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.

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1 office in Haarlem

  • Haarlem

    Gemeente Haarlem — Publiekshal Raakspoort

    Zijlvest 39, 2011 VB Haarlem

    Take your eviction or disconnection letter straight to the public hall counter on a weekday.

    Apply onlineOffice website+31 23 511 51 15

    Bring the eviction or disconnection letter for an urgent visit. For ongoing support, prepare an overview of your debts, income and spending so the adviser can discuss your circumstances. Ask what extra documents your appointment requires. You can request an independent client supporter for the conversation. If you need income support rather than debt advice, use the council’s separate bijstandsuitkering instructions; asking for debt help does not itself submit that claim.

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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

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