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The Blue Badge parking scheme
The Blue Badge scheme provides a range of parking concessions for people with severe mobility problems who have difficulty using public transport. The scheme operates throughout the UK.
About the scheme
The concessions provided under the scheme apply to on-street parking only.
Badge holders may park on single or double yellow lines for up to three hours in England and Wales, except where there is a ban on loading or unloading. There are also a few locations where local schemes apply, such as parts of central London. You must display both your Blue Badge and parking disc showing time of arrival.
There is no time limit for parking on yellow lines in Scotland.
Badge holders may park for free and for as long as they need to at on-street parking meters and pay-and-display machines, unless there is a traffic sign specifying a time limit for holders of Blue Badges.
Where a time limit is in force you must also display the special blue parking disc showing time of arrival.
While the scheme operates throughout the UK, there are small variations in its application in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland from England. Please see the relevant website for further information.
Where the scheme doesn't apply
The Blue Badge scheme does not apply to off-street car parks, private roads or at most airports.
You can find airport plans showing disabled parking on the Blue Badge map.
The scheme does not fully apply in four central London boroughs:
- City of London
- City of Westminster
- Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
- part of the London Borough of Camden
You can find Blue Badge bays in these central London areas on the Blue Badge map.
London congestion charge
Blue Badge holders qualify for a 100 per cent exemption from the London Congestion Charge, but you must register with Transport for London (TfL) at least 10 days before your journey and pay a one-off £10 registration fee. You can download a registration form from the TfL website.
Telephone: 0845 900 1234
Textphone: 020 7649 9123
Using your Blue Badge abroad
Blue Badges - sometimes known as disabled parking permits - can be used throughout the UK and in some other European countries.
The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), an independent road safety charity, publishes a booklet with detailed information on the use of the Blue Badge in European countries countries. The booklet can be downloaded from the IAM website.
The UK has reciprocal parking arrangements with other European Union (EU) countries. There are currently no formal arrangements with any other countries.
You can find more information on the European Commission's website.
When travelling outside the EU it is best to take your badge with you and check in the areas you are visiting to see whether you are entitled to use your badge.
There is further information on the Department for Transport's website.
Who can have a Blue Badge
You are automatically eligible to apply for a badge if you are over two years old and either:
- receive the higher rate of the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance
- are registered blind
- receive a War Pensioner's Mobility Supplement
You may also be eligible for a badge if you are over two years old and either:
- have a permanent and substantial disability which means you cannot walk, or which makes walking very difficult
- drive a motor vehicle regularly, have a severe disability in both arms, and are unable to operate all or some types of parking meter (or would find it very difficult to operate them)
If you are a parent of a child who is less than two years old, you may apply for a badge for your child if they have a specific medical condition which means that they either:
- must always be accompanied by bulky medical equipment which cannot be carried around without great difficulty
- need to be kept near a vehicle at all times, so that they can, if necessary, be treated in the vehicle, or quickly driven to a place where they can be treated, such as a hospital
Apply for a Blue Badge parking permit
Your local council is responsible for issuing Blue Badge parking permits - contact them for more information.
The following link will let you enter details of where you live and then take you to your local council website where you can find out more and/or apply online. This service is only available for councils in England.
Misuse of disabled parking bays
Blue Badge parking bays
It is an offence to park a vehicle which is not displaying a badge in a Blue Badge parking bay. If you see this, you should report it to a traffic warden (or parking enforcement officer), the local police or the local council (who are responsible for issuing badges).
Police officers, traffic wardens, local authority parking attendants and civil enforcement officers have the right to inspect Blue Badges. It is an offence to refuse or fail to produce a badge for inspection, without reasonable excuse. This offence carries a maximum fine of £1,000.
'Off-street' disabled parking bays such as supermarkets
Most disabled persons' parking bays in off-street car parks - for example, supermarket car parks - are not covered by Blue Badge scheme regulations.
Car parks and parking bays like these are likely to be privately owned and managed by the individual business. The agreement, and any cost to use them, will be between the owner and the motorists/customers.
If you are a disabled motorist (or passenger) and you complain to, for example, a supermarket that a non-disabled motorist has parked in a disabled bay, an employee of the store could ask the driver to move their car from the disabled bay but they will not be in a position to legally insist on it.
If you think that people are unfairly parking in disabled bays, speak or write to the management of the store or car park.
Misuse of the Blue Badge
Local councils can take away a badge if the badge holder misuses it - for example, by allowing other people to use it or if a person's disability improves so that they are no longer eligible for the scheme.
If you are a badge holder, it can only be used for your benefit. If a trip is for someone else and you are a passenger and staying in the vehicle, you cannot use the badge simply to let them benefit from free parking.
Blue Badges need to be properly issued and displayed. It is an offence if a badge is not removed from a vehicle and people other than the badge holder take advantage of the parking concessions under the scheme.
Misuse of the badge itself by a non-disabled person is an offence. The maximum fine if someone is convicted is £1,000 plus any additional penalty for the related parking offence.
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