Author
With the allowance of € 281.88 / month the asylum applicant needs to cover food, clothing and personal expenses.
Apart from the financial allowance, the right to reception conditions includes an entitlement to:[1]
- Accommodation
- Public transport tickets to visit a lawyer;
- Recreational and educational activities (for example a preparation for the integration-exam);
- A provision for medical costs (healthcare insurance);
- An insurance covering the asylum applicants’ legal civil liability;
- Payment of exceptional costs.
The weekly allowance depends on the situation of the applicant. In some reception centres there are no cooking facilities. A caterer provides the main meal at the reception location or microwave meals are distributed; in these cases the allowance amount is reduced. The amounts are as follows:
| Weekly food allowance to asylum applicants accommodated by COA in 2024 | ||
| Category of applicant | With dinner provided | Without dinner provided |
1-2 person household
|
€ 37.80 € 32.06 |
€ 56.00 € 46.34 |
3 person household
|
€ 30.24 € 25.62 |
€ 44.80 € 37.10 |
4+ person household
|
€ 26.46 € 22.47 |
€ 39.20 € 32.41 |
Source: Article 14(2)-(3) RVA.
The costs for clothes and other expenses is covered by an additional fixed amount of € 14.47 per week per person.[2] Unlike the other allowances, this allowance was only adjusted in 2023. From 2005 – 2022 it was € 12.95, which was criticised by academia.[3] In 2023 the allowance was adjusted to € 14.02, and in 2024 the allowance was adjusted again, to € 14.47.[4]
It is impossible to cook in almost all the (crisis) emergency locations, in which less than half of the asylum applicants were staying during 2024.[5] Therefore, catering or microwave meals are provided.
As of 1 January 2025, the social welfare allowance for Dutch citizens is set at € 1,308.45 for a single person who is at least 21 years old and not older than 67 years. Thus, an asylum applicant receives approximately less than 22% of the social welfare allowance provided to Dutch citizens.
[1] Article 9(1) RVA.
[2] Article 14(4) RVA.
[3] L. Slingenberg, Geen cent te makken, A&MR 2020, nr. 6-7, 292-295.
[4] Stcrt 2024, nr. 10912, available in Dutch at: https://bit.ly/3PAJFkM.
[5] VWN, Gevlucht en vergeten?, January 2024, available in Dutch at: https://bit.ly/4hfWkVP; COA, ‘Noodopvang en tijdelijke gemeentelijke opvang’, available in Dutch at: https://bit.ly/3WhyQYg.