UDI is monitoring the situation in the Middle East. The security situation does not provide a basis for a general priority of applications. If this assessment should change, UDI will publish new information about this.

Applicants may still request priority, and an individual assessment will be made. You can read more about what may provide a basis for prioritisation here.

Yes, UDI has been asked to prioritise already submitted applications for residence permits from people who are in Palestine or Israel. 

UDI will also prioritise new applications from people who are in Palestine or Israel, but there may be practical obstacles which may mean that it takes some time before the case processing is completed. One reason may be, for example, that the application does not contain all the necessary documentation. 

Applications may be prioritised for other reasons. Applicants who want priority must request this, and an individual assessment will be made. If you have further questions regarding the prioritisation of your application, you can use our guide to check if your case can be moved to the front of the queue. 

Foreign nationals who are unable to return home before their residence permit, visa, or visa-free stay expires due to cancelled flights must either rebook their ticket or purchase a new one.

If you are unable to leave Norway before your permit, visa, or visa-free stay expires, you may be expelled or refused entry or stay. You must keep documentation showing that it was not possible for you to find alternative means of returning home. You will need to present this documentation if a refusal of entry or stay or expulsion case is initiated when you leave Norway. You will also need it if you later apply for a visa to enter Norway.

You should not send this documentation to UDI now, and you do not need to contact us. UDI cannot confirm that you are allowed to remain in Norway. If a refusal of entry or stay or expulsion case is initiated, UDI will take into account that you attempted to leave Norway in time — but you must be able to document it.

The Norwegian authorities have very limited ability to assist Norwegian citizens or their family members who are staying in countries in the Middle East. At present, there is no offer of assistance in travelling from countries in the region.

You can find travel advice and information from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Norwegian citizens in the Middle East here (external website) [in Norwegian only].

If you have already been granted a residence permit and cannot travel to Norway within the entry deadline stated in your permit, you may request UDI to extend the entry deadline. You do not need to request an extended entry deadline until two to four weeks before the entry deadline expires. UDI can grant an extended entry deadline of up to 1 year after the date of decision. You can contact us by choosing the right case type and filling in the contact form.

There are no changes in which family members can obtain a family immigration permit from countries in the Middle East. 

Those who usually apply for family immigration are spouses or children of a person who already lives in Norway. Other examples are parents who have minor children in Norway or minor full siblings of persons residing in Norway.

Adult siblings, aunts/uncles, grandparents, nephews/nieces, cousins, or other distant relatives cannot get family immigration to Norway.

There are neither no changes in the requirements to obtain a family immigration permit. For information regarding the requirements for your case type, please follow this link and answer the questions to find the relevant information. 

It is a requirement that the person in Norway has been granted a residence permit in Norway. There are also income requirements in family immigration cases. There are exemptions to this income requirement if the reference person has recently received protection (asylum) and the application has been registered within 6 months after the date stated in the first decision letter the reference person received.

Several requirements apply to obtain family immigration. Amongst other things, the marriage must be valid and entered into voluntarily. You will find an overview of additional requirements by answering our web page's questions, «Want to apply for family immigration».

No. Although the UDI monitors the situation in the Middle East, as of today, it is not possible for you to apply in Norway on behalf of a close family member in the Middle East. If this should change, UDI will publish information about this when we receive the information.

We have now created a new guideline that changes the application process for family immigration for Palestinians who are staying in Gaza.

Due to the current security situation in Gaza and the fact that it is now difficult to travel out of Gaza, it will temporarily be possible for a family member in Norway (the reference person) to submit an application for family immigration on behalf of a family member staying in Gaza. The scheme will apply until it is again possible for Palestinians in Gaza to submit an application for family immigration in the ordinary way through personal attendance.

You can read about how to apply for family immigration here.

The new guideline applies to how an application for family immigration must be submitted, and not how an application will be processed.

We emphasise that the new guideline does not involve any changes in which family members can obtain a family immigration permit or which exceptions can be made from the ordinary rules. The humanitarian and security situation in Gaza does not provide grounds for exceptions to the ordinary rules for family immigration.

We also emphasise that persons who are granted a residence permit after submitting an application for family immigration under this temporary scheme cannot expect to receive assistance from the Norwegian authorities for assisted departure from Gaza.

If a permit for family immigration is granted, the applicant must visit one of the visa centres representing the Norwegian Embassy in Amman (located in Beirut, Amman, Cairo, Tel Aviv or Algiers) in person to collect the visa.

Many VFS Application Centres are temporarily closed due to the situation in the Middle East.

As of 3 March 2026, VFS Application Centres in the following cities are closed:

• Dubai and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
• Baghdad and Erbil, Iraq
• Tehran, Iran
• Tel Aviv, Israel
• Beirut, Lebanon
• Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, Pakistan
• Gaza and Ramallah, Palestine
• Doha, Qatar
• Dammam, Jeddah and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

This is not a complete overview of closed VFS Application Centres and will not be updated at all times. You can find updated information about the status of VFS Application Centres here (external website).

At present, we do not know how long the VFS application centres will remain closed. We ask you to monitor the VFS website for updated information about the status of the VFS application centres (external website).

Norwegian authorities have very limited capacity to assist Norwegian citizens or their family members in the region.

There are no general changes to the application procedures for residence permits in Norway. The rules for family immigration remain the same as before.

To apply for protection (asylum), you must be in Norway or at the Norwegian border to apply. It is not possible to apply for protection from another country.

UDI is prioritising residence permit applications already submitted by individuals currently in Palestine or Israel.

Syria

As of 22 January 2026, UDI and UNE are lifting the suspension of the duty to return that was decided on 28 April 2011. This means that the duty to return to the country of origin following a final rejection once again applies to Syria.

Palestine

From 24 September 2025, UDI and UNE will lift the temporary suspension of the duty to leave that was decided on 18 October 2023. This does not mean that people without a residence permit in Norway must now return to Gaza. No one will still be returned there. The reason is the security and humanitarian situation in Gaza, which means that no one can be returned there.

Lebanon

From 1 May 2025, UDI and UNE lift the temporary suspension of the duty to return to Lebanon that was decided on 31 October 2024. This means that the duty to return to the home country after a final rejection now applies again to Lebanon.

You can read more about the lifting of the suspension of the duty to return to Lebanon here.

Israel

The duty to return to the home country after a final rejection still applies to Israel.

Iran

For individuals from Iran who have received a rejection of their application for residence in Norway, the duty to return has been temporarily suspended. The suspension applies for up to three months, from 20 January 2026. 

Individuals from Iran who are in Norway with expired residence permits or visas will not be refused entry or stay and forcibly returned as long as the suspension is in effect, even if they are no longer legally residing in Norway.

If you do not already have any established rights in Norway, such as the right to work, the suspension of the duty to leave does not change this. The suspension only gives you the right to remain legally in Norway for as long as it is in force, even if you have been given a deadline for departure.

Other countris in the Middle East

The duty to return to the home country after a final rejection still applies to other countries in the Middle East.

The Ministry of Justice and Public Security has decided that the processing of applications for protection (asylum) from persons from Syria may resume from 25 December 2025.

On 24 June 2025, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security decided to suspend the processing of applications for protection from Syrian nationals and stateless persons from Syria for up to six months, until 24 December 2025. The background to the suspension was the unclear situation in Syria following the change of power in December 2024. The Ministry of Justice and Public Security has decided not to extend this suspension.

UDI will begin interviewing the first asylum seekers from Syria in January 2026. A large number of people from Syria are waiting for a decision, and many applicants from other countries have also been waiting for a long time. This means that even though UDI will begin processing applications from persons from Syria, it will take a long time before all pending cases have been processed.

UDI must assess the cases in light of the new situation in Syria, which means that we must also take new information into account when processing the cases. As a result, case processing may take longer, especially in the initial phase. It may also take longer to receive a decision after the interview than has previously been the case. You may also experience that some applicants receive a decision before you, even if they applied for protection after you. Some cases will take longer than others.

If you have applied for protection and your application is being processed or has been rejected, you can apply for assisted return.

Go to our application page for information about assisted return and how to apply.

If you have questions about assisted return to Syria, you can call UDI's Information Service at 23 35 16 00 and press option 7.

If you have been granted protection or family immigration status with someone who has protection, you may apply for repatriation. 

If your application is approved, you will get help buying tickets and you will receive monetary support at the airport (Gardermoen) on the day of your departure. 

In order to be granted repatration, you must have a valid travel document. 

You can apply for financial support for repatriation here: Returning home: Apply for repatriation.

Applying for repatriation is voluntary. You may change your mind and withdraw your application at any time. 

If you have questions about repatriation to Syria, you can call UDI's Information Service at 23 35 16 00 and press option 7.  

You cannot apply or ask UDI to come to Norway through the medical evacuation scheme (Medevac Gaza). It is the World Health Organization (WHO) or one of the countries in the region that requests the evacuation of the individual patient. The various countries that are part of the Medevac scheme assess whether they can offer evacuation to the individual patient and then notify the WHO or the country that requested evacuation.

Who is eligible?

Patients who are eligible for medical evacuation have serious illnesses or life-threatening conditions that require specialised hospital services.

One person may accompany each patient

The main rule is that each patient can bring one accompanying person. But in some cases, the patient can bring more, so that, for example, younger siblings are not left alone.

The accompanying person can be siblings, parents or another caregiver.

UDI must grant an entry permit and provide a place to stay

To facilitate the medical evacuation from Gaza, UDI will work with hospitals and asylum centres.

UDI is responsible for issuing an entry permit to the patients and their accompanying persons.

UDI must provide a place to stay for accompanying persons and arrange accommodation for patients upon discharge from the hospital. Bufetat must provide a place to stay if the patient is a minor under the age of 15 and does not have an accompanying person.