Apply for a severe disability card in Münster
Severe disability card (Schwerbehindertenausweis) in Münster: since 1 August 2008 the city's Sozialamt is responsible, having taken over the tasks from the Versorgungsamt Münster («vom Versorgungsamt Münster … übernommen»). The card is free of charge and requires a degree of disability of at least 50. You apply online or on paper. We fill in the application with you for 59 euros.
Responsibility and costs in Münster
- Responsible
- Sozialamt of the city of Münster, since 1.8.2008 instead of the VersorgungsamtAs of: 27.10.2026 · Stadt Münster
- Costs
- free of charge · no application deadlineAs of: 27.10.2026 · Stadt Münster
- Requirement
- degree of disability of at least 50As of: 27.10.2026 · Stadt Münster
- Photo
- passport photo from age 10As of: 27.10.2026 · Stadt Münster
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- Validity
- limited to up to five years or unlimited
- Behördenfix fixed price
- €59 for help with the application, authority fee €0
How we help with the application
- 1First application or changeFor a change, with file number.
- 2Collect evidenceFindings, medical reports, passport photo.
- 3Fill in the formWe fill it in together with you.
- 4Sign and sendYou sign, it goes to the Sozialamt.
Applying yourself at the Sozialamt
The way without us, step by step
In North Rhine-Westphalia, districts and independent cities are responsible for severe disability law; your place of residence decides. In Münster this is the Sozialamt, Schwerbehindertenangelegenheiten, Von-Steuben-Straße 5, 48143 Münster.
- Online via the city's online application. Even then your own signature is needed: the declaration is printed, signed and sent to the authority within two weeks.
- On paper with the city's application form, by post or handed in at the customer centre Hafenstraße 8, ground floor. It is open Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays 8 to 16 hrs, Wednesdays and Fridays 8 to 12 hrs.
- By phone you reach the contacts for first and change applications at 0251 492-5505 to -5512; objections have their own extensions.
- Costs compared: the city charges nothing. With us the help with filling in costs 59 euros. We are not an authority, do not set a degree of disability and do not assess medical findings.
What belongs to the application
- For a change application, the reference or file number.
- Names and addresses of the treating doctors, clinics and therapists.
More documents (3)Show less
- Existing findings and medical reports, if you already have them.
- A current colour passport photo, from age 10.
- For people from countries outside the EU: the valid residence permit.
From Versorgungsamt to Sozialamt
The Versorgungsamt Münster no longer handles this
Many people still search for the «Versorgungsamt Münster». The city writes: on 1 August 2008 the Sozialamt took over responsibility for severe disability matters for the entire city area from the Versorgungsamt Münster («vom Versorgungsamt Münster … übernommen»). Since then, applications for issue and extension go to the city's Sozialamt.
More about Münster (3)Show less
A special feature of Münster: the Bezirksregierung Münster is the objection authority in severe disability law for all of North Rhine-Westphalia and exercises technical supervision. For questions on an ongoing objection it has a hotline at 0251 411-3382. First applications, cards and supplementary sheets stay with the city's Sozialamt.
The card itself is produced by a company commissioned by the Sozialamt and sent directly to you. If a passport photo is already enclosed with the application for assessment, the card is issued automatically at a degree of at least 50. Anyone who only wants to swap the old paper format for the credit-card format can also apply free of charge at the Bürgerbüro.
Even below 50 the decision can be useful. Under the Behinderten-Pauschbetragsgesetz, since tax year 2021 a lump sum can be claimed on tax from a degree of disability of 20. At a degree of 20 to 40 the Sozialamt Münster issues a certificate for the tax office on request; from 50 the card is enough. Certificates issued so far stay valid.
Questions about the disability card in Münster
Is there still a Versorgungsamt in Münster?
Not for the disability card. According to the city of Münster, on 1 August 2008 the Sozialamt took over responsibility for severe disability matters for the entire city area from the Versorgungsamt Münster («vom Versorgungsamt Münster … übernommen»). So you apply for assessment, issue and extension at the Sozialamt of the city of Münster, Von-Steuben-Straße 5.
What does the disability card cost in Münster?
Nothing. The city of Münster calls the issue free of charge, and there is no application deadline. Swapping the old paper card for the credit-card format is also free. At Behördenfix only our help with filling in the application costs 59 euros; you submit and sign the application yourself.
Can I apply online in Münster?
Yes, the city offers an online application. The Bezirksregierung Münster points out that a handwritten signature is still needed: the displayed declaration is printed, signed and sent to the authority within two weeks. Without the signature, the application cannot be processed.
How long is the disability card valid?
Depending on the prospect of improvement in health, it is issued for up to five years or without time limit. With a limited residence permit it is valid at most as long as the permit. On expiry, loss or change of important data such as the name, you apply to the Sozialamt for a new card.
Where do I lodge an objection in Münster?
On its page the city of Münster names its own contacts at the Sozialamt for objections, lawsuits and reviews. The objection authority for all of North Rhine-Westphalia is the Bezirksregierung Münster, which also has a hotline on the objection procedure. We help with filling in applications, not with objections, and do not assess decisions.
Official sources
- Stadt Münster – Sozialamt: Schwerbehindertenausweise, read on 27.10.2026
- Stadt Münster – Antragsformular Schwerbehindertenausweis, read on 27.10.2026
- Bezirksregierung Münster – Antrag nach dem Schwerbehindertenrecht, read on 27.10.2026
- Bezirksregierung Münster – Schwerbehindertenausweis, read on 27.10.2026
Reviewed by M. Gabal on 27.10.2026
Provided by Behördenfix (M. Gabal). Behördenfix helps with filling in; you sign and submit the application to the Sozialamt of the city of Münster. We are not an authority, do not give legal or medical advice and do not assess your individual case.