The German government is planning a new initiative designed to encourage more Syrians to return to their home country. According to reports cited in the “Neue Zürcher Zeitung” (NZZ), a decision regarding a return premium of €7,000 is reportedly nearing approval. This information comes from the Bundestag, with two members familiar with the plans confirming the amount, although Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) has yet to officially confirm it.
Currently, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) offers voluntary departure aid averaging €1,000. The proposed, more attractive premium is aimed specifically at persuading single, unemployed men who have no prospect of staying in Germany to leave voluntarily.
Evidence of this commitment is also found in the 2027 budget draft put forward by Federal Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, which indicates that the allocation for voluntary departure is set to grow substantially, increasing from €38 million to €125 million.
The enhanced financial incentive is one of several measures the Interior Minister is implementing to boost returns. The BAMF is soon expected to begin revoking protection statuses for Syrians on a large scale. This move is projected to significantly increase the number of Syrians legally obliged to leave the country. Currently, approximately 15,000 Syrians are subject to deportation requirements, though the majority are currently on tolerated status.
These new policies are a direct response to the low number of returns to Syria since the end of the civil war in December 2024. Since then, only about 10,000 Syrian migrants have returned from Germany, while over 900,000 remain in the country, with roughly 450,000 reliant on social benefits.
The constant criticism of immigration in Germany is also cited as a motivating factor. An Ipsos poll revealed that 32 percent of Germans view migration as the most pressing problem. Despite this pressure, the federal government is struggling to enforce mandatory returns to Syria. Since December 2025, only four individuals have been repatriated to Syria, a failure that has led to growing frustration among the Interior Ministers of the various states. Moreover, the current federal government has achieved fewer deportations than its predecessor.
In the past, the coalition had made high expectations regarding Syrian returns. During a visit by the Syrian transitional president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in the spring, Chancellor Friedrich Merz had suggested that 80 percent of Syrians living in Germany could return within the next three years. Similarly, the CSU demanded an “expulsion offensive” to Syria that year during a conference in January.
Politicians from the CDU welcome higher premiums for voluntary returnees, noting that these incentives were already advocated for in the coalition agreement. Günter Krings (CDU), Vice Chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, told the NZZ that assisting voluntary return is ultimately cheaper for taxpayers than compulsory deportations, provided, of course, that the return is successful. Roman Poseck, the Interior Minister of Hesse (CDU), also publicly stated his willingness to improve “incentives for more voluntary departure.” Some other European nations also employ high return bonuses; Denmark, for example, offers voluntary returnees more than €20,000.
