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Short answer
In Dortmund you apply for a WBS by applying to be added to the waiting list (Vormerkliste) at the Amt für Wohnen. You get it if your household income is below the limit, for example 23,540 euros a year for one person. Without German or EU citizenship, your residence permit must be valid for at least one more year.
Step by step
Check the income limit
What counts is the gross annual income of everyone in the household in the previous calendar year, minus certain allowances.
Fill in the application
Fill in the application for the waiting list (Vormerkliste) and an income declaration for yourself and everyone with an income. The forms are on the city’s service portal or available from the Amt für Wohnen.
Attach proof
Attach copies of all documents. Only complete applications are processed; there is no provisional calculation.
Submit it
Send the application by post, put it in the letterbox at the Stadthaus (Südwall 2–4) or submit it via the service portal after logging in.
Look for a flat
With a WBS you can apply for publicly subsidised flats. Nobody can predict how quickly an offer will come. Keep searching yourself at the same time.
Documents you need
- Application for the waiting list (Vormerkliste)
- Income declaration for everyone with an income
- Proof of income, e.g. payslip, Jobcenter decision or pension notice
- Declaration of no income for people without income
- Copies of ID documents or residence permits for all household members
- Proof of allowances, e.g. severe disability card or maintenance payments
- If pregnant: maternity record (Mutterpass) or doctor’s certificate
Deadlines and costs
Income limits (NRW): 1 person 23,540 euros, 2 people 28,350 euros, each additional person plus 6,530 euros, each child with child benefit plus 860 euros.
Fee: 25 euros. People receiving Grundsicherungsgeld (formerly Bürgergeld) or Grundsicherung without additional earnings pay nothing.
Residence: without German or EU citizenship, your residence permit must be valid for at least one more year.
Common pitfalls
- Your residence permit expires in less than a year – extend it first, then apply for the WBS
- With section 24 your card shows an old date – explain the extension by law, we can help
- The application is incomplete – then it will not be processed
- The flat is too big for your household – it has to match the household size