3.

Member States shall ensure that the examination procedure is concluded within six months of the lodging of the application. Where an application is subject to the procedure laid down in Regulation (EU) No 604/2013, the time limit of six months shall start to run from the moment the Member State responsible for its examination is determined in accordance with that Regulation, the applicant is on the territory of that Member State and has been taken in charge by the competent authority. Member States may extend the time limit of six months set out in this paragraph for a period not exceeding a further nine months, where: complex issues of fact and/or law are involved; a large number of third-country nationals or stateless persons simultaneously apply for international protection, making it very difficult in practice to conclude the procedure within the six-month time limit; where the delay can clearly be attributed to the failure of the applicant to comply with his or her obligations under Article 13. By way of exception, Member States may, in duly justified circumstances, exceed the time limits laid down in this paragraph by a maximum of three months where necessary in order to ensure an adequate and complete examination of the application for international protection.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-11-14 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.