The most common reasons why individuals from Afghanistan seek protection are that they are minors without caregivers in their home country and that they fear the Taliban. This may be due to close family members having been associated with the former regime.
Figures from the past two years show that we reverse approximately one in ten cases. Some cases are refused on credibility grounds, meaning that we do not believe the applicant's account of what they have experienced in Afghanistan. When assessing the credibility of an account, we consider the case as a whole. We assess whether the account is coherent, consistent, logical, and whether it appears to be based on personal experience. In addition, we assess the account against other information in the case, such as country of origin information
Many applicants say they are afraid of the Taliban because close family members, such as a father, brother or uncle, worked for the former regime or were associated with the foreign presence. Some are afraid of being seen as Westernised or being accused of being spies or apostates because they have lived in Norway for a long time. Some also fear the Taliban because they belong to specific ethnic or religious groups. Other applicants explain they have personal conflicts with family members or powerful men in their community. The reason could be disagreements over marriage or property.
Many believe it is dangerous to return to Afghanistan due to the general security situation.This is especially true for those who have lived in Iran or Pakistan for a long time before coming to Norway.
UNE previously considered a number of asylum cases involving women, with our without children. These applicants are now granted protection by the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI), and UNE no longer receives cases of this kind. In the past, there were also more applicants who stated that they had converted to Christianity; however, over the past two years, UNE has had almost no such cases.
Over the last few years, we have processed several cases regarding the renewal of various kinds of limited residence permits. One reason for granting a limited permit, for instance, might be that the applicant hasn't provided documentation to verify their identity.
Everyone who seeks protection in Norway is obliged to assist in clarifying their identity. Applicants who have a passport must hand this in. Other documents may also be accepted as proof of identity. Applicants who do not have ID documents are obliged to do their best to obtain such documents.
We conclude that an applicant's identity is either substantiated or not substantiated:
Substantiated identity: We believe that it is probable that the applicant is who he says he is. Documents and the applicant's statement can help to substantiate their identity. As a rule, the identity of the applicant must be substantiated before a residence permit can be granted.
Not substantiated: We believe that it is not probable that the applicant is who he says he is. This is the case when the applicant has not helped to establish who he is and where he comes from, by, for example, providing incorrect information. The reason we believe the identity has not been substantiated must always be included in the decision.
In cases where we maintain the UDI's decision, it is usually not concluded whether the applicant's identity is substantiated or not.
UNE primarily focuses on the applicants' own details about their identity. If they have provided a believable account of their identity, we would regard it as substantiated.
The national ID document is Tazkera. Roughly 60 per cent of the population have one. However, due to widespread corruption and document forgery, we do not place much trust in the information these provide. The same applies to most other Afghan documents. Since 2018, the Afghan authorities have issued E-tazkera (electronic ID cards with a chip and biometrics) that trump the old paper-Tazkeras in terms om reliability. The current de facto authorities only issue E-tazkera in the largest cities. To date, we have received very few such documents as proof of identity.
Many Afghans have obtained passports while they have been in Norway. We generally consider it likely that those who have passports are citizens of Afghanistan. At the same time, it is uncertain whether the information in the passport is correct. The Afghan embassy in Oslo was closed from September 2024 to March 2025, and until October 2025 it was not possible to obtain passports through the embassy. The necessary technical equipment has now been put in place, and the embassy has resumed accepting passport applications from Afghan nationals residing in Norway, Denmark and Iceland. The passports are issued in Kabul and sent to Oslo.
Even though documents from Afghanistan are often unreliable, we would like applicants to present any ID documents they have. A passport issued by the embassy in Oslo can help corroborate their identity. Those who have resided in Iran or Pakistan might have ID documents indicating they were refugees there. These are crucial documents we would like applicants to provide.
In addition to the applicants’ statements, we always consider whether the area they come from is so dangerous that they need protection. We call this an assessment of the security situation. Both international case law and decisions made by several of UNE’s Grand Boards show that there is a high threshold for granting a permit on the basis of the security situation in a country.
In order to grant a permit on this basis, the general level of violence must be so high that any person will face a real danger simply by being in the area. The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has stated several times that this will only be relevant in extremely violent and turbulent situations.
We are well aware of, and closely monitor, the political and security situation in Afghanistan. UNE believes that the overall security situation does not prevent people from returning to Afghanistan. We assess each person's need for protection on a case-by-case basis.
All our information on Afghanistan indicates that, since August 2021, there has been a big drop in the number of violent incidents linked to conflict and in civilians accidentally caught up in such events. For example, there is a very low chance of getting caught in crossfire. The most significant security threats currently facing both the Taliban and the Afghan civilian population are terrorist attacks carried out by the Salafist group ISKP (Islamic State Khorasan Province), as well as an ongoing armed conflict with Pakistan. UNE is also aware of scattered resistance groups in certain provinces that carry out attacks against the Taliban. However, no group constitutes a genuine challenge to the Taliban. There is likewise nothing to indicate that the overall level of violence and conflict will increase significantly in the near future in a way that would have serious consequences for the civilian population.
In most cases, UNE agrees with the decisions made by the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI). We have reversed some cases based on new information regarding physical and mental health, or where there have been significant changes in the individual’s life circumstances in other ways.
We use many different sources. Much of the information we use has been collected by Landinfo, a unit that prepares reports on topics that are important to the UDI and UNE. Recommendations from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (external link) are also important. We read reports from the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) (external link) and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) (external link) and analyses from the Afghanistan Analysts Network (external link), among others. We also keep up-to-date with reports in the media and from other organisations.
Many Afghan asylum seekers have lived for extended periods in Iran or Pakistan and state that they have limited ties to Afghanistan. Most of those who report being minors upon arrival in Norway also state that they no longer have close family members in Afghanistan.
In many cases, it is crucial to ascertain the individual’s identity. We devote considerable resources to this process, including assessing the age of those who claim to be minors.