Lodging with a host family while waiting for a home

Last updated: 5/2/2024, 8:17 PM

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Do you have an asylum residence permit, but there is no home for you yet? Then you can temporarily lodge with a host family. That way you do not have to stay in the reception centre all the time. In this article you can read how this works.

If you already have asylum status and you are waiting for a home of your own, you can temporarily stay with a host family. This host family can include friends, family or even unknown people who open their homes to people with asylum status.

Normally, lodging lasts 3 months. Lodging can be longer if you still do not have a home after those 3 months and your host family and you want to extend lodging.

Lodging does not affect waiting time for a home

There are currently too few places to stay in reception centres run by the

Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA)

. The idea behind stays is to reduce the number of people in asylum reception centres. At the same time, you can live with a family for a time instead of in the reception centre.

The lodging arrangement does not affect the waiting period for a home of your own. The municipality must make sure that there is a home for you as soon as possible.

These are the conditions for lodging

You must meet certain conditions to use the lodging arrangement:

You are 18 years of age or older.
You have a
citizen service number (BSN)
.
You can register with the municipality at the address where you will be lodging.
You have had an interview with COA and are waiting for a home in the community.
You do not need any intensive medical treatments.
You have found a general practitioner in the municipality where you will be lodging or you can register with your host family's GP.
You speak English or a little Dutch.
If children are lodging with you, their compulsory education must not be compromised. The host family must then be near their school.

This is how you get a personal number (BSN) to handle your affairs in the Netherlands

On this page you can read how to get a citizen service number (BSN).

These are your rights during lodging

During lodging, you retain the right to COA facilities. Only the right to a place in a reception centre expires during the period of stay. This means the following:

You get living allowance and food money from COA.
You get an allowance of € 75 extra per week (if you are 21 years or older). In a family with more people, the 2nd family member who is going to stay gets € 25. Other family members get € 12.50 per week with a maximum of € 125 for the whole family.
Reimbursement for your medical care will continue through COA. You are covered by the
Regeling Medische zorg Asielzoekers (RMA)
. You are also entitled to reimbursement for travel to your GP or hospital. You can request this from COA.

You and your host family sign a contract

Together with the people you are lodging with, you will sign a contract of stay. You will receive a letter explaining the possible financial consequences for the people with whom you stay. The stay can have consequences for them regarding, for example, the amount of welfare benefit or the allowances of your host family.

After signing the contract, you must register with the municipality within 5 days at the address where you will be lodging. If you have a contact from

VluchtelingenWerk Nederland (VWN)

, or a social worker from another organisation, also let them know you will be lodging.

You can extend the stay

If you still do not have your own home after 3 months, you can ask COA if you can stay with your host family for longer.

If you do not want to, you will get another place in the reception centre at COA. This might be in a different location than where you were before.

If during lodging you are offered a home by your municipality, the staying arrangement stops.