Parking and permits

Apply for a Blue Badge

Blue Badge eligibility

Blue Badges are available on a number of grounds, irrespective of whether the badge holder is travelling as a driver or as a passenger. See details of eligibility for:

Blue Badges for individuals

You may be eligible for a Blue Badge without further assessment if you:

  • receive the Higher Rate of the Mobility Component of the Disability Living Allowance (HRMCDLA)
  • receive 8 points or more under the “moving around” activity of the Mobility Component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
  • receive the mobility component of PIP and have obtained 10 points specifically for Descriptor E under the “planning and following journeys” activity, on the grounds that you are unable to undertake any journey because it would cause you overwhelming psychological distress
  • are registered blind (severely sight impaired)
  • receive a War Pensioner's Mobility Supplement (WPMS)
  • have been both awarded a lump sum benefit at tariffs 1-8 of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and are certified as having an enduring and substantial disability which causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking

You may also be eligible if you have an enduring and substantial disability which causes you, during the course of a journey, to:

  • be unable to walk
  • experience very considerable difficulty whilst walking, which may include very considerable psychological distress
  • be at risk of serious harm when walking; or pose, when walking, a risk of serious harm to any other person

You may also be eligible if you drive a vehicle regularly and:

  • have a severe disability in both arms and are unable to operate, or have considerable difficulty in operating all, or some types of parking meter

If you do not qualify for a Blue Badge automatically, you may need to attend an assessment for us to consider whether you meet the eligibility criteria for a badge.

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Blue Badges for parents of qualifying children

A parent of a child under the age of 3 years old may apply for a badge for their child if the child has a specific medical condition which means that any of the following may apply:

  • the child must always be accompanied by bulky medical equipment which cannot be carried around with the child without great difficulty
  • the child needs to be kept near a motor vehicle at all times, so they can, if necessary, be treated for that condition in the vehicle or quickly driven to a place where they can be treated, such as a hospital
  • the child qualifies under guidelines for Blue Badges for those with hidden disabilities

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Blue Badges for organisations

Common examples of organisations that may be eligible include:

  • residential care homes
  • hospices
  • local authority social services departments that transport groups of people who would meet the eligibility criteria for an individual Blue Badge

In order to help determine eligibility of your application, you may be asked to provide information about:

  • the number of qualifying disabled people being cared for
  • the type of vehicle(s) being used to carry them, whether it is adapted and how
  • why the organisation feels they need an organisational badge, rather than using individual Blue Badges of people in their care
  • how often the badge is likely to be used and for what purpose

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Blue Badges for those with hidden disabilities

Blue Badge legislation was updated in 2019 to extend eligibility to those with "hidden disabilities".

Blue Badge applications on the grounds of hidden disabilities may be subject to further independent assessment.

Eligibility under the hidden disability criteria

You will be able to obtain a badge automatically if you receive the mobility component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and have obtained 10 points specifically for Descriptor E under the “planning and following journeys” activity.

Please be aware that if you have any score other than 10 points under descriptor E, in the “planning and following journeys” activity of PIP you may still be eligible for a Blue Badge, but you do not automatically qualify. This includes if you have a higher score of 12.

You may still be eligible for a Blue Badge if you have an enduring (lasting for at least 3 years) and substantial disability that means that you:

  • are unable to walk
  • experience very considerable difficulty whilst walking, which may include very considerable psychological distress
  • are at risk of serious harm when walking; or pose, when walking, a risk of serious harm to any other person

For those who wish to apply under the ‘hidden’ (non-visible) disability criteria, please read the research undertaken by Department for Transport.

For more information, visit Blue Badge research: eligibility for people with non-visible disabilities on GOV.UK.

We use this guidance to help determine Blue Badge eligibility, especially for those who are applying with:

  • Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease
  • Chronic Pain or Fatigue
  • Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

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