Information about waiting times for families with children and adults who have applied for protection (asylum)

Information on waiting time in Turkish (pdf, 172 kB)
Information on waiting time in Arabic (pdf, 273 kB)
Information on waiting time in Norwegian (pdf, 187 kB)
Information on waiting time in Tigrinya (pdf, 236 kB)
Information on waiting time in Spanish (pdf, 181 kB)
Information on waiting time in English (pdf, 152 kB)

We are currently working on the following cases

There are many applicants who have been waiting a long time for an answer to their applications for protection. We know that it is difficult to wait, so for the rest of the year we will be giving priority to the oldest of applications. We will be working on the applications for those of you who arrived in 2022 or earlier. This applies both to families and to those who arrived alone.

We have close to 750 applications from 2022 which we have not processed yet, and not all of these will be decided before the new year. As a general rule, we will be processing the oldest cases first.

We at UDI are working to shorten the waiting times. We will provide you with regular updates on what we are working with and how far along we have come.

Why do some applicants receive an answer before others?

There are many people seeking protection. UDI cannot manage to process all these applications right away. Applications from certain groups of applicants need to be processed sooner than others. This includes:

• applications processed in accordance with the Dublin regulation, which most often entails that the applicants have to travel to a different European country to have their applications processed.
• those who, in UDI’s estimation, clearly do not need protection because they come from a safe country, for example.
• applications from families with children, and applications from children who arrived without parents or responsible adults.

It is also UDI’s aim to interview as many applicants as possible while they are at the National arrival centre. This is to help to reduce the waiting times in the long run. We interview applicants from prioritised groups first.

If you are not part any of these groups, it can take a long time before you are interviewed, and your application processed. This does not mean anything is wrong with your case, and we have not forgotten you.

How we process your case at UDI

What happens at the National arrival centre?

Anyone applying for protection in Norway must first register their application at the National arrival centre. The length of stay at the arrival centre is short because there must be room for newcomers. UDI’s goal is to interview most new applicants and process their applications while they are at the arrival centre. Since so many people have come in recent years to seek asylum, we have not managed to do so. Most applicants have to move to an ordinary asylum reception centre where they wait for their interviews and an answer to their applications.

Applicants have no choice or influence in the matter of whether they will be interviewed while at the National arrival centre. It all depends on how many people have applied for protection at the same time.

If you have to move into an ordinary reception centre before UDI can interview at the arrival centre, you should be prepared that it may take a long time before you are called in for your interview and before you receive an answer regarding your application for protection.

It makes no difference for your waiting time if the reception centre you live in is in one part of Norway or another. If you are staying in a private living accommodation, it is very important that you provide your address and other contact details so that UDI can reach you for your interview and with the answer regarding your application.

What happens with your case at UDI while you wait?

When an application for protection comes into UDI, it is placed in a queue until one of our case officers has time to process the case. This means that your case will not be handled by a specific case officer at UDI until you are called in for your interview. No cases are forgotten.

Why does it take so long to get an interview?

The asylum interview is necessary for UDI to be able to assess your application for protection. It is the most important opportunity you have to explain your reasons for why you need protection. UDI allocates a lot of time for asylum interviews and each case requires a good amount of planning and resources. As such, it takes us a long time to interview everyone who comes to Norway.

How long does it take to receive an answer after the interview?

In most cases, UDI is able to provide an answer fairly soon after an interview. Sometimes, however, we need more time to look into a case. We may need to look more closely at information in a case, or we might need to find out more about the situation in your home country before we can process your case. In such cases, it can take longer to receive an answer after an interview, but everyone will receive an answer.  

Is there anything I need to remember to do?

If you have any identity documents that you have not given to the police, you need to hand them in as soon as possible.

• If you have original identity documents, you are to hand them in to your local police district.
• If you have copies and photos, you are to send these to UDI.

It is important that UDI have all the documents in your case before your interview takes place. In this way, you can help to avoid your case taking longer than necessary.

What information regarding waiting times can UDI give you?

There are many people who contact UDI to ask about the waiting time for their cases. We are not able to provide any other information about waiting times over the phone other than what is published on udi.no – that is, in this letter.

The people answering as part of UDI’s information service are the same people who process the cases. If we need more information from you to process your case, we will contact you.   

In order to have time to process more cases, UDI’s information service is closed on Wednesdays.

Can I request priority?

There are very few applications that can be given priority. To request priority, you must send us a detailed explanation and documentation, such as a doctor’s certificate. Select the alternative that best describes your situation for more information about priority.

Information updates

This information was updated on 1 September 2024.

We will provide an update on 15 November 2024 or before if the situation changes significantly.

Information about waiting times for unaccompanied minors who have applied for protection (asylum) 

Which cases are we currently working on at UDI?

As far as possible, we prioritise giving answers to those who have waited the longest. Nevertheless, there will be differences in waiting time. Some cases may take longer or shorter time than what we say below.

In November and December, we will be working on:

• interviewing the rest of the unaccompanied minors who applied in 2023.
• sending out decision letters to unaccompanied minors who have already been interviewed in 2023 and who have waited the longest. During this period, we will not be able to provide decisions to everyone who came in 2023.
• interviewing and sending out decision letters to unaccompanied minors in particularly vulnerable circumstances. These can also be people who applied in 2024.

If we need to assess whether your case is to be processed in Norway or in another country in accordance with the Dublin regulation, you will often have to wait longer than others for an interview. If there are other reasons why you have not been interviewed, your lawyer shall have been notified of the cause.

What happens after your asylum interview?

If no further investigation is required after your interview, we will give you an answer as soon as we can. The waiting time may still vary, however, depending on how many others are also waiting for an answer.

You may experience that you have to wait longer than others who come from the same country as you or who live at the same asylum reception centre as you. This may be because we have to conduct further investigation before we can give you an answer regarding your case. For example, we might gather more information about conditions in your home country. This does not mean anything is wrong with your case or that we have forgotten about it.

We know that it is difficult to wait a long time, and we are working hard to process all the applications for asylum as fast as possible.

We will notify your lawyer when we have finished processing your case.

Is there anything important I need to do?

Remember to hand in your identity documents

If you have any identity documents that you have not given to the police, you need to hand them in as soon as possible. You can ask your representative for help to hand in these documents.

• If you have original identity documents, you are to hand them in to your local police district.
• If you have copies and photos, you are to send these to UDI.

It is important that UDI have all the documents in your case before your interview takes place. In this way, you can help to avoid your case taking longer than necessary.

Information updates

This information was updated on 24 October 2024.

We will provide another update on 15 November 2024 or before if the situation changes significantly.

What cases do we process? 

Most applications for renewal of residence permits are processed by the police. You will find information about their case processing times on the police's website. (external website)

Applications that the police cannot process are forwarded to UDI. This applies, among other things, to applications for everyone who has been granted a limited residence permit. If you have such a permit, it will be stated in the decision you previously received. The police also forward all applications where renewal has been applied for 6 months after the expiry of the previous permit. If the police forward your application to UDI, you will be notified by e-mail or SMS. 

How long do you have to wait? 

Before the summer, UDI prioritised renewing permits for children and families with children. Nevertheless, we did not have the capacity to process all such cases. If you are in this category and have not received a decision on your application, you should anticipate that your permit will not be renewed until spring.

Until the end of the year, we will prioritise renewal applications for those who have been waiting the longest. We will work on the applications submitted before 1 October 2023. If you applied for renewal after this date, you should not expect a response to your application until next year.

When you get your permit renewed, it usually takes 4 weeks before you are sent a new residence card. We will update the information here on udi.no when our priorities for which cases we handle change.

We cannot give you any further information about when your case will be processed if you contact us.

We are considering new information in your case 

It is important that you have read the decision you last received from UDI or UNE and submitted the information you were asked to provide in the decision. If we lack information from you when we start processing your case, it will take longer before your case is fully processed. 

If you have a limited temporary residence permit, and you have submitted your passport to the police or submitted other information that is relevant to your case, we will consider whether we can now grant you a residence permit that is not limited. 

Have you also applied for a travel document or immigrant's passport? 

If you have also applied for a travel document or immigrant´s passport for a single journey, we will process this application at the same time as the application for renewal of a temporary residence permit. You cannot get a new travel document or immigrant´s passport until you have obtained a new residence permit. The waiting time for processing these applications will therefore be the same. 

You should not book tickets to travel abroad until you have received a response to your application and have received a new residence card and travel document.

Immigrant's passport for a single journey

We continuously process applications for immigrant's passport for a single journey in connection with acute and life-threatening illness, death or other reasons (such as school trips or travel in connection with organised leisure activities). These applications do not follow our ordinary waiting time for case processing. If you are applying for a immigrant's passport for a single journey, we ask that you use the checklist and check that all relevant documentation is attached to the application. That way, we can process your application without unnecessary waiting time.

We have not forgotten you! 

There are many people who have an application for renewal with UDI who have waited a long time for a response. Even if you have waited a long time, it does not mean that we have forgotten about your application. Unfortunately, we do not know when you will receive an answer and we will not be able to give you any information about this if you call us. You will be notified when we have finished processing your application. 

If you applied within a month before your previous residence permit expired, you will still have the same rights as before to work, study and so on while you wait for us to process your application. 

What do you do if your residence card expires while you are waiting? 

You cannot get a new residence card until you have obtained a new residence permit. If you need confirmation that you have legal residence in Norway while you wait for a response, you can order it from UDI . 

Can I request priority?

There are very few applications that can be given priority. To request priority, you must send us a detailed explanation and documentation, such as a doctor’s certificate. Select the alternative that best describes your situation for more information about priority.

In the letter from UDI, there was a deadline for renewing your residence permit.

You will receive the answer to your application for renewal before your first permit expires if

• you apply before this deadline, and
• we have all the information we need to process your application

We will prioritise applications from those who have submitted their identity documents.

You may have to wait longer if we need to carry out extra investigations in your application. This could for example mean additional checks of your documents or to have your identity confirmed. Sometimes we must also carry out other types of investigations. We will contact your lawyer or your representative if we need any more information from you.

We will notify your lawyer as soon as we have finished processing your application. 

Can I request priority?

There are very few applications that can be given priority. To request priority, you must send us a detailed explanation and documentation, such as a doctor’s certificate. Select the alternative that best describes your situation for more information about priority.

How long must you wait?

We must first decide whether you can be granted a residence permit as a refugee. If you are, you will also get a travel document for refugees.

Most cases will be processed within 4 months, but some cases may also take longer.

It may take longer before you receive an answer if we are waiting for documentation. You may also have to wait longer if your family member with refugee status has a case in processing. This is because your family member must have a valid residence permit before we can consider if you can get a residence permit as a refugee. 

Can I request priority?

There are very few applications that can be given priority. To request priority, you must send us a detailed explanation and documentation, such as a doctor’s certificate. Select the alternative that best describes your situation for more information about priority.

If you have received a rejection letter and you have appealed

Within 3 months of the UDI or the police receiving your appeal, we will either reverse the decision and grant you a travel document or send your case to the Immigration Appeals Board (UNE) for consideration of the appeal.

If we forward your appeal to UNE, you will be notified by email or SMS. You can find information on UNE’s website about how long it takes from UNE receives your appeal, until you receive an answer from them (external website).

This information was last updated on 

. It will be updated again on 

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If you are in the Dublin procedure, we will need about four months to decide which country is responsible for considering your asylum application. Some cases may also take longer.