Migration is the biannual movement of Sakers between their breeding and wintering areas. Saker Falcons are partial migrants i.e., some individuals within a population migrate whereas others do not. Adult territory holders tend to have less inclination to migrate than others, especially juveniles. What causes variation in migration behaviour within and between populations is unclear, though it is probably determined by both genetic and environmental factors.

Sakers do not form large migratory flocks like some other migratory birds of prey, nor do they appear in large numbers at migration bottleneck sites because their migration occurs over a broad front and over an extended time period.

Map showing general direction of autumn migration routes of Sakers. These are indicators only as Sakers tend not to congregate on particular flyways.

Saker Falcons that migrate from breeding areas in Europe can winter in the Mediterranean region, North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa north of the equator. The EU Life Project on Saker Falcons in Hungary and Slovakia has a website with maps tracking the movements of satellite tagged Sakers. 

It is thought that migratory Sakers in central Eurasia, Kazakhstan and western Siberia move to the Middle East and Arabian Peninsula. There are examples of Sakers ringed in Ukraine and Kazakhstan being reported from the Arabian Peninsula, though it is not certain that all the birds were actually trapped there. A juvenile from northern Kazakhstan was later recovered in Georgia. There are also proven movements from eastern Kazakhstan to western China.