Author
At the end of 2020, the law was amended to abolish the provision which foresaw financial support for housing for a period of up to 6 months as from the date of entry into force of the decision for granting international protection.[1] In practice, however, some more vulnerable beneficiaries of international protection are still allowed to remain in the reception centres for couple of months due to lack of any integration support (see General Remark on Integration), unless in situations of mass influx or increased new arrivals. At the end of 2023, the number of beneficiaries staying in reception centres was 2,736.[2]
Beneficiaries face acute difficulties in securing accommodation due to the legal ‘catch 22’ surrounding Civil Registration. Holding valid identification documents is necessary in order to enter into a rental contract, yet identification documents cannot be issued if the person does not state a domicile. The situation has been exacerbated since the SAR has prohibited beneficiaries from stating the address of the reception centre where they resided during the asylum procedure as domicile for that purpose. It led to corruption practices of fictitious rental contacts and domiciles stated by the beneficiaries of international protection to be able to obtain their status holders’ identification documents.
[1] Para 4 of Article 32 LAR, State Gazette, N89 from 16 October 2020.
[2] SAR, reg. No. №РД05-31 from 15 January 2024.