Registration as an asylum seeker

As a rule, you must register at the National Arrival Centre in Råde (Eastern Police District). You do not need an appointment to register at the National Arrival Centre.

It is possible to register elsewhere in Norway, but there is limited capacity for registration in the districts. If you contact the police where you are, they will help you to travel to the nearest place of registration. In most places, you need to arrange the time of registration with the police.

If the district you have travelled to does not have the capacity to register you, you will be transported to the National Arrival Centre to register there.

Read more about registration with the police.

There are two kinds of identification numbers in Norway:

• D number
• National identity number

Your identification number is unique and is used to identify you and give you access to services in Norway.

When you register as an asylum seeker from Ukraine, you’ll receive a temporary Norwegian identification number, a D number. Generally, you’ll receive information about your D number in an asylum seeker card, which you will get from the police.
If you get a residence permit, you’ll be assigned a Norwegian national identity number.

An electronic ID gives you online access to public services
When you have received a Norwegian identification number (national identity number or D number), you can get an electronic ID. An electronic ID gives you access to online services from local and public authorities. 

• How to obtain an electronic ID.

If you need somewhere to stay, you’ll be offered a place to stay. If there is available capacity in the district where you are, you can stay there until you register with the police. If there is no capacity available, you will be transported to the National Arrival Centre. 

Staying at the National Arrival Centre or a reception centre is voluntary. If you have somewhere to stay, you can stay there. However, we recommend that you stay at the National Arrival Centre until you have completed the registration process.

If you are staying in private housing, you can apply for temporary alternative accommodation.

Read more about temporary alternative accommodation here.

The National Arrival Centre is the primary place of registration for applications for protection in Norway. At the National Arrival Centre, there are representatives of various organisations that will take care of you, and it provides a more comprehensive service than we can offer you in the districts.

Read about some of the benefits of registering at the National Arrival Centre.

You can read about the facilities at the National Arrival Centre on the Directorate of Immigration’s website.

When you arrive at the National Arrival Centre, you will be welcomed by staff who will give you information about what will happen next. The National Police Immigration Service will register your application for protection at the centre.

You can read about what happens when you register at the National Arrival Centre on the Directorate of Immigration’s website.

Read more about registration at the National Arrival Centre.

At the arrival centre, you will have a meeting with the police and you will hand in your passport and other ID documents.

People usually stay at the arrival centre for a fairly short period.

No, it does not matter where you register. This does not affect which settlement municipality you will be allocated by IMDi. However, it is important that you tell the police if you have close family members in Norway when you register. 

The Directorate of Immigration does everything it can to ensure that close families members can stay together in the same asylum reception centre.

When you go to the police, you will give your fingerprints and register information about yourself electronically. You will also hand in your passport and other ID documents.

Read more about what happens when you register with the local police.

When the police at the arrival centre or the local police have registered your application for protection, they will send your application to the Directorate of Immigration (UDI) for processing. 

When the UDI has received the application from the police, you will receive an email confirming this. 

In some cases, the police or the UDI must carry out additional investigations. You will be notified if the police or the UDI need to speak to you.

If you have fled the war in Ukraine and applied for protection in Norway, the UDI will process your application either as part of a group assessment (collective protection) or consider it individually (ordinary protection). 

On the UDI’s website, you will find information about protection in Norway for those who are going to apply, have applied or have received an answer to their application.

Refugees from Ukraine are eligible for collective protection in Norway. You will be granted collective protection if you meet the conditions for such a permit.

You can read more about who is eligible for collective protection on the UDI’s website.

You will be notified if you are not eligible for collective protection.

If you are not among those eligible for collective protection, the UDI will carry out an individual assessment of your application.

In some cases, it becomes clear already at the time of registration that an application does not meet the conditions for collective protection. In that case, your application will be transferred immediately to the ordinary procedure for protection. 

In other cases, it will only become clear later on in the processing of the application that the requirements for collective protection have not been met. Your application will then be transferred to the ordinary procedure for protection.  

Ordinary protection means that you are granted a residence permit as a refugee in Norway based on an individual assessment of your application.

You can read about the requirements for being granted ordinary protection on the UDI’s website.