Reception centre

Belgium has 45 reception centres for asylum seekers. They are managed by Fedasil or the Belgian Red Cross. These are open centres: this means that the residents are free to enter and leave the centre. 

The reception centres are different in many respects: often these are former military bases, boarding schools or hospitals; sometimes they are newly-built prefab buildings. There are small centres (with 75 beds) and large centres (the biggest reception centre has more than 700 beds). Some are located in the city centre, others in the country. And yet all these centres offer the same services.

A reception centre for asylum seekers provides for the daily basic needs of its residents: a place to sleep, food and clothing. During their stay at the centre the asylum seekers also receive social, legal, medical and psychological assistance.

Several activities are organised at the reception centre to offer asylum seekers a meaningful way of passing their time as they await a decision in their case. Most reception centres also have a sport facility and an Internet room so that residents can keep in touch with friends or family at home.

For the first six months after submitting their application asylum seekers cannot work in Belgium but they may take classes (language courses, cooking, IT, and so on).

The residents can carry out different tasks in the centre. The cleaning of the common rooms, serving of meals and assisting various departments are but a few examples of such community services. They receive a little extra on top of their pocket money.

• Map showing the federal centres (Fedasil)