Waiting times for those who have applied for protection (asylum)
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Which group do you belong to?
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Adults and families with children who have applied for protection (asylum)
Information about waiting times for those who have applied for protection (asylum)
Information on waiting time in Turkish (pdf, 136 kB).
Information on waiting time in Arabic (pdf, 206 kB).
Information on waiting time in Tigrinya (pdf, 125 kB).
Information on waiting time in Spanish (pdf, 104 kB).
Information on waiting time in English (pdf, 86 kB).Waiting times for UDI to process applications for protection (asylum) are long.
There are many people who have applied for protection in Norway in recent years, and we have too few case officers to process all their applications as quickly as we would like. This has resulted in queues of applicants who are waiting for a decision. We still have many cases from 2022 that we have not processed yet.  
As such, it may take a long time for you to receive an answer concerning your application. Even though it may have been a while, you can rest assured that your application has been entered into our system and has not been forgotten.
Once we have conducted an interview with you, you are likely to receive an answer rather quickly. In some cases, however, new information comes up during an interview that we then have to look into further. In such cases, it will take longer for us to reach a decision.
Contacting us will not help to reduce your waiting time. We understand that having to wait long with uncertainty is difficult. We promise that we will do the best we can to give you an answer on your application as quickly as possible.
How do we work with applications at UDI?
We try to interview as many applicants as possible at the National Arrivals Centre, while we also have case officers holding interviews and processing the applications of those who have been waiting the longest.
In addition, we must give priority to:
- cases under the Dublin Regulation
- applications from unaccompanied minor asylum seekers
- families with children
If your application does not belong within any of the priority groups, you will still receive an answer, but you should expect to wait a good while.
Why do some applicants receive an answer before others?
You may experience that some people who applied after you receive an answer before you, but this does not mean that anything is wrong with your application.
- If we interviewed you while you were at the National Arrival Centre, you are likely to receive a decision on your application fairly quickly. Due to the large number of people applying for protection, however, we cannot manage to interview everyone while they are at the National Arrival Centre.
- If we interview you after you have moved into a different asylum reception centre, it may take longer for you to be called in for an interview and for us to process your application.
Our capacity for conducting interviews at the Arrival Centre depends on the number of people applying for protection at the same time as you. It also depends on whether we have enough interpreters for your language and whether we have offices available for interviews.
In addition, there are many different reasons for why people apply for protection, and certain cases require more time to review. If you have applied for protection, you might have to wait longer for one of these reasons.
Can your case be moved to the front of the queue? (be given priority)
Many people want to have their case processed quickly. However, very special circumstances are required for your case to be moved to the front of the queue.
Next information update
This information was updated on 29 February 2024.
The information will be updated continuously in the event of changes.
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Children under the age of 18 who have applied for protection (asylum) and do not have parents in Norway
How long do you have to wait?
Before we can process your application for protection, we must interview you. If you have not attended an interview yet, you must therefore first wait for us to summon you for the interview.
The waiting time for an interview and then for a decision depends on how many cases are waiting to be processed. If, for for instance, many people apply for protection in one month, the waiting time may be longer for those who apply in the following months.
Because there are many unaccompanied minors waiting for an interview now, it can take up to 9 months from when you apply for protection until you are interviewed.
After you have been interviewed, you must wait for us to complete processing your case.
We understand that it can be very difficult to wat for so long for an answer, and we are working hard to process all the asylum applications.
We will notify your lawyer when we have finished processing your case.
Why do some people receive an answer more quickly than others?
As far as possible, we process the applications of those who have waited the longest first. However, we sometimes must make additional investigations before we can finish processing an application. Therefore, you might have to wait longer than someone from the same country as yourself, or others who live at the same asylum reception centre as you.
Can your case be moved to the front of the queue? (be given priority)
Many people want to have their case processed quickly. However, very special circumstances are required for your case to be moved to the front of the queue.
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Adults and children who have applied for renewal of their residence permit for protection (asylum) or strong humanitarian considerations
What cases do we process?
Most applications for renewal of residence permits are processed by the police. You will find information about their case processing times on the police's website. (external website)
Applications that the police cannot process are forwarded to UDI. This applies, among other things, to applications for everyone who has been granted a limited residence permit. If you have such a permit, it will be stated in the decision you previously received. The police also forward all applications where renewal has been applied for 6 months after the expiry of the previous permit. If the police forward your application to UDI, you will be notified by e-mail or SMS.
How long do you have to wait?
UDI receives many applications for renewal of residence permits and we have limited resources to deal with these cases. In order to work as efficiently as possible, and because we make ongoing assessments of which cases should be prioritised, we do not always deal with the oldest case first. This means that you may experience that others who have applied for the renewal of their permit after you receive a response before you. We understand that this can be perceived as unfair.
We are considering new information in your case
It is important that you have read the decision you last received from UDI or UNE and submitted the information you were asked to provide in the decision. If we lack information from you when we start processing your case, it will take longer before your case is fully processed.
If you have a limited temporary residence permit, and you have submitted your passport to the police or submitted other information that is relevant to your case, we will consider whether we can now grant you a residence permit that is not limited.
Have you also applied for a travel document or immigrant's passport?
If you have also applied for a travel document or immigrant´s passport for a single trip, we will process this application at the same time as the application for renewal of a temporary residence permit. You cannot get a new travel document or immigrant´s passport until you have obtained a new residence permit. The waiting time for processing these applications will therefore be the same.
You should not book tickets to travel abroad until you have received a response to your application and have received a new residence card and travel document
We have not forgotten you!
There are many people who have an application for renewal with UDI who have waited a long time for a response. Even if you have waited a long time, it does not mean that we have forgotten about your application. Unfortunately, we do not know when you will receive an answer and we will not be able to give you any information about this if you call us. You will be notified when we have finished processing your application.
If you applied within a month before your previous residence permit expired, you will still have the same rights as before to work, study and so on while you wait for us to process your application.
What do you do if your residence card expires while you are waiting?
You cannot get a new residence card until you have obtained a new residence permit. If you need confirmation that you have legal residence in Norway while you wait for a response, you can order it from UDI .
Can your application be given priority?
Many people want to have their case dealt with quickly. There must be very special circumstances in your case for it to go to the front of the queue, and you can check whether this might be possible for you here .
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Applications for renewal for children under the age of 18 who have been given a limited residence permit because they do not have ID documents
In the cover letter that followed the decision letter from the UDI, there was a deadline for renewing your residence permit.
You will receive the answer to your application for renewal before your first permit expires if
- you apply before this deadline, and
- we have all the information we need to process your application
We will prioritise applications from those who have submitted their identity documents.
If we need to make extra investigations in your application, you may have to wait longer. Extra investigations can for example be to make additional checks of your documents or to have your identity confirmed. Sometimes we must also make other types of investigations. We will contact your lawyer or your representative if we need any more information from you.
We will notify your lawyer as soon as we have finished processing your application.
Can your case be moved to the front of the queue? (be given priority)
Many people want to have their case processed quickly. However, very special circumstances are required for your case to be moved to the front of the queue.
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Family member of a refugee and have applied for refugee status and travel document
How long must you wait?
We must decide whether you can be granted a residence permit as a refugee. If you are, you will also get a travel document for refugees. Such applications can take longer to process than for those who only apply for a travel document.
Most applications will be processed within 2 months, but some cases may also take longer.
The case may take longer to process if we are waiting for documentation. The case may also take longer to process if your family member with refugee status has a case in processing. This is because your family member must have a valid residence permit before we can consider if you can get a residence permit as a refugee. The case processing time depends on how many cases we have.
Can your case be moved to the front of the queue? (be given priority)
Many people want to have their case processed quickly. However, very special circumstances are required for your case to be moved to the front of the queue.
Is your family member from Somalia?
Is the family member you are applying to be united with a Somali citizen who was given refugee status in Norway before 1 October 2014 and do not have a permanent residence permit? In that case, we must first assess whether he or she still has a need for protection. We cannot process your application until after we have processed your family members' case. This means that it will take longer before you will receive an answer.
Is your family member from Sri Lanka?
Is the family member you are applying to be united with a citizen of Sri Lanka who has refugee status and do not have a permanent residence permit? In that case, we must first assess whether he or she still has a need for protection. We cannot process your application until after we have processed your family members' case. This means that it will take longer before you will receive an answer.
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Applicants in the Dublin procedure
If you are in the Dublin procedure, we will need about four months to decide which country is responsible for considering your asylum application. Some cases may also take longer.