Where to apply for social assistance in the Netherlands

Applications go to the municipality where you live

Each municipality sets its own first step. In some places you apply online with DigiD, in others you phone first, which can fix your application date, or sign up on werk.nl before an adviser contacts you. Offices also have their own help for people who find the form hard, and their own list of what to prepare.

1 office in Almere
  • Almere

    Stadhuis Almere — balie Sociaal Domein

    Stadhuisplein 1, 1315 HR Almere

    Apply online with DigiD, or call or visit the town hall’s social services team if you need help with it.

    Prepare DigiD (the Dutch digital ID for government websites), an email address and requested financial evidence, saved on a computer. Almere advises against applying on a phone. Homeless intake asks, if available, for valid identification (national rules since 2026 also allow a valid driving licence for a bijstand application), three months of payment/savings-account records and income evidence. Do not delay seeking help because documents are missing. Contact the municipality if you lack email or internet.

Related services

Other everyday services in Netherlands

Other countries

The same task in other countries

Moving on, or comparing before you decide? See how this works elsewhere.

Where to next

Social assistance for basic living costs

See who can apply for income support, what a municipality takes into account and where to get advice if the application is difficult.

Social assistance in the Netherlands