The arrivals phase – asylum seekers' first meeting with the police

When the Police Immigration Service registers an asylum seeker, the person is searched against national and international databases such as NORVIS and Schengen Information System (SIS) to check whether the person has a residence permit in another European country, or whether a country other than Norway is responsible for processing the application.

We record fingerprints and personal data from the applicant, take their photo and issue them with an Asylum Application Registration Card.

In addition, we conduct a registration interview. Asylum seekers have a duty to provide information about their own case to the best of their ability. The purpose of the registration interview is to collect information about the asylum seeker's identity, and to check whether the person may pose a threat to society.

The information from the registration process is shared with the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration, which will decide whether the asylum seeker will be granted asylum or some other form of residence permit.

As part of the registration process, the police can search electronic storage devices such as mobile phones, memory sticks and cameras belonging to the asylum seeker. The asylum seeker is informed of whether the search will require the police to retain the device for a time, or whether it will be returned the same day.

The police register asylum seekers as we have access to methods and databases which, in many cases, enable us to uncover information that may be important to decide the asylum application.

As some asylum seekers do not have passports or other valid ID documents, the Police Immigration Service's enquiries will help strengthen or weaken the asylum seeker's credibility. In many cases, it will also corroborate or verify that the identity provided by the asylum seeker is correct.

True identity is necessary to deport rejected asylum seekers who do not leave the country of their own accord. It is also crucial to know the true identity of persons staying in Norway. To the police, this is a matter of public security.

Other Norwegian authorities also require a confirmed identity to provide various permits, services and benefits.

Applications for asylum in Norway must be made to the police "without undue delay" once you arrive. Generally, the application should be made to the police at the border. Anyone who did not report at the border, but who wishes to apply for asylum, must, from November 2020, attend the National Arrivals Centre in Råde Municipality south-east of Oslo.

For persons who present their application for asylum elsewhere, the police can arrange transport from the police district in question to the National Arrivals Centre, but our experience is that asylum seekers are generally able to find the centre on their own. The Centre's address is Mosseveien 58, 1640 Råde.

Most registration interviews are completed within two days, but some cases may need more time. The immigration authorities' aim is that the Directorate of Immigration will complete processing of 7 out of 10 applications within 21 days.

After the registration interview, the case handlers in the Police Immigration Service and the Directorate of Immigration immediately begin considering the further processing of the application. This may require further enquiries and interviews.

Although the aim is that 7 out of 10 asylum applications should receive a reply within 21 days, not all cases can be thoroughly processed in such a short period. In such cases, case handlers at the Directorate of Immigration will continue the processing and the asylum seeker will be assigned to a transit or reception centre elsewhere in Norway. The same applies if the application is rejected, but the asylum seeker is given a permit to remain in Norway until the Immigration Appeals Board has processed the appeal.

New asylum seekers are subjected to a security check similar to the one you will have experienced at airports, as well as an assessment against any infection protection measures that may be in force. Anyone subject to quarantine requirements will complete their quarantine at the beginning of their stay. Anyone who has not taken the mandatory covid test at the border and is subject to this requirement, will be tested.

All luggage and clothing will be frozen for 48 hours for pest control reasons. All who will be staying at the centre will be supplied with clothing and toiletries to use during these 48 hours.

Once asylum seekers have received information about the asylum application processing and have provided basic information about themselves, the Police Immigration Service will carry out the initial registration and take their photo and fingerprints. During the course of the first two days, the Police Immigration Service will conduct a registration interview.

Asylum seekers will also be offered a conversation with the NGO Norwegian Organisation for Asylum Seekers (NOAS), during which they will be provided with in-depth information about the Norwegian asylum system.

During the course of the first three days, asylum seekers will be checked for tuberculosis through x-ray and lab tests carried out by personnel from a local hospital, either at the hospital or at the Arrivals Centre. The local municipal health service also has offices at the Centre, and will handle issues relating to infection protection, vaccination, tuberculosis test results, pregnancies etc.

Comprehensive measures have been implemented at the Centre to prevent and stop contagious diseases. The municipal chief physician has prepared an infection prevention plan for the Centre, and the involved agencies also have more detailed plans for their respective responsibilities.

This entails mapping, testing and quarantine and isolation measures, and the plans will be updated in line with national and local measures.

No, asylum seekers are not required to live at the centre. For foreign nationals in Norway who have private accommodation and some form of residence permit, but who decide to seek asylum, we recommend that they contact the Police Immigration Service in advance on telephone no. +47 22 34 24 00 to schedule an appointment.

Such asylum seekers can stay at the Centre during the registration process and any interviews with the Directorate of Immigration, but they are not entitled to later be quartered somewhere else than where they were staying before registering.

If you live in private accommodation somewhere else in Norway, the necessary enquiries and interviews may take more time. This will in particular be the case as long as the measures relating to the pandemic remains in place. We therefore also encourage asylum seekers who will continue to live in private accommodation to live at the Arrivals Centre during the initial phase.

The Directorate of Immigration operates the Arrivals Centre. In addition to staff from the Directorate and the Police Immigration Service, the local hospital maintains a presence there to carry out statutory tuberculosis checks. The municipal health service provides other necessary health services.

Prior to the opening of the National Arrivals Centre in November 2020, the building was modified extensively to cater to the new asylum processing. This included expansion of office areas, holding cells, the police station and interview rooms.

No separate quarters for unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors have been built, and these asylum seekers are as of February 2021 still quartered in accommodation adapted to their age group, provided by the Directorate of Immigration and the Office for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (Bufetat). Other asylum seekers are quartered in the Arrivals Centre.