The UNHCR Representation for the Nordic and Baltic Countries (UNHCR RNB) is located in Stockholm, Sweden. UNHCR RNB covers Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden.
The role of UNHCR RNB is to monitor and support these countries in their implementation of the 1951 Refugee Convention and related standards on international refugee protection contained in other international and European legal instruments. This includes monitoring that people wishing to seek asylum have access to these countries and supporting the national asylum authorities to develop fair and efficient asylum procedures of high quality. It also includes work to make sure that asylum-seekers have access to quality legal assistance.
UNHCR RNB provides guidance on refugee and asylum law and policy to the governments in the countries covered, as well as to legal practitioners, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and many others. Where appropriate, UNHCR takes up cases and raises issues of concern with the relevant authorities, as well as provides training on a range of issues to those working with asylum-seekers and refugees.
In addition, UNHCR can, in exceptional cases, intervene in court proceedings, that are precedent-setting for the international protection of refugees.
UNHCR RNB also advises authorities and NGOs on ways in which refugees who have been granted international protection and asylum can be helped to integrate into countries in the region.
UNHCR RNB is not part of the national asylum procedures in the Nordic and Baltic countries. UNHCR RNB does not provide legal advice or representation in individual cases.
UNHCR RNB is not part of the national asylum procedure in any of the Nordic or Baltic countries and cannot grant you refugee status or register you as a refugee. UNHCR RNB does therefore not accept asylum applications and does not make decisions about who is a refugee. This is the responsibility of the asylum authorities in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden.
Instead, the role of UNHCR RNB is to support the national asylum authorities to develop fair and efficient asylum procedures of high quality and make sure that asylum-seekers have access to quality legal assistance through independent lawyers and NGOs.
Due to the nature of UNHCR’s role in the Nordic and Baltic countries, and limited available resources, UNHCR RNB does not provide legal advice and representation to individual applicants regarding, for example, asylum or family reunification.
Instead, UNHCR’s role in the Nordic and Baltic countries is to support the development of national asylum systems that will provide, through independent lawyers and NGOs, quality legal advice to asylum-seekers.
UNHCR RNB is not part of the national asylum procedure in any of the Nordic and Baltic countries. UNHCR RNB cannot therefore overturn negative decisions or stop deportations.
Your legal representative should help you with your asylum application. If your lawyer needs assistance with legal interpretation or country of origin information, they can contact the UNHCR Representation for the Nordic and Baltic Countries, if you agree.
Contact information to UNHCR’s legal aid partners is available on the Help Page of each of the Nordic and Baltic countries.
Denmark – Estonia – Finland – Iceland – Latvia – Lithuania – Norway – Sweden
UNHCR RNB does not have a global database of people registered with UNHCR but can send an inquiry on your behalf to the local UNHCR office where you were registered.
In case you have a legal representative/ lawyer, please channel your inquiry to UNHCR RNB through them. Please note that in order for UNHCR RNB to share information with them, certain criteria have to be fulfilled. The relevant conditions that need to be met prior to sharing the data are listed in our Data Protection Policy. In order to access the information requested in line with the policy, UNHCR would kindly ask your legal representative/lawyer to provide us with a formal letter stating the purpose for which the release of record is requested, a signed waiver of consent from you, an attested copy of their power of attorney, accompanied with a scanned copy of your ID document.
In case you do not have a legal representative/ lawyer but would still need the confirmation that you have been registered with UNHCR in another country, please contact UNHCR RNB directly.
The verification request should contain the following information:
• Full name
• Date and place of birth
• Country of origin
• Nationality
• Registration number from UNHCR and/or the national authorities
• Copy of identity card and/or ID-number
• Date of registration (arrival at the refugee camp)
• Name of the refugee camp
• Duration of stay at the camp
• Father’s name
• Mother’s name
• Number of family members at the time of registration
• Civil status at the time of registration
• Phone number at the time of registration
UNHCR RNB can be contacted on the following email address: [email protected]
In order to receive information and advice, your relative should contact the UNHCR office in the country where they are currently staying and explain what they would like help with.
Please refer to the link below, where you can find helpful services, information on asylum procedures, or read more about your rights and duties in more than 90 different countries:
Information for Refugees, Asylum-seekers and Stateless People | UNHCR
Please refer to the links below for the UNHCR Help pages for the Nordic and Baltic countries.
Denmark – Estonia – Finland – Iceland –Latvia – Lithuania –Norway – Sweden
An application for family reunification must be initiated by the relative through a diplomatic representation abroad (an embassy, or in some instances, a consulate). It is then the asylum/migration authority of the country the person has applied to, that decides on applications for family reunification.
To obtain more information regarding the criteria and procedure for family reunification in the Nordic and Baltic countries, please visit the websites of the respective asylum/migration authorities (select relevant country below).
Denmark – Estonia – Finland – Iceland (spouse, children, parents of children under 18, parents over 67) – Latvia – Lithuania –Norway – Sweden
No. UNHCR RNB is not part of the national resettlement process in any of the Nordic and Baltic countries.
Submissions for resettlement are made from the country where the refugee is living. UNHCR in that country is responsible for determining the need for resettlement and for identifying and presenting cases to a resettlement country (the destination country). UNHCR identifies individuals for resettlement in accordance with the criteria defined in the Resettlement Handbook.
There is no general right to be resettled. The resettlement countries decide who and how many refugees they will accept for resettlement. The migration authorities in the resettlement country makes the decision which cases to accept for resettlement.
If you have relatives who are registered as refugees with UNHCR in another country, please advise them to approach the local UNHCR office and inform them that they have relatives in one of the Nordic or Baltic countries.
For more information on resettlement and how it works, please see UNHCR’s resettlement webpage. UNHCR also has a brochure with Frequently Asked Questions about resettlement.
No, UNHCR RNB cannot assist refugees to relocate from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, or Sweden to other countries.
Please be informed that UNHCR does not assist with travel arrangements for individuals who are currently outside the Nordic and Baltic countries and intend to seek asylum in the region.
UNHCR is also not able to assist you with leaving your country of origin/nationality.
If you are currently outside of your country of origin/nationality and would like to receive assistance from UNHCR, we kindly suggest you contact the UNHCR office responsible for the country/region you are in.
Please follow the link below, where you can find helpful services, information on asylum procedures, or read more about your rights and duties in more than 90 different countries:
Information for Refugees, Asylum-seekers and Stateless People | UNHCR
If you have further questions or require more information concerning the possibilities to travel to the countries in our region, please find the contact information to the relevant migration authorities for your questions regarding asylum in the Nordic and Baltic countries below:
Please refer to the links below for the UNHCR Help pages for the Nordic and Baltic countries.
Denmark – Estonia – Finland – Iceland – Latvia – Lithuania – Norway – Sweden
In Denmark: If your monthly contribution is managed by UNHCR in Denmark, please send an email to [email protected] for information on your donations.
In Sweden: If your monthly contribution is managed by Sweden for UNHCR (Sverige för UNHCR), please visit their website for information on your donations: https://sverigeforunhcr.se/givarservice. You can send them an e-mail to [email protected] or call them at (+46) 08-121 491 00.
If you do not find the information that you are looking for, we advise you to visit our Help pages for the Nordic and Baltic countries (see links below) or that you contact us by email ([email protected]) or phone +46 10 10 12 800, from Monday to Friday, 10.00-12.00 (Sweden time).
Denmark – Estonia – Finland – Iceland – Latvia – Lithuania – Norway – Sweden
If writing to UNHCR, please include following information in your email:
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