Asylum seekers staying in centres have the right to material reception conditions including accommodation, food, clothing and a cash allowance.[1] The new Asylum Act introduced in 2018 the possibility of a cash allowance for personal needs.[2] However, cash allowance has been granted rarely according to the author’s knowledge, and such practice was reported by beneficiaries of AC in Krnjača in 2022 several times. They outlined that cash assistance of around 4,000 dinars (34 EUR) was monthly provided to families and vulnerable applicants who are usually applicants who have serious medical conditions. It was not possible to determine how many cash allowances were distributed in 2022.
Persons seeking asylum and accommodated at an Asylum Centre or a reception centre do not have the right to access social welfare. This remains a possibility for persons staying in private accommodation.[3] Social assistance in these cases shall take the form of a monthly cash allowance provided that the person is not accommodated in an Asylum or Reception Centre and that they and the members of their family have no other income, or that this income is below the legally prescribed threshold for establishment of the amount of social allowance. The Decision on Social Assistance sets down the following monthly amounts:[4]
- Single adult: RSD 10,.385,00 (88.8 EUR)
- Family member: RSD 5,193,00 (44,38 EUR)
- Minor child: RSD 3,116,00 (27 EUR)
The decision on the request to exercise the right to monthly allowance is made by the Social Welfare Centre in the municipality of residence of that person. The request is to be supplemented by an ID of the asylum seeker or a person granted asylum and other supporting evidence. The procedure itself is conducted in line with the GAPA provisions. The conditions for exercise of the right to monthly allowance are reviewed ex officio once a year. However, the monthly amount received from the Social Welfare Centre is very limited and generally insufficient in order to maintain a dignified existence. There have not been instances in which social allowances were granted to asylum seekers accommodated at private address, while it is not clear how many persons granted asylum enjoyed this right since the beginning of the Serbian asylum system.
[1] Article 50(1) Asylum Act and the Rulebook on social allowances for persons seeking or granted asylum, Official Gazzette, no. 12/2020, available at; https://bit.ly/3MNLElk.
[2] Article 50(2) Asylum Act.
[3] Article 53 Asylum Act.
[4] Decision on nominal amounts of social assistance no. 115/2022-56 21 October 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/43xAuap.