Overview

• All asylum applications from Ethiopia and Eritrea will be directed to the Frankfurt court, while Kassel handles Iraq and Pakistan and Wiesbaden covers Russia and Somalia.
• The reform builds on the Darmstadt court’s dedicated asylum chamber, which reduced its average case duration by over eight months since August 2024 with a three-judge panel.
• Hesse’s administrative courts cut average asylum proceedings to 19.8 months in the first quarter of 2025, down from 29.2 months a year earlier.
• Justice Minister Christian Heinz plans to propose dispensing with oral hearings in certain non-substantive asylum cases at the upcoming spring conference of justice ministers.
• The measures are set to take effect this summer as Hesse prepares to comply with forthcoming EU rules requiring expedited asylum decisions.