A Blue Badge is for the benefit of someone with severe mobility difficulties or severe non-visible disabilities to enable them to park closer to their destination.
Using a Blue Badge correctly
After a Blue Badge is issued it can only be used by Badge holder. It cannot be shared by a spouse, family member or anyone else.
Criteria
The Government criteria states that the applicant must:
- be unable to walk
- experience very considerable difficulties whilst walking, which may include very considerable psychological distress; or
- are at risk of serious harm when walking; or pose, when walking, a risk of serious harm to any other person
This does not include temporary conditions that are likely to get better in the 3 years the badge is issued for. The Blue Badge is issued to the person and not to a vehicle. This enables the Blue Badge holder to travel in any vehicle.
Before you apply
We strongly recommend you read the following information carefully to check if you can apply under the correct criteria for your condition. After you've checked the criteria, apply for a Blue Badge at GOV.UK.
If you apply under the incorrect criteria, your application will be refused and you'll need to submit a new application.
Find out what information the Blue Badge service collects and uses, and your rights regarding your information in the Blue Badge privacy notice.
Automatically qualify
You're automatically eligible for a Blue Badge if you:
- are registered as severely sight impaired
- get the higher rate of the mobility component only of Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
note: the higher rate of Attendance Allowance and Personal Carer’s Allowance do not form part of the automatic entitlement criteria.
- get Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Mobility Component and a score of 8 points or more for the ‘Moving Around’ activity of the mobility component.
- get Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Mobility Component and score of 10 points specifically with the descriptor which states you ‘cannot undertake any journey because it would cause overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant’.
note: that if your PIP or DLA award is for less than 3 years the badge can only be issued for the same duration of the award.
- get War Pensioners Mobility Supplement (WPMS)
- have received a lump sum benefit from the Armed Forces and Reserve Forces Compensation Scheme (tariffs 1-8) AFRFCS and have certification of having a permanent and substantial disability which causes the inability to walk or very considerable difficulty walking.
- are terminally ill and not expected to live for more than 6 months. In these circumstances, the application will need to be supported by a specialist nurse or consultant. This could be in the form of a letter confirming the prognosis or a copy of a DS1500 form (if issued).