 2021 under the German government’s Afghanistan policy and who, as a result of that work, subsequently came under risk. The vast majority of the people concerned worked in bilateral development cooperation within the BMZ’s area of activity.

    Germany has a special responsibility towards them. That is why the German government has set up a process that enables Afghan women and men to be admitted into Germany if their former activities in the service of German bilateral development cooperation mean that they were subsequently exposed to particular individual risk. All requests made in this regard have been processed and a final decision has been issued.

    German bilateral development cooperation employers have used tried-and-tested measures to help protect local employees in Afghanistan. In high-risk individual cases, the German government has granted former local employees entry into Germany and offered them the opportunity to leave Afghanistan safely via Pakistan. For this, the person in question must have a valid passport and a valid visa for the transit country. The BMZ finances the cost of leaving Afghanistan either by land or on a chartered civilian flight. Overall, more than 2,700 former local employees working for German development cooperation have come to Germany in this way – more than 12,500 persons counting family members.


    1. back to the overview page on Afghanistan

    As at: 05/02/2025