Application for a severely disabled person's pass 
If you have a significant condition due to an illness, an accident or from birth that restricts your participation in life in the community, you can have these restrictions officially recognized as a disability. The disability must not be temporary, but must last longer than six months.
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Basic information
Before a severely disabled person's pass can be issued, the degree of disability must be determined. A degree of disability of 50 or higher must be determined in order to obtain a severely disabled person's pass.
The assessment determines the overall impact of one or more disabilities.
In particular, the degree of disability and other health features (characteristics) are then entered on the severely disabled person's pass.
The ID card with the respective characteristic (mark) is a prerequisite for claiming compensation for disadvantages, such as free travel on local public transport.
Requirements
- Residence in Bremen/Bremerhaven
- The habitual residence is in Germany
International jurisdiction of the AVIB
The AVIB is responsible for the following non-European countries for applications in the severe disability procedure in accordance with the German Social Code Book IX (SGB IX):
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Grenada
- Jamaica
- Canada
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines
- United States of America
In which cases does the AVIB become involved?
According to Section 2 of the Ninth Book of the German Social Code (SGB IX), people are severely disabled if they have a degree of disability of at least 50 and are legally resident, ordinarily resident or employed within the area of application of this code.
According to the intention of the legislator, SGB IX should therefore only apply to people in the Federal Republic of Germany.
There are two exceptions to this rule:
- You are liable to pay tax in the Federal Republic and require proof to claim a so-called lump sum for severely disabled persons under income tax law
- claiming an early retirement pension for severely disabled persons from the statutory pension insurance scheme - but only for nationals of a member state of the European Union or a contracting state of the European Economic Area
In this case, a special interest in a determination would have to be substantiated.
If the check then reveals that a severe disability exists, a certificate would be issued as proof for submission to the tax office or pension insurance company.
A severely disabled person's pass cannot be issued.
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Procedure
After examining the application, the competent body issues a notice of assessment in which
- the individual disabilities
- the degree of disability and
- the other health characteristics (markings)
are specified.
This notice is also issued if the degree of severe disability determined is less than 50.
If the responsible office has determined a degree of severe disability of 50 or more, you are entitled to a severely disabled person's pass
More information
In the case of a severely disabled person, it is often the case that several health disorders coincide (multiple disabilities).
The health disorders can exist independently of each other, but they can also overlap and reinforce each other. The mutual relationships between the individual health disorders are taken into account when determining the degree of disability.
Support in preparing the application is available from
Sozialverband VdK, Am Wall 196 a, 28195 Bremen, Tel. 0421 1654817
Sozialverband SoVd, Breitenweg 10-12, 28195 Bremen, Tel. 0421 1638490
Social Association SoVd, Barkhausenstr. 22, 27568 Bremerhaven, Tel. 0471 28006
If the degree of disability is 30 or 40, there is the possibility of equalization at the Employment Agency. However, this only applies if you cannot obtain or keep a suitable job without equalization. You can obtain further information on equalization from your local employment agency.
The severely disabled person's pass of deceased persons must be returned. A copy of the death certificate must be enclosed with the card.
Persons with severe disabilities are entitled to have an accompanying person with them when using public transport if they are regularly dependent on help from others to avoid danger to themselves or others as a result of their disability. The individual case must always be examined.
When an official application is made for a severely disabled person's pass, the parking facilitation will be checked immediately if the "aG" mark has been ticked in the application. Otherwise, please send an informal letter requesting a review or call the AVIB to request approval for parking facilitation.
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Necessary Documents
- Examination documents of the doctor(s)/clinic(s)/nursing opinion,
if available (the documents should not be older than 2 years) or complete addresses as well as the last date of treatment
- Passport/replacement passport/residence status for non-EU citizens
- Passport photo
The passport photo can also be scanned and sent by email.
- Examination documents of the doctor(s)/clinic(s)/nursing opinion,
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Competent Department
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Amt für Versorgung und Integration Bremen
- +49 421 3615541
- +49 421 3615326
- Doventorscontrescarpe 172 D, 28195 Bremen
- Website
- office
@avib. bremen. de - Legally secure e-communication more
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Fees / Costs
gebührenfrei
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Deadlines & processing time
How long does it take to process
We would like to process your application as quickly as possible. It currently takes around 6 months to process an application for a disability.
This is an average value. Please bear in mind that we are dependent on the prompt submission of meaningful diagnostic documents for the determination. The AVIB has no influence on the time it takes to send them. In addition, every application must be submitted to the AVIB's medical service after receipt of all the necessary documents for the assessment of the existing illnesses, which will carry out a medical assessment to determine the degree of disability and, if applicable, which markings are to be awarded. The AVIB's medical service is therefore responsible for all medical opinions of the office, including the process of determining a disability, and is unfortunately also indispensable for the process.
Due to a still existing but steadily decreasing processing backlog in the AVIB's medical care service, the average processing time of 6 months stated above is currently still to be expected. We ask for your understanding and patience for this current waiting time.
Frequently asked Questions
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How to apply for the severely disabled person's card?
You can apply for a severely disabled person's ID card in writing by mail or in person during our office hours. It is also possible to apply by e-mail with a scanned photo.
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Are there international severe disability cards?
No, the validity of the severely disabled person's card is limited to the federal territory.
This page has been automatically translated by DeepL. We cannot guarantee that the translation is correct.
The official information in German is complete and correct. 09.09.2025