Date of publication:

08/21/2025

Tajikistan

Do domestic laws and policies require that the grounds for refusing an application for family reunification be specified?  

ANALYSIS

Assessment by population

Refugees
Asylum-seekers
Analysis

There are no provisions in the legislation requiring detailed explanations for the reasons for refusal. However, based on the content of Article No.8 of the Refugee Law of the Republic of Tajikistan, the authorized body may refuse to grant refugee status only on the basis of 10 specific reasons, including the following:

  • The individual's application is clearly unjustified or constitutes an abuse of the process;
  • Exclusionary provisions outlined in this Law apply;
  • The individual has previously been denied refugee status due to the lack of circumstances indicating persecution, provided that the situation in their country of nationality or previous place of residence has not changed since the refusal and up until the submission of a new application;
  • The individual holds the citizenship of a third country whose protection they can seek or has the right to legally reside in a third country, and has no reasonable fear of persecution in that country;
  • The individual arrived directly from a third safe country, where they had temporarily stayed prior to entering the Republic of Tajikistan and was not persecuted, or could have applied for asylum or refugee status in that country;
  • The individual left their country of nationality (previous place of residence) and does not wish to return due to the fear of punishment in accordance with the laws of that country for illegal departure from its territory or for committing another offense there;
  • The individual was forced to illegally cross the State Border of the Republic of Tajikistan with the intention of applying for refugee status and, without valid reasons, did not submit an application for refugee recognition in the manner prescribed by this Law;
  • The individual refuses to provide information about themselves or knowingly provides false information and/or false details regarding their arrival in the Republic of Tajikistan;
  • The individual is married to a citizen of the Republic of Tajikistan and, according to the legislation of the Republic of Tajikistan, is able to obtain a permanent residence permit in the country;
  • The individual holds a permanent residence permit in the Republic of Tajikistan (residence permit).
    LAW & POLICY

    Related provisions of domestic law or policy

    Law of the Republic of Tajikistan on Refugees

    Legal provision

    Article 8 - Grounds for Refusal to Grant Refugee Status to an Asylum Seeker

    The following circumstances serve as grounds for refusing to grant refugee status to an asylum seeker if: The person's application is clearly unfounded or constitutes an abuse of the process; Exclusion clauses provided for in this Law have been identified; The person was previously denied refugee status due to the absence of circumstances indicating persecution, provided that the situation in the country of their nationality or former residence has not changed from the date of the refusal to the date of submitting a new application; The person holds the nationality of a third country whose protection they can avail themselves of or has the right to legally reside in a third country without reasonable fear of persecution in that country; The person arrived directly from the territory of a third safe country where they had been staying temporarily before arriving in the Republic of Tajikistan and had not been subjected to persecution or had the opportunity to apply for asylum or refugee status in accordance with established procedures; The person left their country of nationality (or former residence) and refuses to return due to fear of punishment under the laws of that country for illegal departure from its territory or for committing another offense there; The person was forced to illegally cross the State Border of the Republic of Tajikistan with the intention of applying for refugee status but, without valid reasons, failed to submit an application for recognition as a refugee in accordance with the procedure established by this Law; The person refuses to provide personal information or knowingly provides false information about themselves and/or the circumstances of their arrival in the Republic of Tajikistan; The person is married to a citizen of the Republic of Tajikistan and, under the laws of the Republic of Tajikistan, has the opportunity to obtain a permanent residence permit in Tajikistan; The person already holds a permanent residence permit (residence permit) in the Republic of Tajikistan.