One-way road: Norway imposes strict restrictions on Ukrainians
The Norwegian government has introduced new restrictions that affect the ability of Ukrainian refugees to travel home freely. Find out in more detail in which cases it will be possible to travel to Ukraine without consequences
Ukrainian refugees staying in Norway and traveling back to their homeland face the risk of losing their temporary protection in the country. According to the updated rules, travel to Ukraine is possible only in exceptional circumstances.
Here are the restrictions imposed by the Norwegian government on Ukrainians traveling home.
Ukrainian refugees may no longer return to Norway: what is known
Previously, there was an exception to the rules for foreigners who enjoy temporary protection for Ukrainians. However, this exception has now been canceled, according to the official portal of the Norwegian government.
On December 12, the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Emergency Situations issued an instruction to the Directorate for Foreigners (UDI), according to which UDI can cancel temporary collective protection in case Ukrainians visit their homeland.
According to the general instruction (GI-03/2020), foreigners under protection in Norway may lose their residence permit if they return to the country from which they fled.
Until now, there was an exception to this instruction for Ukrainians with temporary protection. This exception has now been canceled, limiting the ability of Ukrainians to travel to their home country without consequences.
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Emily Unger Mehl, Minister of Justice and Emergency Situations, said:
"If Ukrainians with temporary collective protection are traveling between Norway and Ukraine, it shows that they do not need protection in Norway. From now on, I want us to treat Ukrainians and representatives of other nationalities equally when it comes to the consequences of such travel."
Those trips to Ukraine that Ukrainians have already made before this instruction comes into force will not result in the revocation of their residence permit. However, the possibility of visiting the home country will be preserved only "in very special cases".
Remember that one of the prerequisites for staying abroad is to have health insurance. Thanks to insurance, you will be able to receive high-quality medical care without having to pay for it.
You can buy insurance online in a few clicks here. A ready-made insurance policy will be sent to your email in a few minutes.
If you are planning to leave Ukraine by car, you should take care of obtaining a Green Card policy in advance, because without it, your car will not be allowed to cross the border. You can buy car insurance quickly and profitably on the Visit Ukraine website.
We remind you! Recently, there has been a significant increase in the number of Ukrainians seeking temporary protection in the European Union. Find out more about which countries are the most popular among Ukrainians.
Want to know more? Read the latest news and useful materials about Ukraine and the world in the News section.
Our recommendation for a safe and comfortable trip:
Visit Ukraine Insurance - insurance for a safe stay abroad without unnecessary expenses;
Green Card - compulsory car insurance for traveling abroad;
Visit Ukraine Tickets - book tickets for buses, trains, and airplanes to/from Ukraine and between cities around the world;
Private Lawyer service - professional legal support on visa and migration issues;
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The simultaneous stay of visitors in the hotel lobby not more than one person per 10 square meters of serviceable area is allowed.
Persons can visit hotels and stay there (outside hotel room) only if they wear respirator or face mask (including homemade mask), so that the nose and mouth are covered.
Hotel guests are obliged to keep the 1.5 meters distance.
Online check-in making in advance is recommended to avoid queues at check-in to hotel.
Meals in hotels are provided through meals delivery service to rooms upon prior order or at hotel restaurants situated inside or in open areas, provided the distance of at least 1.5 meters between seats at adjacent tables.
Not more than 4 clients are allowed to stay at the table (excluding children under 14 years old). Unless these tables are separated by a special partition;
Self-serve is not allowed.