Frequently Asked Questions
If a divorce decree grants custody of the child to the mother, is this considered a single-parent household for the Minimum Guaranteed Income (MGI), or must she also have parental responsibility?
It is considered a single-parent household. Parental responsibility is automatically held by both parents when the child is born, except in specific cases. For a single-parent household to be recognised, custody (temporary or permanent) must therefore be established by a court decision or notarial deed, in accordance with applicable law.
Does single-parent status apply to children over 18 if the mother has custody, or does it stop because they are adults?
If all children are adults, the household is not considered single-parent.
Can a divorced woman with one adult child and two minor children apply as a single-parent household?
Yes. If there are minor children, the household is considered single-parent.
Can a married woman whose children have not been recognised by her husband be considered a single-parent household?
No, because she is married.
A citizen says she is separated and provides a divorce application filed in 2015. She has taken no further legal action because of financial hardship. Her separated husband has lived in Germany since 2011. She has no custody document, only a statutory declaration from her husband. Can I record her as separated and as a single-parent household?
You may record her as separated, but not as a single-parent household unless custody has been formally arranged.
An unmarried woman lives with her partner, who is a guest in her home, and they have a child together. Can she apply as a single-parent household even though the child’s father lives with them?
If both parents live together, the household is not considered single-parent.
For children born outside marriage and recognised by their father, is a court decision granting custody to the mother unnecessary, and should municipalities avoid requesting it as additional documentation for MGI single-parent status, even if the child is registered in the father’s family record?
Yes, provided the two parents do not live together.
A single-parent family is hosted by someone who intends to apply for MGI. How should single-parent status be declared?
For single-parent status to be declared, the household must consist exclusively of members of the single-parent family. Therefore, in this case you cannot declare the household as single-parent.
Can a grandmother with permanent custody of her grandchildren be considered a single parent?
I want to apply for MGI. What documents must I submit to prove that my two minor children attend compulsory education?
This is considered a single-parent household. Parental responsibility is automatically held by both parents when the child is born, except in specific cases. Therefore, for
single-parent status to be accepted, custody (temporary or permanent) must be established by a court decision or notarial deed, in accordance with applicable law.
A family with two minor children submits school attendance certificates. One child attends school in a different, non-adjacent municipality and lives with a relative. Should one application be submitted for all family members?
If all children are adults, the household is not considered single-parent.
What kind of evidence is required to establish separation?
This is considered a single-parent household. Parental responsibility is automatically held by both parents when the child is born, except in specific cases. Therefore, for
single-parent status to be accepted, custody (temporary or permanent) must be established by a court decision or notarial deed, in accordance with applicable law.
Can the family be considered single-parent while the spouse is in detention?
Yes, it is considered a single-parent household.
The OGA child support benefit from form A21 is paid in the husband’s name, but he is now in detention. If he is removed from the application, will the A21 amount also be removed automatically? Should the wife enter the corresponding amount again in the benefits field of her application?
Yes. Add it under “Other benefitsâ€.
The applicant’s latest assessed tax return shows that they host someone. That person has moved out and is no longer hosted. What document should the applicant provide?
To remove a hosted person from the application, the applicant must provide supporting documents showing that they no longer host that person. Examples include:
a) an electronic lease;
b) or a property purchase contract together with a utility bill.
An unemployed father, his spouse and their two minor children are hosted by his retired parents. Can he apply alone with his family, excluding the hosting parents, because their income exceeds the eligibility limit?
No. Only the person providing accommodation or their spouse may apply, and the application must include all household members.
The applicant’s latest tax return shows that they were hosted by their father during the first half of the year, but rented an apartment from the second half through the present. When completing the application, a notice says the housing status does not match and identifies the applicant as hosted, so they cannot apply. They have rented an apartment since 2 June and declared it on their E1 return. Why are they still shown as hosted?
The applicant’s E1 return shows them as hosted by their parents. They tell the municipality that they live alone and submit a private agreement granting them use of the property, plus a utility bill in a parent’s name. Will their application be approved?
An applicant declares on their E1 return that they are homeless but is actually hosted by their mother, who does not list them as hosted. They do not use a service for people experiencing homelessness and are not recorded as homeless by the municipality. What should we do?
If there are doubts about the citizen’s actual circumstances, a social assessment may be conducted. If it establishes that the person is hosted by their mother, they cannot apply as homeless.
What if someone is shown as hosted on their latest tax return but currently lives in their own home or in a property provided free of charge? Can they apply alone, and what documents prove this? For a free concession, must the electricity bill be in their name?
The housing status cannot be changed from hosting to free concession if hosting was declared on the E1 return. The owner must have declared the free concession on their latest E2 return, and the recipient must have declared it on their E1 return. A utility bill in the applicant’s name is also required.
A family wants to apply for MGI. The two minor children own the property and their parents are hosted by them. Can the father apply, and how?
The parents may apply and include the children. Once the children become adults, the parents are recorded as hosted by them.
An applicant lives with their spouse in a home they own in a provincial area. They rent an apartment in their name where their 27-year-old son lives alone. The son declares that he is hosted by his father, and the electricity bill is in the landlord’s name. How can the son apply?
Because the lease is in the father’s name, the son cannot apply for MGI.
A woman owns 30% of a property and her son owns 70%. They live in separate homes. Can she apply alone and declare ownership?
Yes. She may apply for the MGI programme on her own.
An applicant declares that she owns a property, and the platform shows her living alone, but her E1 return states that she owns 13% of the home. I know she lives with her mother and siblings, but she does not want to include them because they have income. What should I do? If they must be included, how should they be recorded, since they are not hosted but also own the property, as the next tax return will show?
Whether the applicant wants to declare the other household members is not optional. Everyone living under the same roof must be included. One co-owner submits the application and includes the others as additional household members (co-owners).
Two adult siblings live in separate homes but share one electricity meter. Can one of them apply?
They may submit separate applications if they provide documents proving that they are separate residences (for example, E9/property inheritance documents and a utility bill other than the shared electricity bill). A social assessment may also be conducted to confirm the household composition.
If a person lives alone in a jointly owned home and the other co-owners live elsewhere, how is this proved and what documents must be submitted?
The number of co-owners is not what matters; the number of people living in the same home does. For residence in an owned home, regardless of the ownership share, submit a contract proving ownership and a utility bill. A social assessment may be conducted if there is doubt about household composition.
I receive MGI. I was unmarried when I applied, but I later got married. I still live at the same address, and a family record has been opened. What should I do to update my application to reflect my new family status?
You do not need to report changes every month because the MGI application has a fixed six-month support period. The change should be reflected in your next application. Submit your marriage certificate to your municipality’s social service or Community Centre so your spouse can be added to the new application.
I am applying for MGI, but my newborn child does not appear in the application. How can I add the child so that the corresponding amount is included?
Go to your municipality or local Community Centre (the office handling MGI applications) and provide the child’s birth certificate so the child can be added to the application.
IMPORTANT! Under the new Joint Ministerial Decision, this addition may be made only when an application is submitted. Once the application has been approved, household members cannot be added or removed during the six-month period.
An applicant appears on the platform as hosted by his sister, but says he is actually hosted by his partner, who wants to apply for MGI. Can I add him as a new member of her application without documents, relying on the change appearing on the next tax assessment?
A household member may be added only when an application is submitted, and only in the cases of a spouse, child, co-owner or co-tenant. Therefore, he cannot be added to his partner’s application.
I am applying for MGI, but the platform shows an amount of salary even though I have no income and have been unemployed since last year.
Go to your municipality’s social service or Community Centre and show your DYPA unemployment certificate and IKA earnings certificate. The authorised officer will adjust the salary amount shown in the application and proceed with it.
Is an unemployment card required for people who do not work and want to apply for MGI? Does someone without work or an unemployment card fail to qualify?
An unemployment card is not required to apply. However, if the application is approved, the applicant and all other unemployed household members who are able to work must register with the DYPA unemployment register, under the applicable rules, by the end of the month following approval.
A citizen received €500 as a tax refund. Is this amount counted as income in the MGI application?
No. It is not counted.
Must potential MGI beneficiaries declare a pension from Albania received by themselves or another household member?
Foreign pensions are not excluded from household income and must therefore be declared in the MGI application.
Are ELGA compensation payments considered income?
Yes. They are considered income and must be entered under “Other income†in the application.
Is unemployment benefit included in the applicant’s income?
For the MGI programme, unemployment benefit is considered income. Declare it in the corresponding field of the application.
An applicant receives a large-family benefit. Will it stop if they are approved for MGI?
There is no automatic termination because someone receives MGI. However, the family benefit is counted as income when determining MGI eligibility.
Must welfare benefits be declared?
Only foster-care benefits, non-contributory disability benefits, financial assistance for people affected by natural disasters or other disasters, and vocational training allowances paid to unemployed people are excluded. All other benefits must be declared.
Should payments from voucher programmes be declared when calculating income? Since there are no social insurance contributions and the money is paid months after the programme ends, should they be declared as income reduced by 20%?
Vocational training allowances paid to unemployed people are not counted as income in the MGI application.
Is IKA maternity benefit included in the applicant’s income?
Maternity benefit is considered income and must be entered under “Other benefits†when submitting the application.
Is the nutritional allowance for eligible patients with kidney disease and kidney, heart, liver, lung or bone marrow transplant recipients, including foreign nationals and expatriates with kidney disease, counted as income for MGI?
No. It is not counted as income and should not be entered in the application.
Are scholarships for postgraduate and doctoral studies considered MGI income, and in which field should they be entered? Is the student housing allowance also counted as income, and where should it be entered?
Scholarships must be declared under “Other incomeâ€. The student housing allowance must be declared under “Other benefitsâ€.
Are reimbursements from EOPYY for speech therapy, physiotherapy, hearing aids and other treatments considered income, and if so, where should they be entered?
No. They are not considered income and should not be entered in the application.
Agricultural subsidies are sometimes declared in E1 fields not listed on the MGI platform (codes 465 and 475). Should they be entered under other income, agricultural activity, or nowhere? Would this create a mismatch between TAXISnet data and the application?
Enter amounts from agricultural activity (for example, product sales) under “Agricultural activityâ€. Enter agricultural subsidies under “Other incomeâ€.
An agricultural subsidy still appears for a citizen even though six months have passed since the last deposit. What should be done?
The citizen may provide an OPEKEPE certificate showing that they have not received a subsidy during the previous six months. The amount can then be removed from the relevant field.
I have started a job. How should I declare my salary?
You do not need to report changes monthly because the MGI application has a fixed six-month support period. During the programme, an approved application may be amended only to correct contact details, home address, bank account number (IBAN), or fields linking the beneficiary to other social benefits and services. This change should therefore be reflected in your next MGI application.
My roommate and I rented a home for four months. The lease ends in July, after which we will rent another home together. Our latest tax return lists us as hosted by our parents. In our next tax return, should we declare our current home or wait until we move and declare the new one as our main residence?
Regardless of what is declared on the tax return, if the housing status on the MGI platform does not match your actual circumstances, you must submit documents to
correct it. In this case, to change the home address, the applicant should go to the Community Centre or the social service of the municipality where they live and provide the electronic lease or leases
(together proving residence in rented accommodation for at least six months before the application month) and a utility bill in their name.
Can a lease for a storage unit be accepted? Can an MGI application be submitted?
As a general rule, leases for storage units, shops or other ancillary spaces cannot be accepted for MGI. In any case, a social assessment may establish whether the applicant is renting a storage unit as their residence.
A citizen declares on E1 that they are homeless and uses a service for people experiencing homelessness but is not recorded as homeless by the municipality. Should the municipal social service issue a certificate? Is a municipal certificate always required, even when homelessness is declared on E1?
A social assessment or a certificate showing use of a municipal night shelter is required to prove homelessness. Declaring homelessness on E1 alone is not sufficient evidence.
A citizen lives in a caravan but does not declare this on E1. They first said they were homeless and later said they live in a caravan. They provided no supporting documents. Can they apply, and if so, under which category?
People living in unsuitable accommodation are considered homeless. A caravan may qualify as unsuitable accommodation. In this case, the municipal social service must certify the circumstances, and the citizen may apply as homeless.
A citizen was recorded as homeless on their previous MGI application. They provided a lease that does not prove residence in rented accommodation for at least six months. Can they apply again?
If the applicant provides a certificate of homelessness from a municipal social service or proof of using a night shelter, the application may be completed without proof of six months’ residence in rented accommodation before the
application.
Must foreign nationals submit MGI applications only through municipal services?
EU citizens must submit an EU citizen registration certificate or proof of permanent residence.
Do EU citizens who hold a European Health Insurance Card need a residence permit?
EU citizens must submit an EU citizen registration certificate or proof of permanent residence.
Do minor children of foreign nationals need residence permits?
EU citizens must submit an EU citizen registration certificate or proof of permanent residence.
Minor children do not need a residence permit.
An MGI beneficiary holding a Special Identity Card for Expatriates (EDTO), as do their spouse and minor children, applied using cards that expired in 2015. They also submitted Government Gazette B’ 3043/15-11-2012 (ADA: B4SKI-ANL), Article 14 of which states that EDTO cards valid when the decision came into force become valid indefinitely and do not need renewal. The cards expired in 2015 and were valid when that Gazette was published on 15 November 2012. Should these cards be accepted, and does this provision apply to MGI?
The above expatriate identity cards should be accepted as provided for in the relevant provisions.
A foreign national with a spouse and two children, one of them a newborn, applies for MGI. The spouse and newborn do not have lawful residence permits, and no family member appears on the applicant’s tax return. The applicant says they will include the whole family on the next tax return and asks whether they can apply now with the two children and add the spouse later, once the spouse’s card is approved. They have a family status certificate listing the whole family.
The father may apply with the two children. After the spouse’s card is approved and the six-month period of the current application has passed, he may submit a new application that includes the spouse.
A foreign national wants to apply for MGI and submits a certificate showing that they have applied for a residence permit.
Holders of a certificate showing an initial residence permit application cannot apply for MGI. However, those who submit a certificate showing an application to renew a residence permit may apply.
Can beneficiaries of international protection apply for MGI?
Beneficiaries of international protection (refugees and subsidiary-protection beneficiaries), as well as people holding residence permits for humanitarian or exceptional reasons, may apply for MGI.
A foreign national holding an asylum-seeker card wants to apply for MGI. Can they?
Foreign nationals holding an asylum-seeker card cannot apply for MGI. Asylum seekers are covered by an income-support programme run by the Ministry of Migration Policy.
Can holders of a special certificate of lawful residence apply for MGI?
No. Holders of a special certificate of lawful residence cannot apply for MGI because this certificate is a temporary residence document.
Will you send me the prepaid card, or do I need to contact my bank to have it issued?
The prepaid card is a banking product. You should contact your bank.
How long after my application is approved will I receive the card?
The bank determines when the prepaid card is issued. Please contact your bank.
I was approved for €95 in income support but have not received a card. Who should I contact?
If the approved amount is less than €100, you will not receive a card. The full amount will be credited to your bank account.
Can MGI income support be paid into an IBAN account at ELTA?
Yes. Payment through ELTA is also supported.
I want to stop an approved application. What should I do?
If a citizen wishes to stop receiving income support for any reason, they must go to the social service of their municipality or local Community Centre and complete a Withdrawal Form. It is not possible to
withdraw the application directly as a citizen.
For years I have filed my tax return separately and declared that I am separated. When I tried to apply for MGI, I discovered that my separated spouse, who has lived in another city for years, already has an approved MGI application that includes me. What can I do?
Go to your municipality or Community Centre and request withdrawal of your spouse’s application. Your municipal officer should notify the officer in the municipality where your spouse submitted the application.
A beneficiary has a consent form signed by all family members. Which forms must be signed when the application is submitted?
An applicant is a student living in another city. How should their signature on the consent form be certified?
The usual requirements apply: the form must be signed and the signature must be certified.
Does a single-person household also have to sign a consent form?
Yes, when the application is submitted through a municipality or Community Centre.
The platform displays a beneficiary’s or household member’s name incorrectly or only partially, and we cannot continue or correct the relevant fields.
This can be resolved at a Citizens’ Service Centre (KEP) by correcting the name in the AMKA Registry.
Some applications show a notice saying they cannot be created because the beneficiaries are linked to another application. They assure me this is not the case. How can I proceed?
Check and correct the AMKA details at a KEP or locate the other applications in which the beneficiary is included so they can be updated or deleted as necessary.
We have a question about social assessments. If the municipality’s social service has no social worker, but a public-law entity and the “Help at Home†programme do, what should we do?
Social workers employed by either the public-law entity or the “Help at Home†programme may conduct a social assessment where required.
A citizen is serving compulsory military service. Can they apply for MGI?
A person serving compulsory military service is included in the household’s MGI application.
Must the electricity bill be in the applicant’s name?
The electricity supply number must be provided, except in cases of homelessness. It does not have to be in the applicant’s name unless this is expressly required.
Please clarify the cases in which we may create or amend an application using an authorisation.
An application may be created or amended using an authorisation only in cases of severe disability or hospitalisation, and only after a public document has been provided proving that the applicant is unable to submit or amend
the application themselves.
A woman came to the service. Her husband has been abroad for about a year looking for work and has now started a trial job without social insurance contributions. Should he be excluded from the MGI application? If not, how can he sign the consent form?
A household member who demonstrably resides permanently abroad is not counted as part of the household. As an exception, a spouse—and only a spouse—who lives abroad but files a joint tax return with their spouse is considered a household member. Income from the work abroad must be declared in the MGI application. The consent form may be printed, signed with the signature certified at a consulate and sent to the spouse applying for MGI.
When may we change the amount in the movable-assets field?
What should we do if an applicant has an approved application but does not meet the programme requirements?
If you find that an application was submitted without the eligibility requirements being met, suspend it. Beneficiaries may visit their municipality or Community Centre by the end of the second month after suspension and provide appropriate documents so the application can be reactivated.
If review of the documents confirms that the programme conditions are not met, the application remains suspended and the provisions of the Joint Ministerial Decision on recovery of undue payments apply. If beneficiaries do not visit the municipality before the deadline, Article 9 of the Joint Ministerial Decision is automatically applied at the end of the second month and the application is cancelled.
A beneficiary is registered with DYPA, but the application still says they must register. What should be done?
The beneficiary should contact DYPA to check that their details are recorded correctly. Once DYPA makes any necessary corrections, the system will cross-check the information and remove the registration requirement from the application.
A beneficiary registered late with DYPA and their application was cancelled. What should be done?
Under the Joint Ministerial Decision, the beneficiary may submit a new application one month after meeting the requirement (registering with DYPA).
A beneficiary registered with DYPA on time, before the application’s registration deadline. The registration requirement disappeared, but the membership number is not shown in either registration field. Will the application be cancelled?
If the DYPA registration requirement has been removed, the system has received the beneficiary’s registration information even if the membership number is not displayed in the two DYPA registration fields.
A beneficiary works or is insured by OGA but was declared unemployed on the application. The DYPA registration requirement has appeared. How can I complete the application?
Beneficiaries who declare themselves unemployed on the MGI application but cannot register must obtain a certificate from a DYPA KPA2 office stating why registration in the unemployment register was rejected. They must submit it to the municipal social service or Community Centre. After receiving the certificate, the authorised officer selects the beneficiary or household member highlighted in green, proceeds to the next page and selects [Process]. Under [Select reason – registration exemption], the officer chooses one of the nine relevant reasons for the registration rejection.
IMPORTANT! This process must be completed each time a new application is submitted.
A beneficiary had a duplicate AMKA and their application was cancelled because the correct details could not be cross-checked with DYPA. What should be done?
The beneficiary must update their AMKA details with DYPA. The information will then be cross-checked correctly, and the beneficiary can submit a new MGI application.
As an MGI beneficiary, how can I take part in the Operational Programme for Food and Basic Material Assistance funded by the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD)?
In the application, select the FEAD information field to indicate that you wish to participate in the Operational Programme for Food and Basic Material Assistance, and choose the partner organisation from which you wish to receive support.
How will I find out where and when I can collect food and material assistance from FEAD?
The competent municipality will inform you, based on the partner organisation and distribution point you selected.
Detailed guidance on completing MGI applications, forms and further links can be found at
