Asylum in Sudan: registration with the Commission for Refugees

Sudan's Asylum (Organization) Act 2014 defines who is a refugee and an asylum seeker, who qualifies for protection, and how claims are made and decided. The Commission for Refugees (COR), part of the Ministry of Interior, administers it, and UNHCR supports registration and documentation. The Aliens Affairs Department of the General Directorate of Passports and Immigration also registers refugees and transfers them to designated asylum camps under the applicable laws.

UNHCR states that COR and UNHCR carry out registration and documentation in states where security permits, including Shagarab camp in Kassala State and, to some extent, Gedaref. In several other areas no registration is taking place; people moving to other states can report their presence to the nearest COR or UNHCR office so that assistance can be planned. Keep your identity documents safe: if you are not registered, staff may ask for birth certificates, national ID, passports, school letters or marriage certificates.

In 2026 the authorities began re-registering refugees under a new foreign number system. In June 2026 UNHCR handed 15 registration units with computers, cameras and fingerprint and iris scanners to the Passports and Civil Registry Authority, starting in White Nile State, and in July 2026 COR called on South Sudanese refugees in Khartoum to go to the designated camps in White Nile State to update their data and renew their ID cards.

Article 13 gives recognised refugees the rights in the UN and OAU refugee conventions and the same treatment as nationals for public relief, basic education, rationing, access to all courts and religious practice. For secondary and higher education, non-political associations, housing, permission for movement and residence, self-employment and liberal professions, and movable property, refugees receive treatment no less favourable than other foreigners; immovable property needs Council of Ministers approval. Asylum seekers receive the same treatment as refugees for the rights listed first, and refugees and asylum seekers may not be discriminated against by race, religion or country of origin.

Article 14 requires refugees to respect Sudan's laws, not to engage in activities against national security or in subversive political activity, not to leave their assigned place of residence without permission from COR and the competent authorities, and to carry a valid refugee ID card. UNHCR notes an encampment policy: services are provided in the camps, and refugees outside them, for example in Gedaref town, are encouraged to move to the camps.

All UNHCR and partner services are free; be wary of anyone asking for payment. The inter-agency toll-free call centre is 1460, UNHCR's WhatsApp number is +249 90 093 4472 and the Khartoum service line is 0900934474; state lines exist for the Darfurs, Kordofans, Kassala, Gedaref, Blue Nile, White Nile, Wadi Halfa and Wad Madani, and connections may be interrupted. Have your individual or household registration number ready when you call. UNHCR is not involved in exit procedures or evacuations from Sudan and does not process US Welcome Corps applications.