You have an obligation to report to COA if you are still waiting for a house
Do you have an asylum residence permit and are you still living in a reception location of the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA)? Then you are obliged to report there, just as you did during your asylum procedure. Do you not do this? Then you could lose your place in a reception centre and weekly allowance. You will not get this back afterwards.
In most cases, the following rules apply to the reporting obligation:
You are under 18 and single: Are you without adults in the Netherlands? Then you must report to COA every day.
You are 18 years or older: You must report to COA once a week. You must also report every 2 weeks for the renewal of your place in a reception centre and weekly allowance. This is done along with the reporting obligation.
Want to be sure what rules you need to follow? Check with your reception location.
You are required to report under Dutch law. It is also in COA's house rules. Failure to report can have negative consequences for you:
1 failure to report: You will receive a warning by letter.
2 failures to report in a row: You have to leave the reception centre and no longer receive weekly allowance.
Regular failure to report: If you sometimes fail to report, that is, sometimes you do and other times you do not, you may temporarily lose your place in a reception centre and weekly allowance. This means you will be temporarily denied your place in a reception centre and temporarily denied weekly allowance.
Has the COA removed you from a reception centre because you failed to report several times? Then you must apply to the municipality for a place in a reception centre. This may mean that you have to live on the street temporarily until there is a house for you. You cannot apply again for a place in a reception centre at the COA in Ter Apel.
Sometimes the COA may give you permission not to report once. For example, if you have an appointment with a doctor or lawyer on that day. You must request this in advance at the COA information desk. You can show the appointment letter from your lawyer or doctor, for example.
The COA will not give you permission if you do not want to report because of personal commitments such as a wedding or family visit abroad.
Would you like to stay with family or friends for a longer period of time? The COA can give you permission to make use of the lodging arrangement. You do not have to report to the reception location during that lodging. The COA will have you report by telephone.