site.btaState Agency for Refugees Reports 12,250 Asylum Applications, 56 Granted Refugee Status in 2024

A total of 12,250 applications for protection were submitted to the State Agency for Refugees (SAR) in 2024, according to the National Preventive Mechanism’s (NPM) annual report to the Ombudsman, announced on Tuesday.

Of these, 56 applicants were granted refugee status, 4,895 received humanitarian status, 3,140 were denied, and 7,301 proceedings were terminated.

"According to the statistics of the SAR under the Council of Ministers, for the period January 1 - December 31, 2024, the applications for protection submitted by unaccompanied minors totaled 2,601, of which 234 were minors, 717 children were aged between 14-15 years, 1,650 children were aged between 16-17 years. Most applications for protection were made by nationals of countries where military conflicts are taking place and authoritarian political regimes have been established, such as Syria, Afghanistan, Morocco, Egypt and Iraq," the report says.

The Ombudsman’s institution reported progress in protecting the rights of unaccompanied children with the establishment of a "safe zone" at the largest registration and reception center in Harmanli on May 16, 2024. The facility has a capacity of 98 but can expand in case of a crisis.

Despite this, ongoing issues persist, including poor hygiene and sanitary conditions, limited access to specialized healthcare, and the need for improved security, the report noted.

According to the latest official data from the Ministry of Interior on Bulgaria’s migration situation, 53 third-country nationals were detained at the state border between 08:00 on January 31 and 08:00 on February 7, 2025. Of these, 34 were caught attempting to enter the country, and 19 were detained at the exit without prior registration.

During the same period, 22 third-country nationals, mostly Moroccan, were detained for illegal stay in the interior.

As of February 7, a total of 176 people were accommodated at the Migration Directorate of the Ministry of Interior, utilizing 16.6% of its capacity. These are mainly nationals of Morocco, Afghanistan, and Syria.

Meanwhile, 1,216 people were housed in SAR centers, with an occupancy rate of 37.7%. Most were from Syria and Afghanistan.