Returning home Apply for assisted return

The assisted return scheme provides practical assistance and financial support to both asylum seekers and foreign nationals who do not have the legal right to reside or stay in Norway.

You can get help to return home

It can be difficult to be told that you have to leave Norway. If your application for protection (asylum) or another application for a residence permit has been rejected, you may have a duty to leave Norway.

If you wish to return home, you can apply for assisted return. You can receive help to plan and carry out your journey, and you can receive financial support. You can also apply for assisted return while your application for protection is still being processed.

Go here to see how much money you can receive Форму заявления Вы можете заполнить здесь
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Repatriation

Assisted return is for people who do not have legal residency in Norway, or who are in a situation where they can apply for assisted return. If you have a residence permit in Norway but wish to move permanently back to your home country, you may instead be eligible for repatriation.

Apply for repatriation

Who can apply for assisted return?

You can apply for assisted return if you:

  • have had your application for protection (asylum) rejected
  • have had another application for a residence permit in Norway rejected
  • are waiting for a decision on your application for protection
  • do not have legal residency in Norway
  • have received a decision to be transferred to another European country, but wish to return to your home country instead

There are also special schemes and rules for certain groups, including unaccompanied minors and people who may be victims of human trafficking.

You are also covered by the assisted return scheme if you are returning to a country covered by the European Reintegration Programme (EURP) and you have a duty to leave the Schengen area and the EU.

Exceptions

There are exceptions to the main rules. Being eligible to apply does not necessarily mean that your application will be approved. Read more on the page below.

What can you get help with?

If your application for assisted return is approved, you may receive:

  • help to obtain a passport or other travel documents
  • a flight ticket to your home country
  • help to plan your journey
  • help during your journey and at transit points
  • transport to your home area
  • financial support
  • help to re-establish yourself in your home country

What support you can receive depends, among other things, on which country you are returning to and which return scheme applies to you.

See what options are available for return to different countries and for different groups (children, adults, vulnerable groups and people covered by AMMR) on the page below.

Apply for assisted return – select your country and the group that applies to you.

Documents

We will not ask you to send us a lot of documentation, but we may need you to provide some, see examples below.

  • If you have a passport or other ID documents, we ask you to attach or upload a copy together with your application.
  • If you are returning to a country covered by EURP, you must also submit a consent form giving UDI permission to share the necessary personal information with its partners. See the consent form: Consent form - EURP. (pdf, 306 kB)
  • If you have a residence permit in a country outside the EU/EEA that is not your country of citizenship, you can apply for assisted return to that country. You must submit a copy of your valid residence permit.
  • If you are in a vulnerable situation, we will need documentation to confirm this. By vulnerable situation, we mean, for example, that:
    • you came to Norway as an unaccompanied minor and are now between 18 and 23 years old
    • you are over 60 years old, single and without a network in your home country
    • you were a victim of human trafficking
    • you have been a victim of violence or subjected to coercion or exploitation. For example, you may have been exploited in an employment situation, forced into marriage or subjected to violence in a close relationship
    • you have a health condition that requires medical treatment in your home country

This documentation may be medical, such as medical certificates or discharge summaries. You can also use letters from voluntary organisations (such as ROSA, the Church City Mission or NOAS). Alternatively, you can write a letter describing your situation.

If your documents are not available when you start your application, you can still submit your application without attaching the documents.

If you need to send documents to UDI later, go to the page below when you are ready to send them in.

Send documents to UDI

Apply early

It can take time to process your application and obtain the necessary travel documents. If you have been given a deadline for departure, you should apply for assisted return before your deadline expires. This will also give you a higher amount of financial support.

Your deadline for departure is stated in your decision.

How do you apply?

You apply for assisted return through UDI. You must log in with ID-porten and complete the application form, see link on the top of this page. 

You can get help to apply from:

What happens after you have applied?

After you have submitted your application, we at UDI will process it. If your application is approved, you will receive a decision from us. The decision will contain more information about your journey and any preparations you need to make. You will usually travel as a regular passenger on a scheduled flight. You can receive help during your journey and at transit points, and you will usually be provided with transport to your home area.

Read more about how the return takes place

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Videos about assisted return

On this page, you can find videos about assisted return. The videos are available in several languages.

Videos about assisted return

What happens if you do not leave by your deadline for departure?

If UDI rejects your application for assisted return, you can appeal. You will receive information about how to appeal in the decision letter. You must submit your appeal to UDI within three weeks after you were informed of the decision. This is what happens next:

  • If you appeal, you must still comply with any duty to leave and deadline for departure that applies to you.
  • UDI will first reconsider your appeal. If we do not change our decision, we will forward the case to the Immigration Appeals Board (UNE), which will make the final decision.
  • If you have a duty to leave, you must leave Norway and the EU/Schengen area by the deadline for departure stated in your decision.
  • If you do not leave by the deadline, the police may forcibly return you from Norway. This is called deportation.
  • You may also be subject to expulsion.
  • Expulsion means that you receive an entry ban. You cannot enter or stay in Norway for as long as the entry ban applies. The entry ban may also apply to the entire Schengen area.

 

More information

  • Who does what in the return process?

  • Information for those assisting someone with assisted return

What happens if you do not leave Norway voluntarily?

  • You are not allowed to work or study in Norway.
  • You will be expelled from Norway and other Schengen countries for a period of 1–5 years. During this period, you cannot travel to Norway or other Schengen countries.
  • The police will deport you.
  • You cannot return to Norway until you have paid the costs of your deportation.

Questions about assisted return?

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