Information about the identity clarification programme for Iraqis
Iraqis who have a residence permit in Norway even though there has been doubt about their identity and want to become Norwegian citizens, could until 1 September 2020 apply to participate in an identity clarification programme. Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to apply to participate in this programme.
Status
645 people have taken part in the identity clarification programme. So far, 434 people have had their applications for Norwegian citizenship completed. 211 applications remain to be processed.
We will update this information on the first day of every month.
The government stated on its website (external website) (information only available in Norwegian) on 11 November that it is committed to completing the identity clarification programme as quickly as possible. The Ministry of Justice and Public Security stated that they aim for the identities that remain to be clarified during the first half of 2023.
Many people contact us and ask about their case
The work on the verifications has taken a long time, and there are therefore many people who contact us and ask about the status and progress of their case. We fully understand that the long waiting time is demanding for you who participate in the programme. We are also aware that it creates practical challenges, including problems with identification, Bank ID and travel abroad.
Our aim is that most people will have their case processed during the first half of 2023. We apologize that the total waiting time has been long for many people.
It is not necessary for you to contact us to request an answer, as we cannot give you more information than what you can read here. We will contact you if we need more documents from you or as soon as your case is finished.
Who could apply to join the programme?
Applicants had to meet all the criteria in the list below to be part of the programme.
The programme was for you who
- are an Iraqi citizen, and
- received a residence permit before 31 December 2010 even though we knew there were doubts about your identity, and
- have a residence permit on other grounds than the need for protection (asylum), and
- are registered in the Kurdish Autonomous Region (KRG) or Kirkuk, and
- have an Iraqi ID card showing the family number (either own, father's, brother's or spouse's if the couple is registered as married in the civil registry in KRG or Kirkuk), and
- had not yet been granted Norwegian citizenship, and
- applied for citizenship no later than 1 September 2020
It was possible to apply both if you had applied for Norwegian citizenship earlier and gotten a rejection, and if you had not applied for Norwegian citizenship before.
Information about the programme
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Who could apply to take part in the programme?
Applicants had to meet all the criteria in the list below to be part of the programme.
The programme was for you who
- are an Iraqi citizen, and
- received a residence permit before 31 December 2010 even though we knew there were doubts about your identity, and
- have a residence permit on other grounds than the need for protection (asylum), and
- are registered in the Kurdish Autonomous Region (KRG) or Kirkuk, and
- have an Iraqi ID card showing the family number (either your own, or your father's, brother's or spouse's if the couple is registered as married in the civil registry in KRG or Kirkuk), and
- had not yet been granted Norwegian citizenship, and
- applied for citizenship no later than 1 September 2020
It was possible to apply both if you had applied for Norwegian citizenship earlier and gotten a rejection, and if you had not applied for Norwegian citizenship before.
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Who could not apply to take part in the programme?
You could not apply to take part in the programme if
- you were granted a residence permit in Norway even though Norwegian authorities believed that there was doubt about your identity, or your residence permit was renewed, after 31 December 2010, or
- you have been granted protection (asylum) in Norway. It will be written in the decision letters from UDI/UNE whether or not you have been given protection, or
- you are not registered by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) or in Kirkuk, or
- you have been granted a residence permit in Norway as a citizen of Iraq, but you are actually a citizen of another country, or
- you have been expelled from Norway, or
- you are already a Norwegian citizen, or
- Norwegian authorities did not have doubts about your identity until after 31 December 2010
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You cannot leave Norway while you are waiting for your identity to be changed
If you are registered in Iraq with another identity than the one you are registered with in Norway, you cannot leave Norway until Norwegian authorities have confirmed your identity in Iraq, and the information about you has been changed in the Norwegian National Registry.
This is also the case if you already have got an Iraqi passport with your correct identity. The reason for this is that the UDI cannot give you a residence card with your new identity until it has been confirmed and registered in the Norwegian National Registry. Without a residence card with the same identity as your passport, you cannot prove that you have a residence permit in Norway when crossing borders.
It is not possible for the UDI to give you an immigrants’ passport with an identity that is not correct.
If you already have both an Iraqi passport and a residence card with your correct identity, you can travel abroad while you are waiting for this identity to be confirmed.
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What happens after you have applied?
After you have applied to take part in the programme, the National Police Immigration Service will clarify your identity.
If the identity you are already registered with in Norway is confirmed, the UDI will process your application for citizenship.
If your identity is changed, the UDI will send a letter to the National Registry and ask them to change the information about you in the registry. If you are registered with a new date of birth, you will be given a new National identity number by the National Registry. The UDI will at the same time send you a letter telling you that we have changed your identity. It will take a few weeks from you receive this letter until your new identity is registered in the National Registry. When your correct identity has been registered in the National Registry, the UDI will process your application for citizenship.
If the UDI has not yet received a report from the National Police Immigration Service confirming your identity, we cannot change your identity or process the application for citizenship until we have received such a report.
If Norwegian authorities do not find your identity in Iraqi registers, we will ask you for a statement. Your application for Norwegian citizenship will most likely be rejected, because there are still doubts about your identity.
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How long must you wait?
We do not know yet how long it will take to clarify the identity of everyone who applies to the programme. Therefore, we do not have any information about when you will receive an answer, but it may take a long time.
Many people are contacting us to ask about their case
We know that many of you have been waiting for a long time and we understand that the long waiting time is challenging. The UDI and the police have a close collaboration on the identity program. It is a comprehensive job and it takes time to decide in these cases. These cases are prioritized, but they may take a long time. You will get an answer as soon as possible. There are also some delays because of the coronasituation, that we are working on catching up on. You will not get any more information if you call us.
If your identity is changed, it will take a few weeks from the UDI decides to change your identity, until your new identity is changed in the National Registry.
After your identity has been confirmed and registered in the National Registry, we will process your application for Norwegian citizenship. Your application will be moved to the front of the queue, together with the other applications from Iraqis whose identity has been clarified.
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What consequences will it have for you if your identity is clarified and changed?
If you fulfil the requirements for taking part in the programme, you will not risk losing your residence permit or being expelled from Norway because you have given incorrect information about your identity.
If we are able to clarify your identity, you will fulfil the requirement to have a clarified identity when we process your application for Norwegian citizenship. The years you have lived in Norway with the wrong identity will count when we process your application. If you also fulfil the other requirements, you will be given Norwegian citizenship.
If you do not fulfil all the requirements for Norwegian citizenship when we process your application for citizenship, we will reject your application. Your identity will still be clarified, and you can apply again when you fulfil the other requirements.
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Have you taken part in the pilot programme?
Norwegian authorities will soon be finished with clarifying the identity of everyone who took part in the pilot programme.
If your identity is changed, the UDI will send a letter to the National Registry and ask them to change the information about you in the registry. If you are registered with a new date of birth, you will be given a new National identity number by the National Registry. The UDI will at the same time send you a letter telling you that we have changed your identity. It will take a few weeks from the UDI decides to change your identity until your new identity is registered in the National Registry. When your correct identity has been registered in the National Registry, the UDI will process your application for citizenship.
If the UDI has not yet received a report from the National Police Immigration Service confirming your identity, we cannot change your identity or process the application for citizenship until we have received such a report.
If Norwegian authorities do not find your identity in Iraqi registers, we will ask you for a statement. Your application for Norwegian citizenship will most likely be rejected, because there are still doubts about your identity.