You can register as a refugee with the local United Nations Agency for Refugees (UNHCR) in Riyad, Saudi Arabia. UNHCR will help you to find a long-term solution, sometimes in another country.
You cannot officially apply for asylum in Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has no asylum system and did not sign the 1951 Refugee Convention. But Saudi Arabia can give you a temporary residence permit in some cases.
The Saudi Arabia UNHCR office is in Riyadh, KSA.
Its location is
MJH9+WHV, Al Safarat, Riyadh 12511, Saudi Arabia,
or in Arabic script,
MJH9+WHV، السفارات، الرياض 12511
One of their phone numbers is +966114880049.
If you want to go to Saudi Arabia, you can read this article about how to get a tourist visa to Saudi Arabia.
Can I seek asylum in Saudi Arabia?
You can register with the local United Nations Agency for Refugees (UNHCR) in Riyad, Saudi Arabia. But the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is not a State Party to the 1951 Refugee Convention. KSA is not a signatory of the 1954 Convention relating to the status of stateless persons either. Therefore you cannot officially seek asylum in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia do recognize that some people may need asylum and can sometimes give them temporary residency.
The UNHCR will help you to find a solution. Saudi Arabia could give you a temporary residency permit. Or the UNHCR can help you to officially seek asylum in another country.
The registration process with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Saudi Arabia
The procedure for submitting an asylum claim to UNHCR is straightforward. All you have to do is contact their office using the information provided below.
You can approach the UNHCR Office via the following channels five days a week, from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., from Sundays to Thursdays. If you were unable to call the office, please check this UNHCR Help webpage to see if the contact time has been modified.
Their telephone is 00966 55 710 7542.
Send an email with the following information to saprstaf@unhcr.org:
Name:
Names of family members:
Date of Birth:
Gender:
Nationality:
Address:
Phone number:
Mention of prior UNHCR registrations in other countries:
Reason for seeking asylum:
This asylum application form to is only for people living in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, and Qatar. People in other countries should seek assistance at other local UNHCR offices.
The UNHCR headquarters are in Al Sarfat, the Diplomatic Quarter (DQ) of Riyad. The diplomatic authorities limit admission to the DQ to persons holding a UNHCR appointment. You should try to make an appointment before visiting their office. Due to the high amount of calls, it can be difficult to reach the UNHCR office by phone at times. They can delay responding to your application.
What happens when I file my asylum claim with the UNHCR?
The office will review the information you supplied regarding your situation when you submit an asylum application. They value all requests from persons who fall within the UN Refugee Mandate. However, extended wait times for review of received petitions should be expected. If you are eligible for assistance, you will be notified and invited to a registration interview. You will also be alerted if the office changes its mind.
Not all asylum seekers will be registered with the UNHCR. Following a thorough evaluation of asylum claims by the decision committee, the UNHCR office in Saudi Arabia will only register a limited number of applicants for further consideration.
After the Office has reviewed your application and determined your eligibility for registration, you will be invited to attend a registration interview. When you are informed of the appointment, you will be given instructions on how to proceed. If you are booked for an interview, please bring all of your family members who are currently in KSA, as well as all of the needed documentation.
The registration interview may be conducted over the phone after all of the requested documents are sent by the applicant and verified, after which the registered families are contacted to set up an appointment to come to the office to complete the registration procedures.
What are your rights and responsibilities once you’ve registered with UNHCR?
Because the KSA is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, registering with UNHCR, even if accepted as a refugee, does not confer any special status or rights. Registration with UNHCR does not entitle you to public healthcare, education, or work, nor does it grant the right to renew your Iqama or guest visa. For such services, you must follow standard government procedures in accordance with Saudi legislation. Try to keep a proper legal status in Saudi Arabia.
Regardless of your status with UNHCR, whether registered asylum seeker or refugee, you must respect and comply with Saudi laws and acknowledge that the KSA government principally protects you.
Who can apply for asylum?
Anyone who is outside their country of origin and is afraid or unwilling to return due to the possibility of suffering serious harm due to their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group, or who is at risk of cruel punishment, torture, or death, can apply for asylum. Before deciding to register any case, the UNHCR will evaluate each asylum application. According to the present regulations of the office in Saudi Arabia, not all applicants will be qualified for registration.
Refugees in Saudi Arabia
As of 2022, more than 4000 refugees and asylum seekers live in Saudi Arabia. Most people are from Syria, and some are from Yemen. Few persons are from Chad, China, Eritrea, Palestine, Iraq, Liberia, Somalia, Sudan, or Tunisia. 70000 stateless persons also live in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia’s population is around 35 million people. International migrants are around 13 million. That is more than a third of the overall population.
Ethiopia is one of Saudi Arabia’s sources of labor migration.
Saudi Arabia probably hosts a large number of undocumented migrant persons. It has constructed a barrier along the Saudi and Yemeni border.
In 1993, around 35,000 Iraqi refugees were hosted in the Rafha camp by the KSA.
Do asylum seekers have access to healthcare?
Saudi citizens and public sector workers have access to free healthcare in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia doesn’t have an asylum system. Therefore your costs for healthcare in Saudi Arabia depend on your residence permit or health insurance.
UNHCR helps non-Saudi nationals and those in rural areas in the healthcare facility. All persons have the right to enjoy the highest physical and mental health standards attainable. Especially those sections of the population most vulnerable or marginalized without discrimination.
If you want to go to Saudi Arabia, you can read this article about how to get a tourist visa to Saudi Arabia.
Source: Help UNHCR Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
The cover image is somewhere in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Photo by Muhd Emy Jailani on Unsplash
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