DRC Asylum's counselling to asylum seekers

Danish Refugee Council (DRC) offers free and impartial counselling to asylum seekers in all phases of the asylum procedure. We also provide legal aid in certain types of cases.

DRC offers counselling throughout the asylum procedure

Asylum seekers who have just arrived in Denmark can receive early counselling on the Danish asylum procedure from Danish Refugee Council (DRC). The counselling takes place in reception center Sandholm and is part of the mandatory asylum seeker course for newly arrived asylum seekers. 

DRC counselors visit the asylum centers in Denmark and offer counselling in all phases of the asylum procedure. We also provide counselling by phone, video or in person at the office in Borgergade as well as in prisons and detention centers. 

Our legal aid consists of counselling on the asylum procedure in Denmark, on the rules and practices for obtaining asylum, and to a lesser extent on other types of residence permits. We also provide counselling on rules, procedures, and practices regarding the refusal of extension and withdrawal of asylum residence permits. 

We also offer counselling after the final refusal of asylum, which can cover both return counselling and counselling on the possibilities of reintegration support.  

You are always very welcome to contact us if you have questions about the asylum procedure or need counselling on your case. You can ask the staff at the asylum center or in the prison to arrange a counselling session with us. 

It is free to get counselling from DRC. We provide counselling by phone, e-mail, and video or at previously arranged personal meetings at our office. 

All employees of DRC have a duty of confidentiality. This means that you can talk to us about anything – including confidential information that you do not want other people or authorities to know about. 

New responsibility rules expand the right to legal counselling

Danish Refugee Council (DRC) offers legal representation for asylum seekers in the so-called Dublin procedure, where it is decided which EU Member State is responsible for processing an asylum application. With the EU Pact, the Dublin III Regulation will be replaced by the responsibility rules of the AMMR.

As part of the new rules, all new asylum seekers are offered free and impartial legal counselling by DRC. 

If you have applied for asylum in Denmark and has questions about the procedure, you can contact DRC on +45 3373 5020 or [email protected]. DRC is also regularly present at Center Sandholm. 

Read more about the new responsibility rules here: Dublin and admissibility cases

DRC offers return counselling

Danish Refugee Council (DRC) offers impartial counselling and advice to asylum seekers who have been rejected asylum in Denmark and are expected to return to their country of origin.   

Rejected asylum seekers often have many thoughts, questions and concerns about what is going to happen. DRC has a team of experienced return counsellors with social professional backgrounds who can offer counselling to the rejected asylum seeker about his or her situation.

The purpose of the counselling is solely to offer support and contribute to clarification among asylum seekers in return procedures. The goal is to ensure that they gain thorough knowledge about their situation so that they can make informed decisions about their future.  

DRC’s return advisors have, among other things, experience with:  

  • What happens after a refusal of asylum and what rules apply  
  • What practical, social, and/or financial support is available in the country to which the rejected asylum seeker is to return  
  • What emotional and practical considerations rejected asylum seekers often have to cope with 

The counselling is confidential. DRC does not disclose any information to the Danish authorities about the individual's considerations, just as counselling with DRC does not necessarily mean that the rejected asylum seeker wants to leave, but simply that he or she seeks clarification about the situation they are facing. 

Read more about DRC's position on Dignified return

DRC offers counselling to detained asylum seekers

According to section 37d (1) of the Danish Aliens Act, asylum seekers in detention have the right to receive personal legal advice from Danish Refugee Council (DRC). 

DRC is regularly contacted by people, who are detained in prisons or in immigration detention at the Ellebæk Centre for Foreigners. We counsel detained third country nationals about the possibility of applying for asylum and the asylum procedure in Denmark. 

You can arrange counselling with DRC by asking the police or the prison staff to arrange a meeting, or you can contact us directly. 

Contact DRC on phone number +45 3373 5020 or mail to [email protected]. 

Interpretation and counselling in DRC

If you make an appointment for counselling with a counselor from DRC, we will, as far as possible, make sure that an interpreter is present who speaks your language. The interpreters we use are, of course, also bound by a duty of confidentiality. 

If you visit us in the open counselling at Lyngbyvej 100 (every Wednesday at 10-13), you must bring a person who can interpret, unless you can speak Danish or English.  

You can call us every day at 9-15. The counselling by telephone can be in English or Danish. However, during certain periods we have access to interpreters. 

See more about this here Contact Danish Refugee Council

If you make an appointment for counselling via your asylum center by video, an interpreter will be present. Likewise, we typically have interpreters with us when we visit the asylum centers and offer counselling there. 

In our email counselling, we do not have interpreters, so please write in Danish or English. 

DRC's Voluntary Advisory Services

Danish Refugee Council’s Voluntary Advisory Services provide free, impartial, and interdisciplinary counselling to refugees and migrants in Denmark on the Danish Aliens Act, the Integration Act, and psycho-social rights. They can answer questions about issues such as permanent residency, citizenship and family reunification as well as help understand decisions and fill out application forms. 

The volunteer advisors are lawyers, social workers, and other people with relevant education and experience in relation to asylum and migration law. They work voluntarily and without renumeration. The advisors have an obligation to maintain confidentiality. Everything you tell us in the Advisory Service will be treated confidentially and anonymously within the limits of the law. 

Read more about the Voluntary Advisory Services here

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