A woman on her phone in a reception centre
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This is how you live in the reception centre while waiting for a house from the municipality

Last updated: 15/11/2024, 10:04

Do you have an asylum residence permit and are you waiting for a home at the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA)? On this page you can read important information for your situation.

You will continue to live in the reception centre until you get a home

After you receive an asylum residence permit from the

Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND)
, the
COA
chooses a municipality for you. That municipality should find you a home as soon as possible. Due to the housing shortage in the Netherlands, it can take a long time to find you a home. Until then, you will stay in a COA reception centre.

These are your rights and duties in the reception centre

If you already have a residence permit, you keep your right to COA facilities. Such as:

  • You receive living and eating money from COA. You cannot yet apply for your own benefit. You can only do so when you move into your own home.

  • Reimbursement for your care will continue through COA. You fall under the

    Regeling Medische zorg Asielzoekers (RMA)
    . So you do not have to get health insurance yet. You will not do this until you move into your own home.

Also, the obligation to report to COA still applies to you. This means that you must report to COA once a week.

These are your rights and obligations in the COA reception centre

This page tells you what your rights and obligations are in the reception of the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA).

You can, however, apply for family reunification

Has your application for a residence permit been approved and do you want family members to come to the Netherlands? Then you must apply for family reunification within 3 months after you received your asylum residence permit. The IND will decide whether your family members may come to the Netherlands.

Sometimes it takes a long time until there is a home for you, if you are still living in COA's reception centre when the IND decides that your family can come to the Netherlands. Your family can then come to the Netherlands already. They will then also stay in COA's reception centre.

Applying for family reunification

On this page you will find information about applying for family reunification in the Netherlands.

You can stay with a host family

If you have an asylum residence permit and are waiting for a home of your own, you can stay temporarily with a host family. This host family can consist of friends, family or even unknown people who have applied to be a host family. If COA approves your application for lodging, you do not have a reporting obligation in the reception centre during the lodging.

Takecarebnb

Sign up on the Takecarebnb website to stay with a host family.

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The information you will find on this platform comes from the human rights organisation VluchtelingenWerk Nederland, in cooperation with its partners.
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