The cumulative costs associated with Germany’s Afghan admission programs have reached triple-digit millions since 2021, according to a report published by “Die Welt”, based on a response from the Federal Government to an inquiry by the AfD parliamentary faction.
The immense expenditure is partly attributed to the restrictive approach taken by the Federal Ministry of the Interior. Applicant statuses with binding assurances are sometimes delayed or challenged. Since 2021, the government has reportedly spent around 118 million Euros covering accommodation, catering, and medical care for these applicants. Of this total, approximately 23.9 million Euros relate to the current parliamentary term.
By comparison, the total expenditure on flights to Germany between 2021 and April 2026 amounted to 21.9 million Euros. The Ministry clarified that the majority of travelers arrived via charter flights, while fewer flew on regular commercial lines.
Following the Taliban’s seizure of power in the summer of 2021, the German government launched various programs intended to airlift former local workers, human rights activists, and vulnerable individuals. Details on the actual number of people who entered Germany have been conflicting. During a previous meeting of the Interior Committee, the CDU/CSU parliamentary group cited around 37,000 arrivals. However, the current response from the Federal Ministry of the Interior, addressing the AfD’s request, specifies that about 34,000 people arrived through these programs between 2021 and April 2026. Furthermore, as of early April, several hundred individuals who had received or confirmed an admission guarantee in Pakistan had still not flown out.
While the center-right governing coalition intends to phase out the Afghan programs “as far as possible” the legal ability to do so is highly disputed. The situation gained urgency in mid-April when the German Constitutional Court ruled that the government must temporarily continue providing care for those affected. Multiple constitutional complaints regarding the government’s procedures are currently pending before the Constitutional Court, which is expected to issue a decision shortly.
