Getting a Blue Badge

A Blue Badge can help you park closer to your destination. You can use it whether you’re a driver or a passenger. It usually lasts up to three years. You can use your Blue Badge with any car, including taxis.

A Blue Badge usually lets you:

• park for free in disabled parking bays
• park for free at on-street parking meters and in pay and display bays
• park on some single or double yellow lines for up to three hours if there are no loading restrictions. You must display the clock that comes with the badge where there are time limits. In Scotland you can park for as long as you need to.

You cannot use your Blue Badge everywhere. Your local council can tell you where you can park.

Councils may charge for a Blue Badge. They can charge up to £10 in England and £20 in Scotland. Blue Badges are free in Wales.

You automatically qualify for a Blue Badge if at least one of the following applies to you:

• you get the higher rate of the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Scottish Adult DLA
• you get Adult Disability Payment (ADP) and you scored eight or more points under the ‘moving around’ section of the mobility component
• you get ADP and you scored 12 points under the ‘planning and following a journey’ section of the mobility component
• you get the enhanced mobility rate for ADP under special rules for terminal illness
• you get Personal Independence Payment (PIP) because you cannot walk more than 50 metres (a score of eight points or more under the ‘moving around’ section of the mobility component)
• you get the mobility component of PIP and scored 10 points specifically for descriptor E under the ‘planning and following journeys’ activity (in England)
• you get the mobility component of PIP and scored 12 points under the ‘planning and following journeys’ activity (in Scotland)
• you get PIP, used to get the higher rate mobility component of DLA and you’re appealing your PIP decision (in Scotland)
• you’re certified severely sight impaired (blind)
• you get a War Pensioner’s Mobility Supplement (WPMS)
• you’ve received a lump sum benefit from the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) (tariff 6) for a permanent mental disorder (in Wales)
• you’ve received a lump sum benefit from the AFCS (tariff levels 1–8) and you’ve been certified as having a permanent and substantial disability.

If you do not automatically qualify, you may still be able to get a Blue Badge if any of the following applies:

• you cannot walk at all
• you find walking very difficult
• you have a severe disability in both arms which makes it hard to use parking meters.

You could qualify for other reasons too. Each nation has its own rules. In England and Scotland, you could get a Blue Badge because of a mental health condition. In Wales, you could get a temporary 12 month Blue Badge if you’re recovering from, or waiting to be treated for, a serious illness or injury.

You can find more information about who may be able to get a Blue Badge on the government websites for:

• England
• Scotland
• Wales.

You can apply for a Blue Badge online. Some councils may also let you apply using a paper form – contact your council to check.

In Scotland, if you’re applying for a Blue Badge because you have a mental condition that means you lack awareness about the dangers of traffic, you cannot apply online. Contact your council for a paper application form.

Do not apply for a Blue Badge from anywhere else. If another organisation is offering a Blue Badge, it’s probably a scam.

When you apply for or renew a Blue Badge, you’ll need:

• the details of your current Blue Badge (if you have one)
• a recent digital photo showing your head and shoulders
• your National Insurance number
• proof of identity, such as a birth or adoption certificate, marriage or civil partnership certificate, passport, or driving licence
• proof of your address – either a recent Council Tax bill, recent letter from a government department or a driving licence
• the decision letter for your qualifying benefit, if you get one – this will be from either the Department for Work and Pensions (for PIP or DLA), Social Security Scotland (for ADP or Scottish Adult DLA), or the Ministry of Defence (for AFCS or WPMS). You can ask for a replacement if you’ve lost this
• a Certificate of Vision Impairment (if relevant).

If you apply online, make sure you have the information to hand before you start. If you make a paper application, send copies of any documents, not the originals. If you’re applying by post, you might have to get your documents certified. This means getting a professional person like a solicitor to check them over and sign them. They may charge for this.

If you do not get a qualifying benefit, you’ll have to provide extra information. This could include details of:

• any medication you take
• treatments you get, or are going to get
• letters from health professionals.

The council will ask you how your condition affects your walking or, if you have a hidden condition such as autism or anxiety, how it affects journeys between your vehicle and where you’re going. You might have to attend a mobility assessment after you’ve applied.

Contact our Helpline if you need help to apply. Alzheimer's Society have information to help you apply if you have dementia.

It can take 12 weeks or longer to process your application, depending on your council. Ask them how long it’s likely to take.

If you have a terminal illness, your application may be fast-tracked.

If your council turns down your application, they’ll write to you to explain why. You can write and ask for a review, explaining why you think the decision is wrong. Check with your council what you need to do, as each one has a different review process. You can also reapply if your disability or health condition becomes more serious.

If you need help asking for a review, contact our Helpline.

Parking rules differ from place to place. Check with your council to find out where you can use your Blue Badge and what the restrictions are.

The Blue Badge is designed for on-street parking only. Places like hospital and supermarket car parks or private roads – at airports, for example – will have their own rules.

You may not have to pay full fare at certain river crossings, bridges and tunnels but you may have to apply in advance. You can find more information about toll concessions at Gov.uk.

In London, you do not have to pay the Congestion Charge if you’re a Blue Badge holder, as long as you register with Transport for London and pay a £10 registration fee.

You can use a Blue Badge in some European countries. Different countries have different rules. Gov.uk has more information about using your Blue Badge in Europe.

The badge and its concessions are for your use only. Someone else can use it if they’re picking you up or dropping you off, but you cannot lend it to someone to go to do shopping for you, for example.

If you no longer need the badge or the badge has expired, you must return it to the council – if you do not, you could be fined up to £1,000.