Applying for a disability card (Schwerbehindertenausweis) in Essen

Disability card in Essen: the city of Essen's social and housing office (Amt für Soziales und Wohnen) is responsible, also for Mülheim and Oberhausen. Since 12 October 2026 it has been at Altendorfer Str. 103. You apply online via ELSA or signed by post; handing it in on site is currently not possible. We fill in and submit: 59 euros.

Disability card Essen: the key facts

Responsible office
Amt für Soziales und Wohnen, Schwerbehindertenangelegenheiten für die Städte Mülheim, Essen, OberhausenAs of: 26.10.2026 · Stadt Essen
Address
Altendorfer Str. 103, 45143 Essen (since 12.10.2026)As of: 26.10.2026 · Stadt Essen
How to apply
online via ELSA · paper application signed by post · handing in personally currently not possibleAs of: 26.10.2026 · Stadt Essen
Processing time
not published on the city of Essen's pageAs of: 26.10.2026 · Stadt Essen
All details (4)
Official fee
no fee stated on the city of Essen's page · the office requests medical reports at no cost to you
Contact
Phone 0201 88-50583 · schwerbehindertenrecht@sozialamt.essen.de · service hours Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri from 8:30
Power of attorney
enter the authorised person in the state application form and enclose the power of attorney
Behördenfix fixed price
59 € for filling in and submitting

Your application with Behördenfix in four steps

  1. 1Create the orderName, email and place of residence Essen, Mülheim or Oberhausen, then pay the fixed price.
  2. 2Name reports and doctorsUpload copies of your findings and list the practices treating you.
  3. 3Sign the formApplication, consent to request reports, and power of attorney.
  4. 4Sending to Altendorfer StraßeWe send the application to the office in Essen and record its receipt.

Without us: applying to the city of Essen

The way without us, step by step

You can apply without us. The city of Essen names two ways and a counselling appointment:

  • Online via ELSA, the NRW state application portal at sgbix-online.nrw.de. The city links to it directly on its page.
  • On paper with the state's first and change application. Send the completed and signed application to: Schwerbehindertenangelegenheiten für die Städte Mülheim, Essen, Oberhausen, Altendorfer Str. 103, 45143 Essen.
  • Book a counselling appointment via termine.essen.de. You cannot hand in the application there at the moment; the city writes that personal submission is currently not possible due to limited services.
  • A change application uses the same form, for example when new conditions arise. The card later shows the degree of disability and any special markings (Merkzeichen), but no diagnoses.
  • Costs: the city of Essen's page states no fee for the card. With us you pay 59 euros for filling in the form with you, sorting the copies and sending the application to Essen.

Open the official page

Documents that belong to the application

  • Copies of existing findings, hospital or rehabilitation reports, no originals.
  • Names and addresses of the doctors and hospitals treating you.
More documents (3)
  • The fully completed and signed NRW state application, on paper with the municipalities' insert sheet.
  • Your consent for the office to request reports from the named doctors and clinics. According to the form, this costs you nothing.
  • For our order: your signed power of attorney, which we enter in the application under authorisation.

What is special in Essen

One office for three cities and a new address

The social and housing office in Essen also decides for people from Mülheim an der Ruhr and Oberhausen. Residents there also send their application to Altendorfer Str. 103 in Essen.

More about Essen (3)

Since 12 October 2026 the department has been at Altendorfer Straße 103, as essen.de states. The insert sheet with municipal addresses linked from the city page still names, on 26.10.2026, Klinkestr. 29-31 and Stadtamt 50-5. For post, the new address from the city's service page applies.

Unlike Düsseldorf, Essen has no counter submission and no application by phone: online via ELSA or by post. Köln (Cologne) also accepts email. The city of Essen gives no processing time.

Many still search for the Versorgungsamt Essen (former pension office). The word appears as a search term on the city page; today the social and housing office is responsible.

Frequently asked questions about the disability card in Essen

Where do I apply for a disability card in Essen?

At the city of Essen's social and housing office, disability department, Altendorfer Str. 103, 45143 Essen, where it has been since 12 October 2026. Phone 0201 88-50583, email schwerbehindertenrecht@sozialamt.essen.de. essen.de also lists direct numbers by the first letter of the surname.

How do I get an appointment at the Versorgungsamt Essen?

The former Versorgungsamt is now the social and housing office (Amt für Soziales und Wohnen). Appointments are booked online via termine.essen.de, linked on the city's page. Phone service hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:30. The office currently does not accept the application itself on site.

Can I apply for the disability card online?

Yes. The city of Essen links to ELSA, the NRW state online application under disability law. The second way is the paper application, completed and signed, by post to Altendorfer Str. 103. Both apply to first and change applications. We use the paper route with your signature and power of attorney.

I live in Mülheim or Oberhausen. Where does my application go?

Also to Essen. According to essen.de, the city of Essen's social and housing office is responsible for determining disability in Mülheim, Essen and Oberhausen. The postal address is Schwerbehindertenangelegenheiten für die Städte Mülheim, Essen, Oberhausen, Altendorfer Str. 103, 45143 Essen.

Which address is right: Klinkestraße or Altendorfer Straße?

Altendorfer Straße 103. The city of Essen announces the move as of 12 October 2026 and gives this address on its service page. The linked insert sheet with municipal addresses still shows Klinkestr. 29-31 on 26 October 2026. We send to the new address.

Official sources

Reviewed by M. Gabal on 26.10.2026

Provided by Behördenfix (M. Gabal). Behördenfix fills in, submits and tracks the application. We do not give legal advice and do not assess your individual case. Only the office decides on the degree of disability and special markings.

All services in Essen (7)
Start application· 59 €