Living allowance for Ukrainian refugees

• You have fled Ukraine. 
• You are currently living in The Hague with a host family or you are staying in a long-term municipal shelter location. 
• You are registered in the Personal Records Database (BRP) as a resident of The Hague. You will then get a citizen service number (BSN). Read more about Begin link: registering at the municipality for Ukrainians, end link. .
• You have an identity document.

Minor refugees

Are you a refugee (under the age of 18) who has fled without parents (unaccompanied minor)? Then you have the right to a living allowance. You need to be registered at the Nidos Foundation. The municipality will do this for you. You can also register yourself. To do this, call tel. 088 – 501 18 85 or send an email to Begin link: oekraine@nidos.nl, end link. .

• Nidos will apply for guardianship at the court.
• Nidos will take care of practical matters and a safe place to live if you do not have one.
• You will get a living allowance from the municipality until the court has appointed guardianship.
• Once Nidos has been appointed guardianship, it will supervise your care. At this point you will get a living allowance from Nidos (as of the 1st day of the following month). Read more information on the Begin external link: website of the Nidos Foundation(External link), end external link..

Please note: you will not get a living allowance if you are 18 years or older and already have work. If you are working or you are renting or have purchased your home, the living allowance for your whole family will be stopped. Grandparents, uncles or aunts or cousins, brothers, sisters and children who are 18 years or older do not count as family members.

You and the family members you live with will no longer have the right to a living allowance if:

• You start doing paid work or have the right to benefits based on the Dutch Unemployment Act (werkloosheidswet, WW)  
• You are renting or have purchased your own house 
• You do not hold the correct residence permit 

You must report any changes in your situation to the municipality. You can do this by calling the Ukraine telephone line on (070) 353 80 24. If you do not have the right to a living allowance, it will stop as of the first day of the following month.

If you do not report a change, you will be receiving the living allowance illegally. The municipality can then ask you to pay back any extra living allowance you received.

Did your living allowance stop because you are working? But is the amount that you earn from working lower than the amount that you and your family members otherwise would have received as a living allowance? Contact the municipality by calling the Ukraine telephone line on (070) 353 80 24.

1. I am registered at the municipality

If you are registered in The Hague, you can apply for a living allowance in The Hague City Hall, Spui 70. You do not need to make an appointment to do this. Take the following documents with you for your application:

• your proof of registration, showing your Begin link: citizen service number (BSN), end link.
• your identity document
• bank card for your Dutch bank account. See Begin external link: Dutch Payments Association(External link), end external link..

2. I am not yet registered at the municipality

You can apply for a living allowance once you are registered as a resident of The Hague or you have made an appointment to register.

• Make an appointment to register in the Personal Records Database (BRP) by calling the Ukraine telephone line on (070) 353 80 24. 
• When you make the telephone call, you can indicate that you also want a living allowance.
• Take the following documents with you to your appointment to apply for a living allowance:
  • your identity document
  • bank card for your Dutch bank account. See Begin external link: Dutch Payments Association(External link), end external link..
• The appointments are held at The Hague City Hall, Spui 70

For unaccompanied minors: I am living with a host family

The Nidos Foundation will first check if you are staying in a safe place. If Nidos thinks the place where you are living is not safe, the municipality will look for a different shelter location for you. If Nidos thinks the place where you are living is safe, the host family can apply for a living allowance for you. The host family will receive an email from the municipality with a decision on the application.

Needed for your application

The following documents are needed to apply for the living allowance:

• Registration in the Personal Records Database (BSN)
• Valid identity document for the host family where you are staying
• The email with the approval from the Nidos Foundation (if you are staying with a host family)

For more information look at the Begin external link: website of the Nidos Foundation(External link), end external link..

No. After you apply the municipality will check whether you have the right to a living allowance. You will receive an email approximately 5 days after the appointment.

In the table below you can see the amounts you will receive in your situation.

Are you living in a municipal shelter? The municipality can decide to provide meals for you. You will then not get money for food.

Adults and children get a living allowance every month. The living allowance consists of:

• clothing
• food
  Refugees will only get money for food if they do not get meals in a municipal shelter. Small families receive more money for food than large families.
• extra amount (allowance)
  Refugees only receive an allowance if they are living with a host family. This amount is in addition to the money for food and the money for clothing. Refugees can use this money, for example, to pay for public transport, visiting relatives or sports. Or to contribute to the costs of the host family. But this is not mandatory. As of 1 October 2023 the extra allowance is € 80.91 because the average monthly costs for gas, water and electricity have gone down, according to Nibud, an independent foundation that gives information and advice on financial matters of private households.

No living allowance if you work or get benefits

If a refugee aged 18 years or older starts working, the living allowance for the whole family will be stopped. This will also happen if somebody aged 18 years or older receives benefits from the Dutch government. For example unemployment benefits or Benefit under the Work and Income (Capacity for Work) Act (WIA). Work is more lucrative. Working 3 days a week at minimum wage pays more money than the living allowance.

Living allowance amounts as of 1 October 2023

In the table below you can see the amounts for clothing, food and the extra allowance. The amount of the allowance depends on the refugee’s age and the size of the family.

The allowance for private shelter has gone down because the rates for gas, water and electricity have decreased, according to Nibud.

The living allowance will be transferred to your personal Duch bank account. Take your bank card with you to the application interview. The living allowance will be transferred to your bank account once your application is approved.

Refugees from Ukraine can quickly open a payment account with a bank or other payment service provider after arriving in the Netherlands. Every payment account comes with an IBAN, a debit card and the possibility to bank and pay online with a web browser or mobile app. Look for more information at Begin external link: Dutch Payments Association(External link), end external link..

Read the answer to this question on the page Begin link: Answers to questions frequently asked by Ukrainian refugees, end link. .

Changes in your personal situation can affect your right to a living allowance. Report any changes on time. If you do not report changes (on time), you might have to pay back any extra living allowance you received. You can report the changes to the municipality by calling the Ukraine telephone line on (070) 353 80 24.

Here are examples of situations when you need to report a change to the municipality:

• You are going to start working. If you are going to work, the living allowance will stop for you as of the following month.
• You are going to live somewhere else. The municipality want to stay in contact with you. The amount of the living allowance depends on your living situation. This is why the municipality wants your new home address.
• You have (opened) a bank account at a Dutch bank. The municipality needs a copy of your bank card. The card shows the account number and the name of the account holder (if the information does not match, the municipality cannot make the payment). Afterwards you will receive the payment in your own account.

No, you do not have to report the living allowance in your annual tax return because it does not count towards your income. You will therefore also not receive an annual statement for the living allowance you received.