Passport from the authorities of your home country
If your residence permit was not granted on grounds of a need for protection from the authorities of your home country, and if there are no other obstacles to you obtaining a travel document from your home country, you must contact the authorities of your home country to obtain a passport. In such cases, the UDI will reject applications for Norwegian travel documents.
Travel documents for persons with refugee status
If you have been granted protection and refugee status in Norway, you are entitled to a refugee travel document unless special grounds indicate otherwise. If you have been granted refugee status, you are not to contact the authorities of your home country. If you do so, you will indicate to the Norwegian authorities that you no longer need protection in Norway.
Persons granted residence permits on grounds of family immigration with a family member who has refugee status in Norway can be granted so-called derived refugee status. Persons with derived refugee status are also issued refugee travel documents.
Travel documents for persons granted residence on grounds of strong humanitarian considerations
If you have applied for protection but have been granted residence on grounds of strong humanitarian considerations, you must, as a rule, apply for a passport from your home country.
In exceptional cases, however, a Norwegian immigrant’s passport may be granted. This requires the UDI to deem your relationship with the authorities of your home country to be such that you cannot contact them. Your status in Norway and the situation in your home country will be considered during the processing of the application.
Travel documents when you cannot obtain a passport from your home country
If you can document that you cannot obtain a passport from your home country and that the grounds are circumstances outside your influence, you can be granted a Norwegian immigrant's passport. This requires you to document that you have unsuccessfully applied for a passport from your home country. This applies to all persons who hold residence permits in Norway.
Travel documents for Somali nationals
Somali official agencies do not currently issue travel documents that are approved by the Norwegian authorities. Somali nationals are therefore issued Norwegian immigrant’s passports if they meet the conditions. If Somali official agencies in future begin to issue passports that are approved by the Norwegian authorities, persons who do not hold permits on grounds of a need for protection in Norway will be asked to apply for a passport from Somali official agencies.
Travel document for a single journey
For a journey to your home country
If you are granted a travel document or an immigrant’s passport, it will normally be valid for travel to all countries in the world except your home country. However, a need to travel to your home country may arise. It is then possible to apply for an immigrant’s passport for a single journey. Such a passport will be valid for one single journey to your home country. The UDI can grant an application for an immigrant’s passport for a single journey to your home country if there are strong reasons why you need to travel there. Such reasons include serious and sudden illness or death in your immediate family. You must document this as far as possible when you apply. Your application will be assessed by an executive officer when it arrive UDI. If you have enclosed all necessary documentation, and the application is likely to approval, we will process the case within 3 to 5 days after we have received it.
When you do not have passport or other travel document
You can also apply for an immigrant’s passport for a single journey if you have no passport or travel document and a need to travel arises. This applies e.g. if you have previously received a rejection of your application for a Norwegian travel document, but do not have a passport from your home country. In such cases, you can also apply to travel to countries other than your home country. There must be strong reasons why you need to travel in order for the UDI to grant the application.
When the applicant is a child
Children can apply for an immigrant’s passport for one single journey to take part in a school excursion or a sports event etc. The purpose of the journey must be documented. If you apply well beforehand, your application will be given priority and will be processed before the school excursion/ arrangement finds place.
If you are granted an immigrant's passport that is valid for a single journey to your home country, it may result in the UDI revoking your refugee status and your travel document. If that is the case, you will be given the choice of whether you still want to travel, or whether you wish to withdraw your application.
Immigrant’s passport to citizens of Iraq who shall apply for an Iraqi passport
The Iraqi embassy in Stockholm has announced that they are now issuing passports. Iraqi citizens who shall apply for an Iraqi passport have to contact the embassy in Stockholm, via the embassy in Oslo.
In order to have an immigrant’s passport issued before travelling to Stockholm, you have to document that you have an appointment with the embassy.
If the embassy cannot issue a passport to you, you have to document that you have to travel to Iraq in order to get an immigrant’s passport. Additionally you have to document that Iraqi authorities cannot issue a temporary travel document for you to go there.
If you already have an application for an immigrant’s passport pending at the UDI, you can send this documentation to the UDI or to your local police department. We will then add the documents to the application
.
If you do not have the necessary documents in order to have a passport, i.e. Certificate of Nationality (shahadat jinsiyya) and Civil Status ID-card (Bitaqa shakhsiyya lil-ahwal al-madaniyya/Hawiya shakhsiyya iraqiyya), you have to contact Iraqi authorities.
Rejection of application for travel document
If your application is rejected, you can appeal. Read more about how to appeal a decision at
www.udi.no/appeals.
If there is doubt about your identity, the application can be rejected even though the other conditions have been met. If you have provided different identities to Norwegian authorities and the authorities of other countries, you have to document your true identity before a travel document can be granted.
If you have lost or misused your travel document, your application for a new one can be rejected. It is not permitted to entrust your travel document to another person. You must notify the police if you have lost your travel document.
Proof of identity without a Norwegian travel document or passport
Most people who come to Norway are not granted a Norwegian travel document. If you are one of these persons and you do not have an approved travel document from your home country either, you may be unable to prove your identity. This could cause problems in establishing a bank account, obtaining a driving licence etc.
Lack of proof of identity is not a basis for being granted a Norwegian travel document. In the UDI’s view, this is a situation that you can remedy yourself. You can contact the authorities of your home country and apply for travel documents from them. If you do not hold a permit on grounds of a need for protection, we consider the issuing of travel documents to be a matter between yourself and the authorities of your home country.
Further information
If you have further questions about this topic, you can
contact your nearest police district or
the UDI’s Information Service.
