If you do not have financial resources, you will receive accommodation in a Regional Centre for Asylum-Seekers. This section details the specific steps that will follow after you arrive at the Regional Centre (what items you will receive, roommates, available services etc).

What will happen after I arrive at the Regional Centre? What are the next steps?

At the time of arrival at the regional centre, the officers at the entrance will search you and your baggage. You will not be allowed to enter the centre with dangerous objects, alcohol or drugs. You will be informed of the Internal Regulation of the Centre and receive a copy. You will sign a document that you accept these rights and obligations during your stay at the centre (what you are allowed to do and what you are not allowed to do). These rules are there to ensure your safety, not to restrict you!

Soon after accommodation you will have to take a medical examination, in order to establish your health situation. Tell the doctor if you have an acute/chronical illness, or if you need to follow a certain medical treatment. Each centre has a medical room where you can go and ask for help if you have any medical problems.

Will I be staying alone in a room?

You will be accommodated together with other asylum-seekers, taking into consideration family unity, vulnerabilities, sex and other particularities.

What items will I receive at the Centre?

You will receive items of daily use (bed sheets, blankets – you can ask for an extra blanket during the cold season, pillow case, towels, dishes, etc.). Some items available at the centre (for example: cooking pot, stove) will be shared with other residents. Take care of the items you receive and keep them clean. You will have to return all the items when you permanently leave the centre.

You will receive personal hygiene products when you first arrive at the centre and once per month (tooth paste, soaps, specific care products, detergent etc.). You can wash your clothes in the washing machines at the centre, respecting the schedule indicated.

What services are there in the Centre?

You will have access to a variety of services. Non-governmental organizations (NGO, or ONG in Romanian) present in the centre provide legal, social, medical and psychological counselling and assistance. They also organize Romanian language classes and other cultural and recreational activities. Don’t be afraid to ask the NGOs or the authorities for information and help.

You will also have access to medical assistance and to hygienic facilities. You will have a kitchen where to cook your food. Depending on each centre, you will benefit from certain facilities, such as leisure rooms, prayer rooms, gym, outdoors play field, a special room and a play ground for children. The Centre will be your home for a temporary period, and you will be able to receive visits, packages, participate in cultural and religious activities and so on.

What are the rules of the Centre?

You will have to respect the Internal Regulation of the Centre, a full list of which you will find here. As you will be living with other persons in the centre, these are some of the most important rules that you must respect:

  • Maintain a calm and quiet atmosphere, be polite to other persons in the centre, and not be aggressive with the centre’s personnel, the representatives of the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other asylum-seekers;
  • Do not smoke inside the building, do not use alcohol or drugs;
  • Respect the daily schedule and only leave the centre between 06:00-22:00. If you wish to leave for a longer period of time or return after 22:00, ask for permission from the centre’s management. Keep in mind that you will be evicted if you leave the centre without permission for more than 3 days;
  • Use the equipment in the centre with caution;
  • Respect the rules of individual and collective hygiene, and keep the common areas and your room clean. Remember that it is your responsibility to clean.

If you have any problem, including with the other asylum-seekers, we encourage you to speak with the personnel or the management of the Regional Centre. You may also seek information and counselling from the NGOs working at the centre. They are there to help you!.

Can I be sanctioned for breaking the rules of the Centre?

Yes! Not respecting the rules of the Regional Centre can have serious consequences.

Depending on the gravity of the rule you broke, the General Inspectorate for Immigration may apply the following sanctions:

  • Give you a verbal warning;
  • Give you a written warning;
  • Suspend the payment of the financial assistance of 6 lei/day for a period between one and three months;
  • Temporarily or permanently evicted you from the Reception Centre.

You will have the right to challenge the sanction. If you find yourself in this situation, contact an NGO working at the centre to find out what are your options.