A large proportion of all those whose application for a refugee travel document or immigrant’s passport is rejected are advised to contact the authorities in their country of origin to obtain a travel document from their country of origin.
A large proportion of all those whose application for a refugee travel document or immigrant’s passport is rejected are advised to contact the authorities in their country of origin to obtain a travel document from them. Your application for a travel document will be rejected if you do not have a permit in Norway due to the needfor protection from the authorities in your country of origin and there are no other documented impediments to you obtaining a travel document from them. In this case, the authorities in your country of origin decide whether you can be issued a travel document or not.
No persons with refugee status in Norway will be advised to apply to the authorities in their country of origin for a travel document. Most persons who are granted refugee status in Norway are also issued a refugee travel document. Persons who are granted a family immigration permit for reunification with a person who has a permit due to his or her status as arefugee may also be granted refugee status.
Refugee status is granted to persons who have a permit under section 17, first or second paragraph of the Immigration Act , or under section 24, first or second paragraph of the Immigration Act.
Applications for an immigrant’s passport are also granted to persons who have a permit based on the need for protection from the authorities in their country of origin.
As a general rule, those who have been granted a permit under section 8, second paragraph of the Immigration Act, cf. section 1, first paragraph of the Immigration Regulations are considered to need protection from the authorities in their country of origin. Persons granted a permit under section 8, second paragraph of the Immigration Act, cf. section 21, second paragraph 2 of the Immigration Regulations are not considered to need protection from the authorities in their country of origin.
Persons who have been granted a family immigration permit for reunifcation with a person who has a permit on protection grounds, may in some cases be considered to have a corresponding need for protection. A concrete assessment is made in each applicant's case as to whether there is a corresponding need for protection. Some of the criteria for this decision are the duration of the marriage, when it was entered into, where and when the children were born and the situation in the country of origin when the family immigration permit was granted.
The application for a travel document from persons who are not considered to have a need for protection will generally be rejected. In cases where you are unable to obtain a travel document from your country of origin, you may, nevertheless be able to obtain a Norwegian immigrant’s passport. In such cases you must document the reasons why you are unable to obtain a travel document from the authorities in your country of origin.
Below we provide information on the possibilities of obtaining a refugee travel document or immigrant’s passport for some of the largest applicant groups:
Somalia
Currently, the Somalian authorities do not issue travel documents which are approved by the Norwegian authorities, and therefore nationals of Somalia are issued a Norwegian travel document provided that other conditions are met. No nationals of Somalia are advised to contact the authorities in their country of origin. If in the future the Somalian authorities start issuing passports which are recognised by the authorities in Norway and other Schengen countries, those persons in Norway who do not have permits on protection grounds will be referred to the Somalian authorities.
Iraq
Until autumn 2004 no Iraqis were advised to contact the authorities in their country of origin as passports issued by the Iraqi authorities were not recognised by Norway. During this period the majority of Iraqis were granted a refugee travel document or immigrant’s passport. Now that Norway once again recognises passports issued by the Iraqi authorities, those persons who do not have a permit on protection grounds will be referred to the Iraqi authorities to apply for an Iraqi passport. Whether or not these persons should be granted a travel document will then be a matter between the person in question and the authorities in his or her country of origin.
Persons who have been granted a family immigration permit for reunification with a person (the reference person) who has been granted a permit on protection grounds will be assessed as to whether they may be considered to have a corresponding need for protection. Persons who fled their country of origin with the reference person and have been living outside Iraq since he or she left the country will generally be found to have acorresponding need for protection. On application, these persons are issued a refugee travel document or immigrant’s passport and are not advised to contact the authorities in their country of origin.
You are generally not considered to have the same need for protection as your spouse if the marriage was entered into after he or she arrived in Norway, or if the marriage was entered into after you both left Iraq. Persons who came to Norway after the change in regimes in Iraq in 2003 are not found to have a corresponding need for protection as the reference person. This is because Iraq is now ruled by a different regime than the one the reference person fled from. Children are not considered to have a corresponding need for protection if they were born in Norway. Persons who are not considered to have a corresponding need for protection are generally referred to the authorities in their country of origin unless both parents have a need for protection.
Afghanistan
Persons who do not have a permit on protection grounds are generally advised to contact the authorities in their country of origin.
Persons who have been granted a family immigration permit for reunification with a person (the reference person) who has been granted a permit on protection grounds will be assessed as to whether they may be considered to have a corresponding need for protection. If you were granted a family immigration permit before the change in regimes in Afghanistan in December 2001, you will generally be found to have a corresponding need for protection. If you were granted a family immigration permit after the change in regimes, you will generally not be found to have a corresponding need for protection. You will then be advised to contact the authorities in Afghanistan to apply for an Afghan passport.
Serbia and Montenegro
Persons who do not have a permit on protection grounds are generally advised to contact the authorities in their country of origin. This also applies to Kosovo Albanians as the UDI is aware that Kosovo Albanians are also able to obtain travel documents from the authorities in Serbia and Montenegro.
Persons who have been granted a family immigration permit for reunification with a person (the reference person) who has been granted a permit on protection grounds will be assessed as to whether they may be considered to have a corresponsding need for protection. If you were granted a family immigration permit before thechange in regimes in Serbia and Montenegro in 2000, you will generally be found to have a corresponding need for protection. If you were granted a family immigration permit after the change in regimes, you will generally not be found to have a corresponding need for protection. You will then be advised to contact the authorities in Serbia and Montenegro to apply for a passport from your country of origin.
Russia
Persons who do not have a permit on protection gronds are generally advised to contact the authorities in their country of origin. This also applies to Chechens as the UDI is aware that Chechens are also able to obtain travel documents from the Russian authorities.
Persons who have been granted a family immigration permit for reunification with a person (the reference person) who has been granted a permit on protection grounds will be assesed as to whether they may be considered to have a corresponding need for protection. The Norwegian authorities assess the situation in Chechnya such that if you have been granted a family immigration permit for reunification with a person who has a permit on protection grounds, generally you will be found to have a corresponding need for protection. Therefore, you will generally be issued an immigrant’s passport on application.
Other countries
The above-mentioned general rules apply to other countries. For persons who have been granted a family immigration permit for reunification with a reference person who has a permit on protection grounds (under section 21, first paragraph of the Immigration Regulations), a concrete assessment will be made in each case as to whether there is a corresponding need for protection and whether an immigrant’s passport can be granted.
Any questions?
If you are still unsure as to who can obtain Norwegian travel documents, you can contact the police department in your vicinity or
the Information Service (OTS).
