We know that it may be challenging to leave Ukraine now. Unfortunately, UDI cannot help anyone to leave, nor can we answer questions regarding the current situation in Ukraine.

Ukrainians who also have citizenship in a safe country will no longer be granted temporary collective protection in Norway. If you are a citizen of a country on the list below, UDI believes that the situation in that country is generally safe, and that the authorities there can provide you with sufficient protection.

• List of countries in the 48-hour procedure (external website) (Countries that UDI believes are safe, and where the application for protection will be processed and rejected within 48 hours) (available in Norwegian only)

I have already been granted collective protection. Do I get to keep my permit?

If you have already been granted collective protection in Norway, you will retain your permit. However, from 1 March 2024, your residence permit cannot be extended if you, in addition to being av citizen of Ukraine, are also a citizen of another, safe country. The exception to this rule is if you are a family member of someone who has been granted collective protection, and who does not have the citizenship of a safe country.

By family member we mean:
•spouse or cohabitant
•children under 18 years of age
•other close family members, for instance childen over 18 years of age, grandparents or siblings.

I have dual citizenship from Ukraine and Russia. Can I apply for temporary collective protection in Norway?

Yes, you can apply for temporary collective protection in Norway. Russia is not on the list of countries where UDI believes that the situation in the country is generally safe. In order to be granted collective protection here in Norway it is a requirement that you were resident in Ukraine on 24 February 2022, when the war broke out.

Read more about who may be granted collective protection (eligibility requirements).

I have dual citizenship from a country on the list and have applied for collective protection in Norway. What will happen to my application?

Your application will be processed and rejected within 48 hours.

If you are a citizen of a country on the list above, UDI believes that the situation in that country is generally safe, and that the authorities there can provide sufficient protection to its citizens.

If you are a citizen of one of these countries, you will have your asylum application processed and rejected within 48 hours.

During these 48 hours, you will be registered by the police, receive information from Caritas and the UDI may want to conduct a short interview with you. You will be assisted by a lawyer, who can help you submit a complaint.

Only in a few cases may it happen that we do not process the application within 48 hours. In that case, your application will be processed as an individual application for protection (asylum).

If you have a biometric passport, you can travel to Norway visa-free. If you do not have a biometric passport or are missing ID documents, you will find information on travelling legally to Norway here.  

As a general rule, foreign citizens who need a visa or a residence permit to live or work in Norway must apply before entering Norway. Due to the security situation, the VFS application centre and the embassy in Ukraine are currently closed (external website). Therefore, it is not possible to apply for a visa or residence permit from Ukraine for the time being, but the Norwegian Embassy in Ankara, Türkiye, is processing applications from Ukrainian citizens.

For more information on how to submit your application, please visit:

VFS application centres that accept applications for residence permits
VFS application centres that accept applications for visitor visas

Citizens who do not need a visa to Norway may apply for certain residence permits from within Norway. You will find more information about the requirements for applying for a residence permit in Norway in our guides for applicants.

If you have handed in an application for a residence permit for Norway from Ukraine, the embassy in Ankara will inform you when UDI has reached a decision.

Citizens who do not need a visa for Norway can in some cases travel to Norway before their residence permit has been granted. These are the same groups that can apply for residence permits from within Norway. You can find more information about whether you have the right to apply for a residence permit from within Norway in our guide “Want to apply”.

You can travel to Norway without a visa if you have a biometric passport. If you do not have a biometric passport or are missing ID documents, you can find information on how to travel legally to Norway here.

If you have an entry ban registered with the Schengen Information System (SIS), you will not be allowed to enter the Schengen area for the duration of the ban. If you are in Ukraine and cannot travel due to the SIS registration, however, you may apply to have the entry ban removed from the SIS.

The embassy and VFS application centre in Ukraine are currently closed. As a result, UDI has suspended its requirement that applications for lifting a Schengen entry ban must be delivered in person to a foreign service mission. This means that you can send your application to lift an entry ban directly to UDI.

This exception only applies to applications to have an entry ban lifted.

This exception also applies to citizens of other countries who are in Ukraine and are not allowed to travel because they were previously deported from Norway and the Schengen area.

Even though UDI has made exceptions to the requirement for in-person delivery of applications, you may still hand in your application to lift an entry ban at a VFS application centre in, for example, Türkiye, Kosovo, Azerbaijan, Serbia or in another country where you are located. This is how you apply to have an entry ban lifted.

This information applies only for entry into Norway and does not encompass travel through other countries. You must check the rules that apply for border crossings for Ukrainian citizens without a biometric passport or ID documents in other countries you have to pass through on your way to Norway. Unfortunately, the Norwegian authorities and UDI cannot answer questions about rules beyond Norway's borders. 

The information about legal entry applies for all Ukrainian citizens, regardless of whether you travel alone, with a group or with family living in Norway.

If you are going to apply for protection (asylum)  

If your purpose for travelling to Norway is to apply for protection, you can apply for protection when you reach the Norwegian border.

If you do not have a passport, biometric passport, visa or other ID documents, you can still apply for protection in Norway if you are already in Norway or have reached the Norwegian border. 

Norwegian authorities no longer consider Ukraine a safe country. Due to the situation in Ukraine, Norway may grant people fleeing the war in Ukraine temporary collective protection.

If you are not going to apply for protection (asylum) 

If you are not planning to apply for protection in Norway, the usual entry rules apply to you. 

• If you have a biometric passport from Ukraine, you can travel to Norway visa-free. Children must also have a biometric passport to enter Norway without a visa, even if traveling with parents who have a biometric passport. 
• If you do not have a biometric passport, you must have a visa, residence permit or residence card in Norway. This applies to adults and children alike. 

Because of the crisis in your home country, UDI has suspended the obligation to return for Ukrainian citizens in Norway until further notice. Even if you do not have legal residence in Norway, you will not be deported from Norway currently. You can continue to stay in Norway until further notice without ramifications.   

Ukrainians who also have citizenship in a safe country will no longer be granted temporary collective protection in Norway. If you are a citizen of a country on the list below, UDI believes that the situation in that country is generally safe, and that the authorities there can provide you with sufficient protection.

• List of countries in the 48-hour procedure (external website) (Countries that UDI believes are safe, and where the application for protection will be processed and rejected within 48 hours) (available in Norwegian only)

I have already been granted collective protection. Do I get to keep my permit?

If you have already been granted collective protection in Norway, you will retain your permit. However, from 1 March 2024, your residence permit cannot be extended if you, in addition to being av citizen of Ukraine, are also a citizen of another, safe country. The exception to this rule is if you are a family member of someone who has been granted collective protection, and who does not have the citizenship of a safe country.

By family member we mean:
•spouse or cohabitant
•children under 18 years of age
•other close family members, for instance childen over 18 years of age, grandparents or siblings.

I have dual citizenship from Ukraine and Russia. Can I apply for temporary collective protection in Norway?

Yes, you can apply for temporary collective protection in Norway. Russia is not on the list of countries where UDI believes that the situation in the country is generally safe. In order to be granted collective protection here in Norway it is a requirement that you were resident in Ukraine on 24 February 2022, when the war broke out.

Read more about who may be granted collective protection (eligibility requirements).

I have dual citizenship from a country on the list and have applied for collective protection in Norway. What will happen to my application?

Your application will be processed and rejected within 48 hours.

If you are a citizen of a country on the list above, UDI believes that the situation in that country is generally safe, and that the authorities there can provide sufficient protection to its citizens.

If you are a citizen of one of these countries, you will have your asylum application processed and rejected within 48 hours.

During these 48 hours, you will be registered by the police, receive information from Caritas and the UDI may want to conduct a short interview with you. You will be assisted by a lawyer, who can help you submit a complaint.

Only in a few cases may it happen that we do not process the application within 48 hours. In that case, your application will be processed as an individual application for protection (asylum).

If you do not have a biometric passport, you can find information on how to travel legally to Norway here.

Due to the crisis in your home country, UDI has suspended the duty to return for Ukrainian citizens in Norway until further notice. Even if you do not have legal residence in Norway, you will not be expelled/sent out of Norway currently.

You may continue to stay in Norway until further notice without risking any consequences. You will find information on how to travel legally to Norway here. 

On the Norwegian Environment Agency's website, you will find information on the rules for bringing exotic pets into Norway (external website).

If you apply for protection in Norway and meet the conditions for collective protection, we will process your application in Norway.

If you are not eligible for collective protection, you may apply for protection and individual assessment of your application. However, if you have already applied for protection, or have a residence permit in another European country, then that country may still be responsible for processing your application, and you may be required to return there. This is covered by the Dublin Regulation. You can read more about how the Dublin Regulation works here.

Example of when the Dublin Regulation applies: You have a residence permit in another European country and left Ukraine before 24 February 2022. As a result, you are not eligible for protection in Norway.  We will then contact the country you received your resident permit from so that your application for protection is processed there.

A registration in SIS means that you generally do not have access to the Schengen area as long as the entry ban lasts. An application for protection nevertheless precedes a registration in SIS. This means that you can apply for protection in a Schengen country even if you are registered in SIS, and you are allowed to stay in the country until your application for protection has been processed.

You can apply for protection on the border of the first country you come to after leaving Ukraine. If you want to apply for protection in Norway, you can do so when you reach the Norwegian border.

As of 2 October 2023 at 24:00 it will no longer be possible to temporarily import Russian-registered passenger cars with nine or fewer seats into Norway, with some exceptions.

You can find more information about the rules on the government's website (external website).

Norway and the EU countries have already introduced bans on the import of, among other things, Russian-registered passenger cars with nine or fewer seats. From midnight on 2 October there will be stricter rules for temporary imports. This means that if you are going to drive to Norway and your car is Russian-registered, you will not be able to bring the car into Norway.

Exceptions

In Norway, four types of exceptions apply.

• Norwegian citizens or EEA citizens or their immediate family, who live in Russia and own a Russian-registered car, can travel to Norway with the car.
• Exceptions have also been made for vehicles that are necessary for humanitarian reasons, such as acute illness, death or a funeral in the family. You must be able to document at the border that you must bring the car into Norway for humanitarian reasons. If you can achieve the purpose of the visit by other means of transport, for example a bus, the use of your own Russian-registered car will not be considered "necessary".
• There are also exceptions for diplomatic vehicles or vehicles belonging to international organisations or a state's courier service.
• In addition, you can apply for an exception from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In special cases in which foreign policy considerations warrant it, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs may grant an exception.

Please note that the ban does not apply to vehicles with ten or more seats. It will still be possible to cross the border with, for example, minibuses and buses via Storskog border station.

Who can I contact if I have further questions about these rules and exceptions?

UDI does not have the authority to answer questions about the rules for importing or temporarily importing Russian-registered passenger cars.

If you have questions about how to interpret the rules and exceptions, you can send an e-mail to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

For more information, there is a Q&A available (in Norwegian only) (external website) on the government website.

How does this affect me?

The rules are related to the import of goods and does not change the conditions for entry that applies to individuals. Even if a vehicle is covered by an exception, this does not mean that the persons traveling in the vehicle are automatically allowed to enter Norway.