We know that it may be challenging to leave Ukraine now. Unfortunately, UDI cannot help anyone to leave, nor can we answer questions regarding the current situation in Ukraine.

If you have a biometric passport, you can travel to Norway visa-free. If you do not have a biometric passport or are missing ID documents, you will find information on travelling legally to Norway here.  

As a general rule, foreign citizens who need a visa or a residence permit to live or work in Norway must apply before entering Norway. Due to the security situation, the VFS application centre and the embassy in Ukraine are currently closed (external website). Therefore, it is not possible to apply for a visa or residence permit from Ukraine for the time being, but the Norwegian Embassy in Ankara, Türkiye, is processing applications from Ukrainian citizens.

For more information on how to submit your application, please visit:

VFS application centres that accept applications for residence permits
VFS application centres that accept applications for visitor visas

Citizens who do not need a visa to Norway may apply for certain residence permits from within Norway. You will find more information about the requirements for applying for a residence permit in Norway in our guides for applicants.

If you have handed in an application for a residence permit for Norway from Ukraine, the embassy in Ankara will inform you when UDI has reached a decision.

Citizens who do not need a visa for Norway can in some cases travel to Norway before their residence permit has been granted. These are the same groups that can apply for residence permits from within Norway. You can find more information about whether you have the right to apply for a residence permit from within Norway in our guide “Want to apply”.

You can travel to Norway without a visa if you have a biometric passport. If you do not have a biometric passport or are missing ID documents, you can find information on how to travel legally to Norway here.

If you have an entry ban registered with the Schengen Information System (SIS), you will not be allowed to enter the Schengen area for the duration of the ban. If you are in Ukraine and cannot travel due to the SIS registration, however, you may apply to have the entry ban removed from the SIS.

The embassy and VFS application centre in Ukraine are currently closed. As a result, UDI has suspended its requirement that applications for lifting a Schengen entry ban must be delivered in person to a foreign service mission. This means that you can send your application to lift an entry ban directly to UDI.

This exception only applies to applications to have an entry ban lifted.

This exception also applies to citizens of other countries who are in Ukraine and are not allowed to travel because they were previously deported from Norway and the Schengen area.

Even though UDI has made exceptions to the requirement for in-person delivery of applications, you may still hand in your application to lift an entry ban at a VFS application centre in, for example, Türkiye, Kosovo, Azerbaijan, Serbia or in another country where you are located. This is how you apply to have an entry ban lifted.

This information applies only for entry into Norway and does not encompass travel through other countries. You must check the rules that apply for border crossings for Ukrainian citizens without a biometric passport or ID documents in other countries you have to pass through on your way to Norway. Unfortunately, the Norwegian authorities and UDI cannot answer questions about rules beyond Norway's borders. 

The information about legal entry applies for all Ukrainian citizens, regardless of whether you travel alone, with a group or with family living in Norway.

If you are going to apply for protection (asylum)  

If your purpose for travelling to Norway is to apply for protection, you can apply for protection when you reach the Norwegian border.

If you do not have a passport, biometric passport, visa or other ID documents, you can still apply for protection in Norway if you are already in Norway or have reached the Norwegian border. 

Norwegian authorities no longer consider Ukraine a safe country. Due to the situation in Ukraine, Norway may grant people fleeing the war in Ukraine temporary collective protection.

If you are not going to apply for protection (asylum) 

If you are not planning to apply for protection in Norway, the usual entry rules apply to you. 

• If you have a biometric passport from Ukraine, you can travel to Norway visa-free. Children must also have a biometric passport to enter Norway without a visa, even if traveling with parents who have a biometric passport. 
• If you do not have a biometric passport, you must have a visa, residence permit or residence card in Norway. This applies to adults and children alike. 

Because of the crisis in your home country, UDI has suspended the obligation to return for Ukrainian citizens in Norway until further notice. Even if you do not have legal residence in Norway, you will not be deported from Norway currently. You can continue to stay in Norway until further notice without ramifications.   

If you do not have a biometric passport, you can find information on how to travel legally to Norway here.

Due to the crisis in your home country, UDI has suspended the duty to return for Ukrainian citizens in Norway until further notice. Even if you do not have legal residence in Norway, you will not be expelled/sent out of Norway currently.

You may continue to stay in Norway until further notice without risking any consequences. You will find information on how to travel legally to Norway here. 

If you bring a pet with you from abroad, the animal must be inspected at the border by the Norwegian Food Safety Authority. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority must check all pets that come to Norway to minimise the risk of spreading deadly diseases, such as rabies, to humans and other animals in Norway.

On the Norwegian Environment Agency's website, you will find information on the rules for bringing exotic pets into Norway (external website).

If you apply for protection in Norway and meet the conditions for collective protection, we will process your application in Norway.

If you are not eligible for collective protection, you may apply for protection and individual assessment of your application. However, if you have already applied for protection, or have a residence permit in another European country, then that country may still be responsible for processing your application, and you may be required to return there. This is covered by the Dublin Regulation. You can read more about how the Dublin Regulation works here.

Example of when the Dublin Regulation applies: You have a residence permit in another European country and left Ukraine long before 24 February 2022. As a result, you are not eligible for protection in Norway.  We will then contact the country you received your resident permit from so that your application for protection is processed there.

A registration in SIS means that you generally do not have access to the Schengen area as long as the entry ban lasts. An application for protection nevertheless precedes a registration in SIS. This means that you can apply for protection in a Schengen country even if you are registered in SIS, and you are allowed to stay in the country until your application for protection has been processed.

You can apply for protection on the border of the first country you come to after leaving Ukraine. If you want to apply for protection in Norway, you can do so when you reach the Norwegian border.

This information letter for Ukrainian nationals and their family members situated in Moldova contains information about the voluntary transfer scheme, what it means to be transferred to Norway and what rights and obligations it entails.

• For those considering voluntary transfer to Norway (pdf, 3,7 MB)
• Для осіб, які розглядають можливість добровільного переїзду до Норвегії з супроводом (pdf, 3,9 MB)
• Для лиц, рассматривающих возможность добровольного переезда в Норвегию (pdf, 3,8 MB)