UK Updates Algeria Country Policy and Information Notes for Asylum and Human Rights Applications, Focusing on SOGI Issue

Current rules

The Country Policy and Information Note: sexual orientation and gender identity, Algeria, July 2026, provides updated information on the treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people, and people of other sexual orientations and gender identities (LGBT+) in Algeria since May 2025.

Overview

The UK Home Office updated its Country Policy and Information Note (CPIN) on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Algeria in July 2026. The update provides limited new country information since the May 2025 edition but confirms that the existing asylum assessment remains applicable. The note was updated on 19 August 2026, with information current to 5 August 2026. Same-sex sexual activity remains criminalised under Article 338 of the Algerian Penal Code, carrying up to two years' imprisonment and a fine. Article 333 also criminalises certain acts of public indecency, with a maximum penalty of three years and a fine, including enhanced treatment where the conduct involves people of the same sex. The Home Office continues to recognise LGBT+ people as a particular social group (PSG) under the Refugee Convention.

What changed in the latest version

This guidance tells UK asylum and human rights decision makers how to assess claims from LGBT+ people from Algeria. The Home Office believes that: * A person who fears the Algerian state will probably not get effective protection. * A person who fears a bad state official or a group not linked to the state will also generally probably not get effective state protection. This is because the state is seen as able to protect them but not willing to. * If the threat comes from the state, moving to a different part of the country (internal relocation) will probably not remove the risk. * If the threat comes from a group not linked to the state, moving to a different part of the country might work for gay men. However, lesbians and transgender women might face extra problems because of what society thinks about gender. * An asylum claim from an LGBT+ person from Algeria that has been refused is unlikely to be officially labelled as "clearly unfounded" under section 94 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002. However, all cases must be judged based on their own facts. The person applying must show that they face persecution or serious harm.

Explained simply

Imagine the UK government has a big instruction book for deciding if someone from Algeria can stay in the UK because they're unsafe in their home country. This book, called a 'Country Policy Note,' tells them about life in Algeria. They've just updated a part of this book, specifically the section about how people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT+) are treated. This update means that when officials look at applications from LGBT+ people from Algeria, they'll use the newest information available, covering what's happened since May 2025, to make fair decisions.

Frequently asked

Version history

1. v6Effective 19 Aug 2026EffectiveMedium impact
   UK Updates Algeria Country Policy and Information Notes for Asylum and Human Rights Applications, Focusing on SOGI Issues

   UK (United Kingdom) Visas and Immigration has updated its guidance for asylum and human rights applications about Algeria. It has specifically changed the Country Policy and Information Note (CPIN) about sexual orientation and gender identity. The new CPIN is dated July 2026 and started on 19 August 2026. It gives new information about how lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans (LGBT+) people and people of other sexual orientations and gender identities are treated in Algeria. This covers changes that have happened since May 2025. This new note replaces the old CPIN on the same topic, which was published in May 2025 and covered information up to that date.