Berlin cooperates on payment card for asylum seekers

Berlin wants to work together with the other federal states to introduce a payment card for asylum seekers.

The Senate decided on Tuesday to join the cross-state procurement procedure. This now involves 14 of the 16 federal states, according to the statement. Hamburg is in charge.

No international bank transfers possible

Many details regarding the design of the card are still open. In addition to the costs, this includes the question of the extent to which asylum seekers will receive cash in addition to the benefits on the cash card in future. Whether and in what form the new system will actually be introduced in Berlin in the end must be decided separately by the Senate. The federal and state governments agreed in November that asylum seekers should receive part of their benefits as a credit on a payment card in future. Refugees will then be able to make cashless purchases in the same way as with a debit card, but cash withdrawals will be restricted. Transfers abroad will not be possible.