If you are a refugee from Ukraine in Norway, please visit the website of the Government of Norway, Directorate of Immigration, which contains important information in English, Norwegian, Ukrainian and Russian. You can also call the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (Utlendingsdirektoratet – UDI) at 📞+47 23 35 15 00 (Mon/Fri 8 am – 3 pm)
If you fleeing Ukraine and are in Poland, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, please find on the Digital Blue Dot information about rights and services and where to find help. The site is also available in Ukrainian and Russian.
Who can qualify for temporary collective protection in Norway?
People who have fled Ukraine may be granted Temporary collective protection for one year. Collective protection means that the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) does not assess the need for protection individually but gives collective protection to Ukrainians fleeing the war in Ukraine and their family members. This ensures that Ukrainians fleeing the war will get the help they need faster.
The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) is responsible for processing applications for temporary protection for displaced persons from Ukraine.
You can be granted temporary collective protection if you:
- Are a Ukrainian citizen and lived in Ukraine before 24 February 2022
- Are a Ukrainian citizen who was on holiday or visited outside Ukraine for up to 90 days before 24 February 2022
- Are a Ukrainian citizen and already had legal residence in Norway before 24 February 2022, and that legal residence has already expired or expires less than two months after you apply for protection
- Have been granted protection in Ukraine before 24 February 2022, for example, as a recognised refugee
- Are a close family member* of a person who qualifies for temporary collective protection, regardless of your nationality
*A close family member may be a spouse, cohabitant, children under the age of 18 and other family members who, before 24 February 2022, were part of the same household as the person receiving temporary collective protection. Examples of other family members might be children over the age of 18, grandparents or siblings.
The rules describing who qualifies for temporary collective protection are in UDI’s Regulations here.
If you do not fall under any of the above categories, you can still apply for asylum, and your application will be assessed and reviewed individually.
Who does not qualify for temporary collective protection?
You do not qualify for temporary collective protection if you:
- had residency in a country other than Ukraine or Norway up until 24 February 2022.
- stayed illegally in Norway or had a duty to return on 24 February 2022.
- have dual citizenship in a country and UDI considers one of them to be safe.
- have another residence permit in Norway that you may continue to have. See the supplementary list of eligibility requirements for collective protection.
- are not a Ukrainian citizen, but have had a residence permit in Ukraine. Please note that you may be entitled to collective protection in Norway if you had protection in Ukraine. If so, you must provide documentation confirming that you had residency there on the basis of protection.
- had your last permanent place of residence in an area that is considered by the Norwegian authorities as safe, and do not have close family members who have been granted collective protection. The Norwegian authorities considers the following areas as safe:
- Cherkasy, Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnytskyi, Kirovohrad, Kyiv (province of Kyiv, not city), Lviv, Poltava, Rivne, Ternopil, Vinnytsia, Volyn, Zakarpattia, Zhytomyr
If you do not qualify for temporary collective protection, you can still apply for asylum, and your application will be assessed and reviewed individually.
How to apply for temporary collective protection in Norway
As of 15 July 2024, anyone applying for protection in Norway must go to Råde National Arrival Center to register their application.
Råde National Arrival Center is approximately 116 km south of Olso Airport (Gardermoen).
Address: Mosseveien 58, 1640 Råde
Contact the police at the National Arrival Centre when you arrive for further assistance.
UDI cannot offer you a place to stay until you have registered at the National Arrival Centre.
You have to make your own travel arrangements to the National Arrival Centre, which means that you will have to pay for and organise your transportation to the centre. Children travelling alone (unaccompanied minor asylum-seekers) and others in particularly vulnerable situations will be able to get help to travel to the National Arrival Centre. Exceptions can also be made for anyone whose life or health is at risk.
You can choose whether or not you wish to stay at the National Arrivals Centre or in an asylum reception centre. You have to cover your own costs if you choose to stay in private accommodations.
For more information about what happens when you arrive at the National Arrival Centre in Råde in the southeast of Norway, click here for information in Ukrainian, Russian, English and Norwegian.
What happens during your stay at the National Arrival Center in Råde?
When you arrive at the National Arrival Center, you will be greeted by staff who will inform you about what you will be doing next.
You will sleep in a tent hall in the center. There are a few rooms dedicated for use by people in particularly vulnerable situations. We evaluate individual needs for a room on a case-by-case basis.
At the National Arrival Center, the following will be provided:
- 3 meals a day. Children will also receive fruit and yoghurt in between the main meals
- Food appropriate for babies/children
- Bed linen and personal hygiene items
- Toilet and shower access
- Access to a washing machine for clothes
- 24-hour workforce (personnel is available at all times)
- Access to healthcare when needed
- Access to a small exercise room used for training or table tennis
- Dedicated areas for children to watch cartoons, draw, do crafts or play with toys
- Volunteer organisations come almost every day to set up handicraft activities for children and adults, and Norwegian language training for those who choose to participate
How long will you stay at the National Arrival Center in Råde?
Normally, you will stay at the National Arrival Center for a short period. You will stay at the National Arrival Center until you have completed several registration activities, which are part of the process of applying for protection.
You will have to:
- attend an interview with the police
- provide fingerprints and a photo
- hand over your passport and other ID documents to the police
- be tested for tuberculosis
- meet with Caritas, who will inform you of your rights and obligations
The police will return your passport/documents if your application is assessed for collective protection. The police will hold on to your passport if your application is to be assessed on an individual basis.
You will also receive a card for asylum seeker and a D number from the police.
When the police at the arrival centre have registered your application, they will send your application to UDI for processing. When UDI has received the application from the police, you will get an email informing you of this.
UDI tries to process applications as quickly as possible so you can get an answer fast. Some of the cases are processed automatically by a robot, while other cases are processed by case officers. This helps UDI complete a higher number of cases each day.
Sometimes UDI might need additional information, so they might call you in for a conversation or interview. You will be informed if this is needed. You cannot work or apply to work while UDI processes your application. You are only allowed to work after you are granted temporary collective protection in Norway.
What services can you access while waiting for an answer to your application?
- In case of an emergency, call the police at 📞112. If there is no urgency, you can call 📞02800.
- In case of a medical emergency, you can also call 📞+47 116 117 to contact the nearest emergency room.
- If you have a Facebook account, you can check out the Facebook pages for refugees from Ukraine, available in three languages: Norwegian, Ukrainian and Russian.
- If you have applied for temporary collective protection in Norway and have been issued a Norwegian identification number can order an electronic ID for access to digital services from Norwegian public authorities, such as health and welfare services, financial support, starting and attending school, access to a digital mailbox and more. Click here for more information about electronic IDs and how to order yours at norge.no
- While you wait for an answer to your application for temporary collective protection in Norway, you can stay at an asylum reception centre. This is a simple and temporary accommodation. Click here for more information on what to expect when living at an asylum reception centre.
- Children have the right to go to school in Norway while you wait for an answer to your application. This applies to children from the age of 6 – 16 years.
- You have the right to the same healthcare as everyone in Norway.
What happens if your application is granted and you meet the requirements for temporary collective protection for persons who fled Ukraine?
You will receive a decision letter in the mail with information about the residence permit you have received. You will also receive a letter in Ukrainian explaining your rights and obligations.
In the letter, there will be a QR code that links to a video in your language explaining your rights and obligations. It is important that you watch the video. To watch the video, you must either use your phone to scan the QR code or go to the link in the letter you received.
Please make sure that you have given the police your updated address if you do not live in an asylum reception centre or emergency accommodation.
If you live in private accommodation, your name must be on the mailbox for you to receive the letters UDI will send you.
Once you have been granted a residence permit, you will receive an email. You will also receive a residence card. The residence card is different from the asylum-seeker card you received when you first submitted your application. You might need to go to the police station to take a picture and fingerprints for the residence card. If you have already had your picture and fingerprints taken before, you might not need to go to the police station to get them taken again. You will be informed if you need to report to the police. After you have received your residence card, you will receive a letter stating that you have been assigned a national identity number.
➡️Click here for more information about residence cards in Norway.
The residence permit for temporary collective protection is valid for one year as a start and may be renewed for one year at a time after that.
What are your rights and obligations as a temporary protection holder in Norway?
- Your permit for collective protection is granted for one year at a time.
- You have the right to access healthcare through public healthcare services
- You have the right to work in Norway
- Your children have the right to attend school and kindergarten / pre-school
- Norwegian authorities can provide you with a residence (settlement). This means you will get help finding a place to live in a municipality. Read more about settlement here.
- If you are between the ages of 18 and 5,5 you have the right to join an introduction programme.
- Your family members who are not covered by the rules for temporary collective protection may apply for family immigration to Norway through the usual rules.
- It is important to provide honest and truthful information throughout the process. If you have given incorrect information or if you failed to mention important information to the authorities, your permit may be revoked.
- You have the right to travel in and out of Norway with a travel document. This could be your own national passport or a travel document provided by the Norwegian Authorities.
- It is generally not allowed to travel to Ukraine while under temporary collective protection. More information about what happens if you travel back to Ukraine.
What happens if your application for temporary protection is rejected?
Your application will be immediately re-directed to be processed as an individual asylum case under the regular asylum procedure.
➡️More information on applications for temporary collective protection that have been rejected.
➡️More information on the standard asylum procedure in Norway.