Asylum reception centres

When you register your application, you will stay at the National Arrival Centre first. After a while you will be offered accommodations at an asylum reception centre.

An asylum reception centre is a facility with modest accommodation offerings where you can stay voluntarily while waiting for an answer to your application for collective protection. 

When you arrive at the asylum reception centre, you will receive information about:

• house rules and practicalities related to the centre
• safety, such as fire prevention / security
• money/basic benefits
• the surrounding area and nearby services, including transport, shops and other services and amenities

The asylum reception centre staff will provide guidance and help if needed. They will also assist you to obtain relevant information from public agencies and volunteer organisations.

At the asylum reception centre, you will receive:

• a bed (you may end up sharing a room with others)
• kitchen access
• equipment you can loan for young children, including carriages, beds etc. 
• access to clothes-washing and drying facilities
• internet access
• access to a pc/tablet at the reception centre
• money (basic benefits) for food, clothing, personal hygiene items, transport
• access to primary school instruction for hildren aged 6-16 years
• offering for adapted school instruction for youths aged 16-18 years
• leisure activity offerings
• opportunity to take part in the information programme on Norwegian society

Some asylum reception centres also offer:

• childcare for children aged 0-6 years
• kindergarten for children aged 1-6 years

We do not know how long it will be before you can move from the asylum reception centre to a municipality.

No. It is up to you whether or not you choose to stay in a reception centre, but you do not get to choose where that will be.  

You will be offered a place to stay in a reception centre where there is availability.

If you already live in a reception centre and wish to move, your application to move to another reception centre will be processed by the centre's regional office. You can ask those working at the centre how to apply. Not all applications for such moves are accepted.

UDI requires there to be compelling reasons for a move. For example, if:

• you have close family at or near the reception centre where you wish to move
• you need to move to receive medical treatment that you require
• you have received an offer for a job or education which requires you to move
• you are isolated, in terms of nationality or language, in the reception centre you wish to move from

You must document your need for a move on your own. It is also important to know that you might not be allowed to move to your desired reception centre even if you can document your needs. The reception centre may be full or unavailable for other reasons.

Application for moving from one reception centre to another:

• Application to move to a new asylum reception centre (pdf, 565 kB)

I want to move back into an asylum reception centre

If your living accommodation is in private housing and wish to move back into a reception centre, you might not be able to move back to the same centre where you lived before. If you are not offered a spot in your previous centre, you will be offered a spot in a different one.

If you have previously lived in a reception centre, please contact the UDI regional office in charge of the reception centre where you were.

If you have not previously lived in a reception centre or only lived at the National Arrival Centre in Råde, please contact the Unit for Arrival and Transit (ATE), which will then secure a spot for you in a reception centre.

Let us know where you are moving to

Remember to tell your local police, UDI and the reception centre of your upcoming move and your new address. It is important that we know your address so that we can reach you with information about your case.

Yes, you are allowed to live in private housing.

Are you going to stay at a private address after registering at the National Arrivals Centre?

If you are moving to a private address after registering at the National Arrivals Centre, you must notify us of the new address you are moving to. You must do this before moving. You must inform the police and UDI of your new address. UDI must know where you are when we send out the decision letter granting protection and other important information. If we do not know where you are, we will not process your application for protection.

Are you moving from an asylum reception centre to a private address?

If you are living in an asylum reception centre and you are planning to move to a private address, you must report your new address to the reception centre and to the local police in the area you will be moving to. UDI must know where you are when we send out our response to your application for protection and other important information. If we do not know where you are, we will not process your application for protection. Remember to mark your letterbox with your name, so that letters from UDI will be delivered.

You cannot bring your pet to the asylum reception centre

As of February 15, 2024, it will not be possible to live with pets at the National Arrival Centre or at the asylum reception centres.

If you arrive with a pet at the National Arrival Centre, you will not be allowed to enter with your pet and will therefore not be able to register your application.

If you arrive in Norway with your pet you must make sure the pet has a place to stay while you are being registered and while you will be living at the asylum reception centre. You must organise and pay for this yourself.

If you cannot arrange a place to stay for your pet, the pet must immediately be returned to Ukraine or euthanised. You are responsible for covering expenses related to return travel or euthanasia.

Rules for bringing pets across the border into Norway

If you have brought your pet from abroad, your pet must be checked at the border by the Norwegian Food Safety Authority (Mattilsynet). The Norwegian Food Safety Authority must control all pets that come to Norway to minimise the risk of spreading deadly diseases, such as rabies, to humans and other animals in Norway.

As of 1 July 2023, pets brought into Norway from Ukraine are subject to the standard requirements regarding microchipping, rabies vaccination, blood testing, tapeworm treatment and health certificates.

Pets brought to Norway after 1 July 2023 that do not meet the animal health requirements must be kept in quarantine at the pet owner's expense, returned directly to Ukraine or euthanised.

You can read more about bringing pets from abroad (external website) on the Norwegian Food Safety Authority's website.

If your pet was not checked at the border when you arrived, you must immediately contact the Norwegian Food Safety Authority by telephone: +47 22 40 00 00.

Here you can find information in English and Ukrainian about financial help from the Norwegian Society for Protection of Animals (pdf, 103 kB).

The principal rule is that pet owners are responsible for their own pets.

The vast majority of animals coming to Norway from Ukraine do not arrive in accordance with the Norwegian Food Safety Authority's guidelines and must therefore be quarantined.

All reception-centre residents over 18 years of age are obligated to follow training in the Norwegian language and social studies. The programme consists of 175 hours of Norwegian-language training and 25 hours of social studies.

Instruction is free of charge. The reception centre cooperates with the municipality to ensure that everyone can take part and to arrange transport to the place of instruction.

The alternative accommodation scheme (AMOT) was introduced for those who need an alternative to staying in a reception centre. Under the scheme, a municipality takes on the responsibility for offering the individual living accommodation and follow-up.

You may apply for alternative accommodation if you meet the requirements for the scheme and need modifications that an ordinary reception centre cannot provide.

It also depends on whether or not a municipality will take on the responsibility to offer you such a place to live and to provide follow up. Municipalities participate on a voluntary basis.

It takes less time to receive an answer to an application for collective protection than it does for an application for AMOT. Therefore, it is generally not possible to stay in AMOT while you are waiting for an answer to your application for protection.

You cannot receive AMOT accommodation after your application for collective protection has been approved. In these cases, you are to be offered a place to live in a municipality.

If your application is assessed individually (individual protection), you might be able to apply for AMOT, but you must meet the requirements.

The alternative accommodation scheme: who is eligible and how to apply.

UDI provides a subsidy to the municipality that agrees to provide accommodation for you. It is the municipality that decides the amount of funding support you can receive.

If you have a need for financial support, please contact NAV in your municipality.