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Asylum Application and Refugee Status Procedure

DR CongoHumanitarian protection

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

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Explore pathways in DR Congo Read the five questions ↓

What exactly is this: asylum, temporary protection, humanitarian admission, resettlement or another protection mechanism?

Asylum is protection granted by a country to a person who has fled their own country because they are in danger there; applying for asylum allows the person to stay legally in another country and be protected against return to the country where their life or freedom is at risk.

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Which population, circumstances or geographic group does the mechanism cover?

Asylum is for people persecuted because of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a social group (for example sexual orientation or gender); under the OAU Convention, the CNR also considers people fleeing war, serious unrest or foreign occupation.

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Where can protection be requested, and is this a direct application, border/in-country request, referral or other process?

The request is made in-country: within 30 days of arrival, the applicant goes to the nearest office of the Commission Nationale pour les Réfugiés (CNR), where an asylum application form is given, to be completed and returned to the CNR. Where the CNR is not present in the area, the request may be made to UNHCR or to the local authorities, who forward it to the CNR.

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What happens after the request: registration, family handling, major support and rights where officially stated?

On filing, the CNR issues an Attestation de Prise de Contact (APC); after an interview with an officer, an asylum-seeker certificate valid for 6 months is issued, to be renewed before expiry if the claim takes longer, allowing lawful stay in the DRC while the claim is pending. Family members living with the applicant (spouse, children, dependants) included in the claim generally receive the same refugee status (derivative status). Vulnerable applicants may receive one-off help (e.g. shelter, food, care). Asylum seekers cannot be forcibly returned and are protected against violence or arbitrary detention.

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Which competent authority, UN body or official assistance channel should the person use?

The competent authority is the Commission Nationale pour les Réfugiés (CNR), working with UNHCR; a UNHCR representative attends the Eligibility and Appeals Commission meetings as an observer but does not take the decisions. Scam warning: all these services are free, and neither the CNR, UNHCR nor the authorities may ask for money.

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These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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