Author
Asylum applicants are entitled to material reception conditions from the moment they acquire the status of an asylum applicant, i.e. immediately after their application for international protection has been registered by the Asylum Unit of the Police Force. Following the registration of their application, applicants are transferred to the Reception Centre in Humenné, where they are accommodated and provided with reception conditions. In practice, the allocation of a room may be delayed if the application is lodged during evening or night hours outside the working hours of the reception centre staff. In such cases, applicants spend the night in a designated waiting room before being assigned accommodation.
The entitlement to material reception conditions continues throughout the entire asylum procedure, including all judicial appeal proceedings, for as long as the individual retains the status of an asylum seeker. No distinction is made between different stages of the asylum procedure regarding access to reception conditions, and no reduced reception conditions apply in specific procedures.
As a general rule, material reception conditions are provided free of charge. However, the Ministry of the Interior may decide that an asylum seeker is required to contribute, in whole or in part, to the costs associated with accommodation in an asylum facility or integration centre, or to the costs of healthcare provided, where the applicant’s financial or property situation indicates that such a contribution can reasonably be expected.[1] The assessment is carried out on an individual basis and the law does not establish a specific financial threshold triggering such an obligation. Due, at least in part, to the relatively low number of asylum seekers in Slovakia, material reception conditions are generally provided to all asylum seekers without any assessment of their financial situation and without requiring contributions towards accommodation, subsistence or healthcare costs.
Asylum seekers are asked about their financial situation at several stages of the asylum procedure. Information regarding financial resources is typically collected by police officers when the asylum application is lodged and is subsequently discussed during the initial asylum interview conducted by the MO. However, these questions are asked in the context of the asylum procedure rather than for the purpose of determining eligibility for reception conditions. Details concerning an applicant’s financial resources are not routinely shared with the management or staff of reception facilities and do not appear to play a role in the day-to-day provision of reception conditions.
[1] Article 23(5) of teh Asylum Act.