5G NAS - Deregistration Accept (UE Originating) Explained

Deregistration Accept (UE Originating) is the AMF’s confirmation that the UE-originated deregistration request was received and accepted. It is a short NAS message, but it provides the clean completion point for a controlled exit from registered state.

For beginners, the simple meaning is: the UE asked to leave 5G registered state, and the network agreed.
For engineers, the message is useful because it proves that deregistration completed instead of being inferred later from silence or missing paging.

What is Deregistration Accept (UE Originating) in simple terms?

The UE sent Deregistration Request (UE Originating). The AMF processed it and replied that the request was accepted.

Why this message matters

This message matters because it separates:

  • a clean UE-driven deregistration
  • an incomplete exchange where the network never confirmed the request
  • later service loss that might otherwise be mistaken for radio failure

If it is missing, engineers often have to guess whether the deregistration really completed.

Where this message appears in the call flow

UE                              gNB / AMF
|--- Deregistration Request ---->|
|<-- Deregistration Accept ------|
|   UE leaves registered state   |

Transport characteristics

  • Direction: AMF to UE
  • Interface: N1
  • Transport on access side: commonly via DL Information Transfer
  • Security expectation: usually protected if the prior NAS security context is still active

What Deregistration Accept (UE Originating) means operationally

Operationally, this message is the network saying that the UE-originated deregistration procedure is complete. After this point, the UE should no longer behave as if it is still registered under the old context.

If later traces still show paging, old reachability behavior, or stale AMF assumptions, this message becomes a key checkpoint.

Example message dump

Deregistration Accept (UE Originating)
  Extended Protocol Discriminator: 5G Mobility Management
  Security Header Type: Integrity protected and ciphered
  Message Type: Deregistration Accept (UE Originating)

How to read this dump

  • Confirm it follows the correct UE-originated deregistration request.
  • Check that the NAS protection state matches the expected scenario.
  • Then look at what the UE does next: it should stop behaving as a registered UE under that context.

What to check in logs

  • verify that the preceding request was Deregistration Request (UE Originating)
  • confirm the downlink NAS path delivered the accept to the UE
  • check whether later paging or service behavior is inconsistent with completed deregistration
  • correlate with any later fresh registration if the UE re-enters service

FAQ

What does Deregistration Accept (UE Originating) do?

It confirms that the network accepted the UE's deregistration request.

Summary

Deregistration Accept (UE Originating) is the AMF response confirming that the UE-originated deregistration request was accepted.