Applying for asylum in Uganda

According to UNHCR's information for Uganda, you can seek asylum once you have entered the country if you are afraid to return to your country of origin or previous residence because of your race, religion, nationality, political opinion, sex or membership of a particular social group, or if you flee war or events seriously disturbing public order there. The process starts on Ugandan territory; official sources describe no procedure at Ugandan embassies abroad.

Registering keeps you legal in Uganda, gives access to public services and assistance, and protects you from being returned while your claim is decided.

At a border checkpoint, contact the police officers and protection staff there, who explain how to register. In a settlement or reception centre, report directly to the OPM Settlement Commandant; a sub-committee of the Refugee Eligibility Committee interviews applicants in the settlement.

In Kampala, go to the Refugee Desk office at Plot 302 Sentema Road, Mengo, and inform the REC; you receive a card with a reference number. Take the card straight to the OPM, which stamps it and gives you a registration appointment. On that date all family members attend with their documents, such as passports, IDs and birth and marriage certificates; adults are registered individually and each household receives a Temporary Asylum Seeker Attestation with a file and case number. You are then given a date for the eligibility interview, where the REC asks about you, your family, why you left and why you cannot return.

The asylum seeker attestation is renewed after 3 months from issue and then every month until the REC decides. A decision, communicated through the OPM, may take 3 months or more. If refugee status is granted in Kampala, you can settle there and must register with the Local Council of your area, or the OPM may refer you to a settlement, with travel arranged by a partner organisation. In settlements, the OPM allocates a plot of land per family after recognition, with basic assistance such as food and non-food items.

Under the Refugees Act, refugees and asylum seekers are entitled to identity documents (a refugee ID or asylum seeker certificate), protection from return, fair treatment without discrimination, freedom of movement in Uganda, access to education, health care and employment, and financial services including bank and mobile money accounts. Registered refugees can be issued a Convention Travel Document unless national security reasons prevent it.

In return, they must register with the OPM and undergo security screening, report changes in family composition, obey Ugandan law, stay out of political activity and pay taxes if they earn an income. Family members who may apply together are the spouse and children under 18; an unaccompanied child can apply alone, with age established by the OPM.

If the REC rejects the claim, you may appeal to the Refugee Appeals Board within 30 days of receiving the notification letter; late appeals need a justification and may not be accepted. Fill in Form E, which is annexed to the Refugees Regulations 2010 and available from the OPM, UNHCR or the Norwegian Refugee Council, and send it to the Board's secretary through the OPM. The hearing date should be set within 14 days, the appeal resolved within 60 days of filing and a written decision issued within 14 days of the hearing. Judicial review in court is possible after the Board's decision.

The inter-agency Feedback, Referral and Resolution Mechanism (FRRM) helpline is free on 0800 32 32 32. The OPM is at Plot 9-11 Apollo Kaggwa Road, Kampala, with a toll-free line on 0800 100 350. UNHCR's representation office is in Kololo, Kampala, with sub-offices in Adjumani, Arua and Mbarara. UNHCR stresses that all services by UNHCR and its partners, including registration, are free of charge.