The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) and the Norwegian Appeals Board (UNE) lifted the suspension of the duty to return to Iran from 25 September 2026. The UDI and the UNE will then resume processing asylum cases by Iranian nationals.
The UNE and the UDI initially suspended the duty to return to Iran for 3 months due to the unclear situation in the country following widespread protests, the government’s response, and the armed conflict between the US and Iran. In April 2026, the return ban was extended for another 5 months.
The UDI and the UNE now consider the security situation to have stabilised sufficiently, with a significant decrease in fighting and fatalities and a lower overall risk to the population.
The UDI currently has 104 pending asylum applications by Iranian nationals, although processing most cases may take some time while sufficient information is gathered.
- Norwegian Directorate of Immigration | Utlendingsdirektoratet (25 September, 2026), UDI og UNE opphever returstopp til Iran og gjenopptar behandlingen av saker [The UDI and UNE lift the moratorium on returns to Iran and resume processing cases],