Under European guidelines, EU Member States may offer a financial allowance enabling applicants for international protection to arrange an alternative to accommodation in a reception centre. Five countries offer this under certain conditions.
EMN inform | International protection
Financial allowance as an alternative to in kind housing in 5 EU Member States
11 June 2026
The standards for the reception of applicants for international protection are established at European level in the recast Reception Conditions Directive (2013/33/EU). With the implementation of the Migration and Asylum Pact, this will be replaced by a revised directive (2024/1346).
Financial allowance in 5 EU Member States
Austria, Cyprus, France, Ireland and Poland offer applicants for international protection a financial allowance to cover the costs of alternative housing, for example a private dwelling as an alternative to accommodation in a reception centre. In France and Cyprus, this is provided only as an emergency measure, during periods of significant pressure on reception centres. In Austria and Poland, an applicant for international protection may always choose between accommodation or a financial allowance. In Ireland, it is an emergency measure. In addition, applicants for international protection who have been excluded from reception, for example due to the use of violence, may make use of an allowance in Ireland. In the Netherlands, no such financial allowances exist for applicants for international protection.
Criteria for financial allowance
The criteria for receiving a financial allowance differ. In Cyprus, an applicant for international protection is eligible if no physical reception place is available. France additionally takes the vulnerability of the applicant into account in its assessment. Ireland also considers this. Austria looks only at the financial situation of the applicant. Poland has the most comprehensive conditions. It considers not only operational necessity, but also safety and the preservation of family unity. Unaccompanied minors are excluded from alternatives to reception in most countries.
Monitoring applicants for international protection outside reception centres
The 5 countries monitor applicants for international protection living outside reception centres in different ways. Austria, France and Poland have monitoring systems, including to assess whether applicants continue to meet the conditions for the financial allowance. Austria and France use a data system. Poland carries out checks, such as home visits. Cyprus and Ireland require applicants for international protection to keep their own records up to date. On that basis, these countries assess whether they continue to meet the conditions.
*Participating countries: Austria (AT), Belgium (BE), Bulgaria (BG), Cyprus (CY), Czechia (CZ), Germany (DE), Estonia (EE), Spain (ES), Finland (FI), France (FR), Croatia (HR), Hungary (HU), Ireland (IE), Italy (IT), Lithuania (LT), Luxembourg (LU), Latvia (LV), the Netherlands (NL), Poland (PL), Sweden (SE), Slovenia (SI), Slovakia (SK); Norway (NO); Serbia (RS)
