Forms and levels of material reception conditions

Sweden

Country Report: Forms and levels of material reception conditions Last updated: 19/04/23

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Financial allowance

The monthly amounts of financial allowances differ for applicants staying in accommodation centres where food is provided free of charge (and the allowance only covers pocket money), and applicants staying in other accommodation, where the allowance should also cover food.

In any event, beyond food, the allowance should be able to cover clothes and shoes, medical care and medicine, dental care, toiletries, other consumables and leisure activities. If asylum seekers are granted a daily allowance by the Migration Agency, they receive a bank card where the money is deposited.

The levels of financial allowance per day has not been raised since 1994 and are as follows:[1]

Category of applicant Allowance in accommodation centres with food provided Allowance in private accommodation
Single adult SEK 24 / € 2.15 SEK 71 / € 6.36
Adults sharing accommodation SEK 19 / €1,70 per person SEK 61 / € 5,47 per person
Child aged 0-3 SEK 12 / € 1.08 SEK 37 / € 3.32
Child aged 4-10 SEK 12 / € 1.08 SEK 43 / € 3.85
Child aged 11-17 SEK 12 / € 1.08 SEK 50 / € 4.48

Source: Migration Agency.

 

From the third child onwards, the level of financial allowance is reduced by 50%. Some NGOs have campaigned for these levels to be adjusted to the increase in living costs and for the elimination of discrimination against third and subsequent children in relation to the amount of money that is made available, but so far nothing has changed.

Asylum seekers can apply for extra allowances for expenses that are necessary for a minimum living standard, such as cost of winter clothing, glasses, supplements, handicap equipment and infant equipment. The sums are not enough to buy new products, only second-hand or used. This special contribution may in some cases be submitted for charges for medical, pharmaceutical and dental costs, which are partly subsidised.

The allowance for asylum seekers is considerably lower than the allowance for settled persons in need of social assistance, which covers similar areas of support. The following table relating to the amount of the monthly social welfare allowance as of January 2023 illustrates this difference:

Category Asylum seekers in private accommodation Settled persons on social welfare
Single adult SEK 2,130 / € 190.91 SEK 4,620 / € 414.67
2 adults SEK 3,660 / € 328.10 SEK 7,550 / € 677.65
1 adult 1 child (aged 2) SEK 3,240 / € 290.50 SEK 7,440 / € 667.78
1 adult 2 children (aged 2-5) SEK 4,530 / € 406.17 SEK 10,470 / € 939.74
2 adults 2 children (aged 5-12) SEK 6,160 / € 552.31 SEK 14,680 / € 1,317.61
2 adults 3 children (aged 2-5-12) SEK 7,020 / € 629.42 SEK 17,650 / €1,584.18
2 adults 4 children (aged 12-14-15-17) SEK 8,160 / € 731.64 SEK 25,190 / € 2,260.60

Sources: National Social Welfare Board, 1 January 2023; Migration Agency.

 

 

 

[1] Migration Agency, ‘Financial support for asylum seekers’, available in Swedish at: https://bit.ly/2O4bepZ.

Table of contents

  • Statistics
  • Overview of the legal framework
  • Overview of the main changes since the previous report update
  • Asylum Procedure
  • Reception Conditions
  • Detention of Asylum Seekers
  • Content of International Protection
  • ANNEX – I Transposition of the CEAS in national legislation