The UN refugee agency has referred the case of a Saudi woman claiming asylum to Australia for consideration.

Key points: The UNHCR has found Ms Alqunun is a genuine refugee

The UNHCR has found Ms Alqunun is a genuine refugee The Department of Home Affairs says it will consider the referral

The Department of Home Affairs says it will consider the referral Ms Alqunun claimed she will be killed if she is returned to Saudi Arabia

Rahaf Alqunun, 18, flew into Thailand from Kuwait, saying she had a ticket onwards to Australia where she had hoped to seek asylum over fears her family would kill her for renouncing Islam.

But when she arrived in Bangkok she said a Saudi diplomat met her at the airport and tricked her into handing over her passport and ticket, saying he would secure a visa.

The teenager then barricaded herself inside her room at an airport hotel, and requested to speak to the United Nations refugee office.

After protracted negotiations overnight Monday, Ms Alqunun was placed under the protection of the United Nations.

The UNHCR has now assessed her case and found she is a refugee.

In a statement, the Department of Home Affairs says it will consider the referral from the UN in the usual way.

She will be subject to Australian checks before she is granted a humanitarian visa, including character and security assessments.

Ms Alqunun made a plea for protection from a number of countries including Australia, though her connections to the nation are unclear.

Activists have urged the Government to support Ms Alqunun in her bid for asylum in Australia, and said the young woman should be issued with emergency travel documents.

Loading

Ms Alqunun garnered international attention when she took her plight to social media this week, tweeting that she had "nothing to lose".

"My name is Rahaf Mohammed Mutlaq Alqunun, and this is my picture," she tweeted on Sunday from Bangkok.

"I'm afraid, my family WILL kill me."

The situation is strikingly similar to one that unfolded in Manila airport in April 2017.

Dina Ali Lasloom, a then-24-year-old Saudi woman, had arrived in Asia from Kuwait and also wanted to travel on to Australia when she recorded a video message pleading for help.

The message sparked a social media campaign, dubbed "Save Dina Ali", but she was returned to Riyadh — and that is the last anyone outside Saudi Arabia officially heard from her.

Sorry, this video has expired Saudi teenager detained at Bangkok airport

Saudi Arabia remains one of the world's most repressive countries for women.

Under the "guardianship" system, women are forbidden from travelling without a male escort — a father, uncle, husband, brother or son.