Refugees:
5,000–6,000 refugees, including approx. 600 Jews. Many of them in transit.

Political situation:
Mandate territory of the League of Nations from 1919. Reintegrated into Germany in March 1935 following a large majority in a vote among the Saarland electorate.

Conditions of entry:
Registration obligation after entry, followed by receipt of an "emigrant pass"; many remained unregistered due to missing documents. Until 1936 it was possible to leave the country without paying the "Reich flight tax".

For most refugees, including many from the political opposition, the Territory of the Saar Basin only provided temporary shelter. When the majority of the population voted in January 1935 to reintegrate the territory into Germany, the region no longer offered protection. Social Democratic and Communist activists – including many emigrants – had fought hard against reintegration of the territory. They were supported by renowned intellectuals who also explored the "Saar issue" in literary form. However, their campaigns in the antifascist press, which was still allowed in the Territory of the Saar Basin, remained without success. Most of the exiles emigrated again into neighbouring France or Luxembourg.