UDI has gained better knowledge of the situation in the various parts of Ukraine and for Ukrainians who apply for protection on an individual basis in Norway. We have written a guideline that describes our practice for assessing the applications. The guidelines have been produced in the same way as for other countries.

The guideline is published on UDI Regulations:

• UDI 2024-004 Asylpraksis for Ukraina ("Asylum guidelines for Ukraine" available in Norwegian only) (external website)

As part of the assessment of individual protection, UDI will decide whether the authorities in your home country can protect you, and whether there are areas in your home country that can be safe and accessible for you to return to.

In the guideline, UDI has currently defined three counties in the west of Ukraine as safe; Volyn, Lviv and Zakarpattia. We will assess your need for protection individually, regardless of whether you are from these or other counties.

We will make an individual assessment in each case. The assessment of which areas are considered safe may change. We are continuously working to assess which counties are safe and which are not.

It will be a while before you get a response

Even if UDI starts processing applications, and even if you have had an interview with UDI, it may still take some time before you receive a response to your application. UDI cannot provide any further information about when you will receive a response to your application if you call us on the phone.

You can appeal

You will be assigned a lawyer by UDI, and you can appeal the decision. The lawyer will explain the decision and help you with the appeal.

You can also get advice from organisations that offer free legal aid, such as Norwegian Organisation for Asylum Seekers (NOAS) (external website), Self Help for Immigrants and Refugees (SEIF) (external website), Legal counselling for women (JURK) (external website), and Jussbuss (external website).

UDI will consider your appeal. If UDI does not reverse its decision, it will send the case to the Immigration Appeals Board (UNE), (external website).

Once your case has been sent to UNE, UNE will be responsible for your case, and you must contact UNE (external website) if you have new documents or information.

Do I have to leave Norway if my application is rejected?

Due to the war in Ukraine, there has long been a suspension of the duty to leave. This means that Ukrainians have not been obliged to return to Ukraine, even if their application for a residence permit has been rejected. Since UDI is now starting to process applications for protection on an individual basis, and there are now some counties in Ukraine that are considered safe, the duty to leave has been reinstated.

This means that if your application is rejected, you have a duty to leave Norway within a given deadline.

If you appeal the decision, you can request to stay in Norway while we consider your appeal. Your lawyer will ask for this in connection with the appeal. You can normally stay in Norway while UDI or UNE is considering your appeal.

In April 2024, UDI began interviewing some of the Ukrainian refugees waiting for the outcome of their applications for individual protection (asylum). These interviews are called asylum interviews. During the interview, you are to tell UDI about yourself and why you need protection.

Who is UDI interviewing?

We start by interviewing single, childless adults who have not stayed in other safe countries (see the list of countries deemed safe by UDI, available in Norwegian only (external website)). But not everyone in this group will be invited for an interview at this time.

We at UDI select who to invite for an interview. You cannot contact UDI and ask to be interviewed.

It may take some time before we have notified all people being interviewed. The first persons to be interviewed were notified in April.

How do I know if I'm going to an interview?

If we are going to interview you, we will send you an invitation.

• If you are staying in an asylum reception centre, the staff at the centre will notify you and help you to figure out how to travel to UDI for your interview. If you need to stay overnight, the asylum reception centre staff will organise your accommodations.
• If you live at a private address, UDI will call you first to inform you about the date of your interview. We will then send you an email with the invitation details. You are to make travel arrangements to UDI on your own, but you will be reimbursed for your expenses. The invitation email will have a reimbursement form attached for you to fill out and send back to UDI by email or post. If you live far away, we can arrange for you to stay at a hotel the night before your interview. You can arrange this with UDI during your phone call.

If you live in private housing, it is important that your contact information is up to date with UDI. Please contact UDI if you have changed your telephone number or email after you registered with the police.

If you are invited for an interview, you are obligated to attend.

What happens at the interview?

Interviews are usually held at UDI's offices in Oslo or Trondheim. Interviews can also be conducted online, to be set up by the asylum reception centre. During your interview, you will meet the person in charge of the interview and an interpreter.

You will be given ample information about what to expect during the interview and the opportunity to ask questions. The interview will be thorough and will often take a full day. The asylum interview is intended to find out whether you, as an individual, need protection. The questions asked as part of the interview will primarily be about your individual reasons for needing protection in Norway, and not the general situation in Ukraine.

The information we gather during your interview will be important for our assessment of whether to grant you protection in Norway.

What happens after the interview?

It may take a while before you are notified of the decision, even though you have been through an interview.

Your rights and obligations in Norway will remain unchanged until you receive a response to your application, regardless of whether you have been interviewed or not.

No further information about these interviews is available from UDI. We will not be able to provide any more information even if you call our Information Service.

No, your case will be dismissed if you leave Norway.

You are to hand in original documents (i.e. passport, ID) in person at your local police station. You can also send them in by post to:

National Police Immigration Service (NPIS)
Postboks 2095 Vika
0125 Oslo

Write your name, address and DUF number down on a piece of paper, and enclose it in an envelope with your other documents.

Do not send originals to UDI. You may send copies of documentation to UDI in an envelope addressed to:

Utlendingsdirektoratet
Postboks 2098 Vika
NO-0125 Oslo
Norway

Enclose a separate piece of paper with your name and DUF number.

Applying for a visa has no effect on your application, but if you leave Norway your case will be dismissed.

No. Your passport cannot be returned as long as your application is being processed.

Anyone who has an application for individual protection in for processing has to hand in their passport. If you have applied for collective protection and are later notified by UDI that your application is going to be assessed individually, you will be asked to meet up at the police station to submit your documents.

It is not uncommon to have problems opening a bank account when you do not have a passport. There are a number of banks that will allow you to open a bank account for use in Norway as long as you have an asylum seeker card. Unfortunately, UDI does not more information about which banks will accept asylum seeker cards as ID.

You can apply for a different type of residence permit if you meet the standard requirements for applying while in Norway. You may be required, for example, to have had the legal right to stay with skilled-worker status or to have had a valid residence permit over the previous 9 months.

It is your responsibility to familiarise yourself with the relevant residence permit types that you can apply for and whether you are allowed to apply while in Norway. You will find this information by choosing which type of residence permit you wish to apply for and then providing answers to the questions we ask on our webpage.

You can only work while you are an asylum seeker if you have been granted a work permit.

You can be granted a temporary work permit while you are an asylum seeker if

• you have had your asylum interview
• you have a valid passport
• you have not received an answer to your application for protection

You cannot be granted a temporary work permit while you are an asylum seeker if

• you have not had your asylum interview
• you do not have a valid passport
• you are to be sent to another European country (your application is processed as a Dublin case)
• you have received a rejection of your application for asylum 

How to apply

• You apply by filling in Form for asylum seekers who would like a work permit (pdf, 629 kB).
• You send this form by mail to the police in the place where you live. You must not send the application to UDI.
• If you have not already handed in your passport to the police, you must attach a copy of your passport to the application.
• You do not have to pay a fee for applying.
• The police will contact you to make an appointment for a meeting with the police. If you have not already handed in your passport to the police, you must bring the original passport to this appointment. 

Voluntary work

You do not need a work permit to participate in voluntary work. There are strict rules for what is considered voluntary work.

Yes, you must have a valid passport in order to obtain a temporary work permit. If the police already have your passport, you simply inform them of this fact when you hand in your application. If not, you must bring your original passport with you to your appointment with the police. The police will notify you of the time and place of your appointment.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to obtain a temporary work permit with only an internal passport/passport card. You need a valid passport to obtain a temporary work permit.

If the police already have your passport, you simply inform them of this fact when you hand in your application for a temporary work permit. If not, you must bring your original passport with you to your appointment with the police. The police will notify you of the time and place of your appointment.

No, you may not.

Yes, you will be notified if we register your case as a Dublin case. Most applicants will be notified when they are registered by the police. The Dublin Regulation determines which country is responsible for processing an application for protection.

UDI will determine which country should be in charge of your application

If you apply for protection in Norway, and your application is treated as a Dublin case, then UDI will determine whether the responsibility for your application lies with Norway or another Dublin country. We will not assess your need for protection.

If your application is Norway's responsibility, then UDI will process your application on the basis of individual protection. If another country is responsi ble for your application, you will have to travel to that country.

You will be notified that your application will be transferred to another country and you will need to travel

In cases under the Dublin regulation, UDI must ask the relevant country to process your application. You will be notified that your application is being transferred to a different country, and that you will have to travel back to the country where your application is going to be processed. You will be given a deadline to depart Norway by (deadline for departure).

Unaccompanied minor asylum seekers will only be sent to a different "Dublin country" if they have family there or if their application has already been processed there.

You have the right to appeal

You can appeal the decision you received. UDI will assign you a lawyer, who will explain the decision and help you to lodge your appeal.

UDI will consider your appeal, and if UDI do not reverse the decision, they will forward your case to the Immigration Appeals Board (UNE).

You will not normally be allowed to stay in Norway while UNE processes your appeal. You will be deported by the police and transferred to the "Dublin country" responsible for your case.

No. If the Dublin Regulation applies to your case, it means you have already applied for protection, and the police and UDI have determined that you do not qualify for collective protection. Consequently, your application will be assessed individually (individual protection). You cannot choose whether your application will be assessed for collective or individual protection.

Yes, you may withdraw your application at any time in the process up until UDI has reached a decision regarding your case.

If you withdraw your application, you will have to leave Norway unless:

• you have a different type of residence permit to stay in Norway
• you are waiting for the decision on a different application for residency in Norway
• you have stayed in the Schengen area for less than 90 days

How to withdraw an application for protection:

1. Fill out this form (eksternt nettsted)
2. Sign the form
3. Scan or take a photo of the form you have completed and signed
4. Attach the form to an email and send it to pu@politiet.no

The police will later contact you.