Overview

• Ninety-three of 396 municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia have opted out of introducing the Bezahlkarte for asylum seekers under the state cabinet’s regulation
• The NRW government surveyed all municipalities and received 310 responses by May 31 with participation waived as voluntary
• Despite the allocation process opening in late June, no local authority has placed an order with the designated card service provider
• Several councils have scheduled additional debates on the payment card issue for early 2026, prolonging the rollout timeline
• The Bezahlkarte was created under a 2024 federal law to standardize welfare payments and curb cash misuse while states retain control over spending limits and transaction permissions