How to get asylum in Algeria?

Only the UNHCR office in Algiers accepts and registers asylum applications.

You can contact them at +213 (0) 23 05 28 53 from Sunday to Thursday, h. 09:00-12:30-14:00-16.30, for information on registration.

Call the Community Based Protection unit if you need to speak with a member of the protection team.

(+213) 0657 782733 : on Sundays and Tuesdays from 9:00-13:00-14:00-17:00.

For mail-related communication, you can also contact UNHCR by email at algalprt@unhcr.org.

How to get asylum in Algeria?

If you want asylum in Algeria you can reach out to UNHCR. These two are among the major functioning bodies in Algeria that directly support refugees or asylum seekers.

Let’s see how UNHCR is helping refugees in Algeria:

Algeria is a signatory to both the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol to the Convention. However, because Algeria lacks a national asylum framework, the UNHCR is conducting a Refugee Status Determination procedure there. You can apply for asylum in Algeria by emailing algalreg@unhcr.org or faxing 023 05 28 52 to the UNHCR office in Alger.

In Algeria, the UNHCR operates two offices. Visits are only by appointment due to COVID-19. From Sunday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., call +213 (0) 23 05 28 53 for information on registration, documentation, and the asylum process in Algeria.

Submitting an asylum application

You can only send your asylum application to the UNHCR Office in Algiers via email at the following address: email address:  algalreg@unhcr.org or by fax at the number 023 05 28 52.

The following information should be included in the asylum application:

• NAME AND SURNAME
• Date and location of birth
• Sex
• Nationality
• Language
• Date of arrival in Algeria
• The entry point in Algeria
• Algerian current address
• Contact information (at any time during the asylum procedure you should inform UNHCR if you change your telephone number)
• Previous UNHCR registration in another country
• The reason for your desire to seek asylum
• Names of family members accompanying you in Algeria
• Signature and date

The UNHCR will send you an email or SMS regarding the confirmation details and about the receipt of your asylum application. But it will not be able to schedule your registration interview at this time. The Asylum process is completely free and doesn’t imply any extra charges in the process.

Under no circumstances should you accept any offers from people requesting money. For submitting an asylum application getting an appointment, or obtaining a document. Only the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) can provide advice on asylum procedures. It includes things such as registration, asylum interviews, and assistance.

For more information, you can contact the UNHCR office at the following number:

Tel.: (+213) 23 05 28 53 or (+213) 23 05 28 54

Asylum procedures

Asylum procedures are carried out at the UNHCR office in Algiers.

Interview for registration

Following receipt of your asylum application, UNHCR will contact you to schedule your registration appointment. After that, the appointment will be confirmed via SMS. During the registration interview, a member of the UNHCR staff will ask you questions and record your personal information. The staff will then take your fingerprints, iris data (eye photography), and an identity picture.

The information gathered will be kept strictly confidential.

Issued documents

The UNHCR will provide you and your dependents with an asylum seeker certificate. You must keep the original of this document with you at all times and return it to UNHCR when it expires.

Renewal of documents

You can come to the UNHCR office to renew your documents before they expire; all renewals are handled daily from 09h to 13h; anyone arriving after 13h will be turned away and will have to come back another day.

Refugee Status Determination interview

Following registration, UNHCR will contact you to schedule an interview. This interview is to determine your refugee status. You have to give details about the reasons and circumstances of your departure from your country of origin. At the end of this interview, the staff will tell you about the decision on your asylum request after a few days.

Decision notification