Who can get a blue badge

Who can get a blue badge

You automatically qualify for a Blue Badge if you are over 2 years old and at least one of the following applies:

  • you receive the higher rate of the mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
  • you receive Personal Independence Payments (PIP) because you can’t walk more than 50 metres (a score of 8 points or more under the ‘moving around’ activity of the mobility component)
  • you are registered blind (severely sight impaired)
  • you receive a War Pensioner’s Mobility Supplement
  • you have received a lump sum benefit within tariff levels 1-8 of the Armed Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation) Scheme and have been certified as having a permanent and substantial disability which causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking
  • you 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.

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 will have to provide evidence to demonstrate your eligibility which will be assessed as part of your application.

People who may get a Blue Badge

You may be eligible for a badge if one or more of the following applies:

  • you cannot walk at all
  • you cannot walk without help from someone else or using mobility aids
  • you find walking very difficult due to pain, breathlessness or the time it takes
  • walking is dangerous to your health and safety
  • you have a terminal illness, which means you cannot walk or find walking very difficult and have a DS1500 form
  • you have a severe disability in both arms and drive regularly, but cannot operate pay-and-display parking machines
  • you have a child under the age of 3 with a medical condition that means the child always needs to be accompanied by bulky medical equipment
  • you have a child under the age of 3 with a medical condition that means the child must always be kept near a vehicle in case they need emergency medical treatment
  • you are constantly a significant risk to yourself or others near vehicles, in traffic or car parks
  • you struggle severely to plan or follow a journey
  • you find it difficult or impossible to control your actions and lack awareness of the impact you could have on others
  • you regularly have intense and overwhelming responses to situations causing temporary loss of behavioural control
  • you frequently become extremely anxious or fearful of public/open spaces.

We will decide if you are eligible for a badge. We cannot start the assessment process until we have all the necessary evidence. It may take 12 weeks or longer to assess your application and you may be invited to attend a mobility assessment which will be carried out by an independent healthcare provider.