Disability certificate for adults: documents, board, steps 2026

The disability certificate for adults is obtained from the Assessment Board for Adults with Disabilities (CEPAH), on the basis of a file submitted to the General Directorate for Social Assistance and Child Protection (DGASPC) of your county or sector. The assessment itself is done by the Complex Assessment Service (SEC) within the DGASPC, and the resulting certificate establishes the degree of disability (mild, moderate, marked or severe) and opens up the rights and facilities provided by law.

Below you’ll find the file, the steps and the deadlines, step by step, for 2026.

The legal framework, in brief

Classification into a degree of disability is done under Law 448/2006 on the protection and promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities, HG 430/2008 (the methodology for organising and running the assessment board) and the medico-psychosocial criteria for classification (Joint Order 762/2007, as subsequently amended). The authority coordinating the field at national level is ANDPDCA — the National Authority for the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Children and Adoptions.

The file: complete checklist

Prepare a file with:

• the standard application for complex assessment (you get it from DGASPC or the institution’s website);
• a copy of your valid ID (identity card);
• the medical report drawn up by the specialist doctor in the specialty of the underlying condition, describing the diagnosis and the current medical situation;
• the standard medical letter from your family doctor (needed especially at the first presentation to SEC);
• the relevant investigations and tests (paraclinical results, imaging, test reports) supporting the diagnosis;
• copies of medical documents from your history: hospital discharge notes, previous medical letters, results;
• the social inquiry, carried out by the public social assistance service (SPAS) of the town hall of your residence;
• if applicable, a copy of the pension decision and the pension slip (for example, an invalidity pension);
• other required documents (income certificate, civil-status documents), depending on the situation.

Practical tip: ask the specialist doctor for the report to be recent and to explicitly mention the diagnosis, stage and treatment, because the classification criteria are applied on the basis of it.

The steps, in order

1. Book an appointment with the specialist doctor for the updated medical report and ask for the medical letter from your family doctor.
2. Request the social inquiry at the town hall of your residence (SPAS).
3. Submit the file at the county DGASPC registry (in Cluj, DGASPC Cluj) or at the sector.
4. Assessment at SEC: the Complex Assessment Service analyses the documents and, where appropriate, schedules you for a direct assessment.
5. The board (CEPAH) issues the certificate of classification into a degree of disability, on the basis of the complex assessment report.

The deadline

As a rule, the assessment and issuance of the certificate take place in around 60 days from the registration of the complete file. An incomplete file delays the process, which is why you should check the list of documents before submitting — the exact deadlines can vary, so ask at DGASPC.

What the certificate contains and what it gives you

The certificate states the degree of disability:

• mild, moderate, marked or severe;
• the severe degree can be “with a personal assistant” or “without a personal assistant”.

Depending on the degree, you can benefit from rights and facilities: a monthly allowance and a complementary personal budget, free transport, tax exemptions and reductions, a parking permit card, and for the severe degree — the right to a personal assistant or to the companion allowance. The certificate has a validity period (permanent or for a fixed term, with reassessment), stated in the document.

After you receive the certificate

The certificate does not automatically bring you all the rights — you have to use it further:

• for the cash rights (allowance, complementary budget) and for the personal assistant, you apply to the social assistance directorate of the town hall of your residence, or to DGASPC;
• for the tax exemptions (on buildings, land, vehicles — as applicable), you submit the certificate to ANAF (the tax authority)/local taxes;
• for the parking permit card for people with disabilities, you apply to the town hall;
• if you’re employed, the employer can apply the tax facilities provided by law.

Keep several copies of the certificate — you’ll need them at each institution.

Reassessment

If the certificate is issued for a fixed term, you must submit a reassessment file before it expires, with updated medical documents, otherwise the rights can be suspended. For stabilised conditions, the board can grant a certificate with permanent validity, without periodic reassessment. Check the term stated in the document and book an appointment in good time.

How to appeal

If you disagree with the decision, you can appeal within 30 days of notification, to the Higher Assessment Board for Adults with Disabilities (within ANDPDCA). The appeal can be submitted through DGASPC. If the Higher Board’s solution also doesn’t suit you, you can turn to the administrative litigation court.

Key takeaways

• The starting point is the specialist doctor (the report) plus the family doctor (the medical letter).
• The file is submitted to DGASPC, the assessment is done by SEC, and the certificate is issued by CEPAH.
• Check the list of documents and the updated deadlines on the website of your county DGASPC and on anpd.gov.ro, because the forms and requirements do change.

Sources

• Law 448/2006 on the protection and promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities
• HG 430/2008 approving the Methodology for organising and running the assessment board for adults with disabilities
• Order 762/2007 on the medico-psychosocial criteria for classification into a degree of disability
• ANDPDCA — the National Authority for the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Children and Adoptions (anpd.gov.ro)
• DGASPC Cluj — dgaspccj.ro