Initial admission

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As soon as they have submitted an asylum application, asylum seekers are admitted to the basic care system by the Ministry of the Interior in one of the federal care centres.

Basic care

Basic services include accommodation in suitable accommodation, adequate meals, monthly pocket money (only in organised accommodation), health insurance, clothing, information, counselling and social assistance.

Beneficiaries

Basic care is a temporary service for strangers who are both needy and vulnerable.

A person in need of assistance is someone who is unable or insufficiently able to provide for himself or herself and his dependent relatives living in the same household, or who does not receive such assistance from other persons or institutions.

Who are in need of protection

Asylum seekers until the final conclusion of the procedure
persons eligible for subsidiary protection who are not registered with the AMS
Recipients during the first four months after asylum recognition
persons with a final negative outcome to the asylum procedure and strangers without the right of residence if they cannot be deported for legal or factual reasons

Services of the universal service

Accommodation

Persons who are in basic care are allocated to organised accommodation distributed throughout the territory of the Federal Republic.

From this point on, it is also possible to rent private accommodation. Please note the different regulations in the individual federal states! Accommodation is provided by private companies such as guesthouses and hotels or NGOs such as Caritas, Diakonie, Volkshilfe or Arbeitersamariter Bund or private providers.Recipients of basic care receive benefits for meals and rent.

Basic services for persons in sheltered accommodation

Catering / food or food allowance to the value of 5.50 Euros per day
40 Euro pocket money per month
10 Euro leisure money per month

Basic services for private residents

Rent subsidy for individuals of max. 150 Euro per month
Rent subsidy for families of max. 300 Euro per month
Meal allowance for adults of max. 215 Euro per person and month
Food allowance for minors of max. 100 Euro per person and month
Food allowance for unaccompanied minors of max. 215 Euro (resident with relatives or private persons in Vienna)

Further basic services independent of the type of housing

Clothing aid as required, max. 150 Euro per year
School supplies for pupils as required, max. 200 Euro per school year
health insurance
medical services
Information, advice and support
Assumption of travel costs for official loads and transfers
Offers for the daily structure

Sources and further information (June 2019)

https://www.asyl.at/de/themen/grundversorgung
https://www.fluechtlinge.wien/grundversorgung
https://grundversorgungsinfo.net

Restriction of territory and residence

In autumn 2017, an amendment to the law on residence restrictions came into force that no longer allows asylum seekers to change their place of residence to another federal state.

Permission is required to move from a refugee home to a privately rented apartment within a federal state.

If the decision on the asylum application is negative, refugees can be admitted to care centres and may then only stay in the political district in which these quarters are located.

If an asylum seeker does not stay at the assigned place of residence for three days, the basic care is terminated. Anyone who transfers their residence from a federal state without a permit receives an administrative penalty. If the other territorial restrictions are violated, fines of 100 to 1,000 euros may be imposed. Those who are unable to pay this fine must expect a substitute custodial sentence. Source: https://www.asyl.at/de/themen/grundversorgung/, as of June 2019

Asylum seekers may settle anywhere in Austria. If you have received subsidiary protection (§8) and the asylum procedure has been completed, you may register in another federal state.

Grundversorgung

The website www.grundversorgungsinfo.net provides a good overview of basic service issues in the federal states.

Details on basic services can be obtained from the Austrian Asylum Coordination. Answers to questions about basic care for refugees and volunteers can also be found on the websites of Refugees.wien and Refugees.wien.