Cash Assistance 2024

For more information see here.

UNHCR will support refugees/Temporary Protection holders (“odídenec”), asylum seekers, and stateless persons in Slovakia with one-time cash assistance for winter expenses in 2024. This would allow you to buy winter clothes, food, blankets, and cover utilities or other winter-related needs.

Cash Assistance for Winter Needs will be provided to individuals and families in a situation of vulnerability to minimize protection risks and support their basic needs.

Every registered individual who was eligible for UNHCR-UNICEF Cash Assistance for refugees with vulnerabilities in Slovakia 2024, and whose presence in the country was confirmed by UNHCR, will receive the Winter Cash Assistance automatically and does not need to approach a registration center.

Please note you can always visit any UNHCR registration center to update your information or report changes in your household, for example, a phone number change, a newborn in the family, a change of address, etc.

Cash Assistance for Winter Needs will be a one-time payment of 150 EUR per person, with a maximum of 400 EUR per family. The payment will be provided via your Slovak bank account or through Western Union at a post office in Slovakia.

In case of any questions, please call the UNHCR-UNICEF Helpline:

Toll-Free Line: 0800 22 12 30 (calls from Slovak tel. number)
Regular landline: +421 2 22 11 56 50 (calls from non-Slovak tel. number)

Monday to Friday (working days), 8 AM – 6 PM

For more information regarding the cash programme please click here.

IMPORTANT: The online form to schedule your appointment for enrollment in UNHCR-UNICEF Cash Assistance for vulnerable refugees in Slovakia 2024 will remain active until 22 August 2024.

After this date, the online form will be deactivated, and UNHCR will not consider new requests. 

Your appointment request will be reviewed by UNHCR, and you will receive an SMS specifying your appointment date and location, which may take several days. 

CASES ALREADY ENROLLED WITH UNHCR: If you have already enrolled with UNHCR, you should not request an appointment. You will also receive an SMS informing you about the decision. 

Please note that if you wish to update your personal data, you are welcome to visit the nearest UNHCR Registration Center at your convenience. There is no deadline for this. 

Stay informed about future cash assistance programmes by following the official UNHCR Slovakia Telegram channel and Help site. 

In case you need support or more information, please contact the nearest Blue Dot. 

UNHCR and UNICEF, to respond to the community’s inquiries on the joint Cash Assistance Program in 2024, created a Frequently Asked Questions document addressing them accordingly.

UNHCR and UNICEF will support Refugees/Temporary Protection holders (“odidenec”), Asylum Seekers, and Stateless persons in Slovakia, who are considered particularly vulnerable as per eligibility below, through the new 2024 cash assistance program in Slovakia to mitigate individual protection risks and support their basic needs.

 1. Eligibility criteria

Only those who fulfil the criteria will be considered for the cash program.
1. Eligible individuals and families who arrived in the Slovak Republic after 01 January 2024 and are economically disadvantaged (e.g., not having regular employment or a regular source of income or a source of income that is below the minimum subsistence allowance); OR
2. Not being assisted by the Slovak Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (Úrad práce); AND
3. Fulfilling one or more criteria below:
• You are a single parent or a caregiver with 2 or more children; OR
• You are a family with 3 or more children; OR
• You are a single parent or family with at least one child below 3 years old; OR
• You or a child in your family is considered a person with a disability; OR
• You are 60 years old and above without a working adult family member; OR
• You have a serious medical condition.

Additional information:
• Supporting documents on disability or medical condition, and Úrad práce rejection letter will be requested during your interview.
• UNHCR will review all applications from older individuals, adults with disabilities without children, and adults with serious medical conditions. One of UNHCR’s partners may contact you on your Slovak phone number for further vulnerability assessment.
• It is essential to have a Slovak phone number available for registration purposes.

2. Application submission

You can make an appointment for the interview using the link or contact our Helpline.
After you submit your application, UNHCR will conduct a pre-screening. You will then receive an SMS notification informing you of the date and location of your in-person enrolment appointment with UNHCR. Please note that receiving an SMS may take several days and that the enrolment appointment does not constitute automatic acceptance into the cash programme. Your case will still be reviewed after
your in-person interview.

IMPORTANT: Please do not approach any registration site for this purpose without a prior appointment.

3. Complete the in-person enrolment

During the interview, you need to have the following documents with you:
• Passport, ID or any other document that can prove your identity.
• Slovak Number [Rodne cislo] issued when you were granted Temporary Protection or Asylum Seeker’s/Refugee Certificate.
• Slovak phone number. Each family needs to have their own Slovak telephone number. Please do not share phone numbers among families.
• Slovak Bank Account Number/ IBAN and bank contract (if you have one and you are the owner).
• Slovak Legal guardianship document (if applicable).
• Documents provided by Úrad práce confirming you were rejected for assistance.
• Documents confirming medical condition and/or disability.

IMPORTANT: Please bring all family members to the enrolment appointment. If a family member has serious mobility issues or disabilities, you can inform the data entry clerks during your interview.

4. Review process

After your interview for the cash assistance, if the review process determines that you meet the eligibility criteria, you will receive an SMS confirming your eligibility. If you do not meet the required criteria, you will receive an SMS informing you of the decision. Please note that the decision process may take up to 4 weeks.

5. Assistance Payment

Once your payment is processed, you will receive a notification via SMS. If you receive payment through Western Union, another SMS containing a code will be sent to you. Please ensure that you bring a valid identification document when collecting your payment at any Western Union branch (Post Office).

6. Estimating the financial support

The amount is calculated based on the number of family members, their age and the category of vulnerability that concerns the family. The approximate amount can be calculated by using the online calculator.

IMPORTANT: Please be aware that this tool is for informational purposes only and
does not carry legal obligations. Official cash assistance calculations for eligible households will be conducted by UNHCR and UNICEF.

In case of any questions, please contact the UNHCR-UNICEF Helpline:

Toll-Free Line: 0800 22 12 30 (calls from Slovak tel. number)
Non-Toll-Free Landline: +421 2 22 11 56 50 (calls from non-Slovak tel. number)
Monday to Friday (working days), 8 AM – 6 PM
UNHCR Cash Email: [email protected]
Latest information on this programme will be always published in our Telegram channel:
http://t.me/unhcr_slovakia

For more information regarding the cash programme please click here.