Support in Afghanistan

UNHCR has a variety of services to assist individuals and families with cash, shelter support, psychosocial support and other types of services. However, all assistance is provided based on an objective assessment. Therefore, all individuals are required to be assessed either by a UNHCR staff or a partner organization staff to be found eligible for assistance. Please contact UNHCR through the hotline phone or the Protection mailbox ([email protected]) for more information and support in accessing assistance.

Your decision to return to your place of origin, move to another intended destination or remain in the current location must be fully voluntary and on the basis of your informed decision.

Therefore, it is important for you to well understand the current situation of your own village.

If you voluntarily decide to return to your village knowing the situation in your places of origin, but can not do so due to lack of transportation cost and cost to restart your life there, UNHCR would be able to assess your needs in the current location.

In such a case, please contact UNHCR through the hotline phone or the Protection mailbox ([email protected]).

In addition, in case your village is in any of the below Districts which are included in UNHCR’s Priority Areas of Return and Reintegration (PARRs), please access the following link for information on the available services in those District, which may be a useful reference when making your decision to return.

Afghanistan IMPACT PARR Mapping – North Eastern Region https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/94512

Afghanistan IMPACT PARR Mapping – Eastern Region https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/94509

Afghanistan IMPACT PARR Mapping – South Eastern Region https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/94515

Afghanistan IMPACT PARR Mapping – Capital Region https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/94510

Afghanistan IMPACT PARR Mapping – Northern Region https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/94514

Afghanistan IMPACT PARR Mapping – Southern Region https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/94516

Afghanistan IMPACT PARR Mapping – Central Highlands Region https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/94511

Afghanistan IMPACT PARR Mapping – Western Region https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/94517

In case you and your family have decided to return to your village, UNHCR may be capable of providing support for your return and reintegration. Assistance will be provided only upon an assessment and counselling to ensure that returns are informed and voluntary. For more information on the programme and available support, please contact UNHCR through the hotline phone or the Protection mailbox ([email protected]).

In case you have recently returned to your village but require support, UNHCR may be capable of providing support for your sustainable reintegration upon an assessment. For more information on the programme and available support, please contact UNHCR through the hotline phone or the Protection mailbox ([email protected]).

UNHCR can only register Afghan citizens as refugees or asylum seekers once they are outside of Afghanistan and looking for safety in another country. If you are still in Afghanistan and are a citizen of Afghanistan, UNHCR is not able to register you.   

If you decide it is not safe for you to stay in Afghanistan, you should prioritize your safety when looking at your options of where to go. It is recommended that you look for information from UNHCR, government or other reliable sources to decide where you and your family can go and ask for asylum.   

UNHCR has limited ability to assist Afghan nationals inside Afghanistan and cannot help people who want to leave the country with the costs or logistics of travel. 

If you have left Afghanistan, you can contact the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office or the government refugee agency of the country you are in for information on assistance, services, and how to ask for asylum or protection. Some systems to respond to new arrivals are still being established and the processes  can be very different depending on what country you are in. For more information, please visit the pages of the country where you are in or are where you wish to seek asylum. 

Some countries have recently announced opportunities for Afghan nationals who have worked or been affiliated with those countries to apply for permission to travel to those countries. These programs are established by those countries and UNHCR does not refer people to the programs or process applications.

There may be more programs that are now or soon to be available. UNHCR will try to keep this list updated as we become aware of these State-sponsored programs.

You can find information about each country and their available programme in our Relocation Programmes page.