Close sites icon close
Search form

Search for the country site.

Country profile

Country website

Tonga

UNHCR’s Representation in Canberra promotes refugee rights in Papua New Guinea, Fiji, the Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

Six of these Pacific States are parties to the 1951 Refugee Convention. The Pacific Island countries host more than 11,800 persons of concern, with the majority living in PNG and Fiji.

UNHCR supports Pacific Island countries through capacity building, technical advice on protection and solutions, and engages in refugee status determination under mandate or through joint procedures. Although the number of asylum seekers and refugees in the region is relatively small, the impact of any new arrivals is significant at both operational and policy levels due to other pressing priorities which constrain government resources to respond to asylum seeker, refugee and statelessness issues.

Additional information

For information about our work in Tonga:

Help

Are you a refugee or asylum-seeker in this country? Find information about your rights and available services on our HELP site.

Blue
Text color
White
Regional website

Visit the UNHCR regional website (UNHCR Australia) for more information on our work in the region and the latest local news and stories.

Pale blue
Text color
White
Legislation and guidance

For legislation, case law and UNHCR policy relating to claims for international protection, visit Refworld.

Dark
Text color
White

Street and postal address:

14 Kendall Lane, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia

Please note that you must have an appointment to visit the office.

Email

Telephone

Time zone

GMT/UTC +10

Working hours

  • Monday: 8:45 - 17:00
  • Tuesday: 8:45 - 17:00
  • Wednesday: 8:45 - 17:00
  • Thursday: 8:45 - 17:00
  • Friday: 8:45 - 17:00

Public holidays

  • 1 January 2024, New Year's Day
  • 29 March 2024, Good Friday
  • 1 April 2024, Easter Monday
  • 10 April 2024, Eid Al-Fitr
  • 25 April 2024, Anzac Day
  • 17 June 2024, Eid Al-Adha
  • 7 October 2024, Labour Day
  • 25 December 2024, Christmas Day
  • 26 December 2024, Boxing Day