Other criteria
Non-visible (hidden) disabilities
The non-visible (hidden) disability criteria is for individuals who:
- experience very considerable difficulty whilst walking, which may include very considerable psychological distress
- are at risk of serious harm when walking or pose a risk of serious harm to any person when walking.
A badge is not issued on the basis of a diagnosis of a particular condition alone, the badge will be awarded on the severity of the effect the medical condition is having on the applicant’s mobility. The application will need to be supported by evidence relating to the above criteria.
Children under 3
A parent of a child aged under 2 years and 9 months may apply for a badge on behalf of the child, if the child has a specific medical condition which means they:
- must always be accompanied by bulky medical equipment which can't be carried around easily, and/or
- need to be kept near a vehicle at all times, so that, if necessary, they can be treated in the vehicle, or quickly driven to a place where they can be treated
A parent of a child aged between 2 years 9 months and 3 years of age may apply for a badge on behalf of their child with additional eligibility options relevant to the age chosen on the application form.
Applying for a Blue Badge for an organisation
To qualify, the organisation (not an individual) must:
- care for and transport disabled people who would themselves meet one or more of the eligibility criteria for an individual Blue Badge and;
- have a clear need for an organisational badge rather than using the individual Blue Badges of people it is transporting
It's unlikely that taxi or private hire operators and community transport operators would be eligible for an organisational Blue Badge as they are not usually concerned with the care of disabled people who would meet one or more of the eligibility criteria for a badge. Such operators are, of course, still able to use an individual’s Blue Badge when carrying that person as a passenger.
The Department for Transport is responsible for giving guidance on who can get a Blue Badge. You can find more information about eligibility on GOV.UK.