Who qualifies for a Blue Badge

Blue Badge permits are available for people who:

• have severe mobility problems or difficulty walking
• are severely sight impaired
• are children under 3 who need essential medical equipment which is too heavy to carry around
• experience very considerable difficulty when walking, which may include very considerable psychological distress
• be at risk of serious harm, or pose a risk of serious harm to other people, when walking

Check your eligibility for a Blue Badge using the gov.uk eligibility tool.

Anyone over 2 years old automatically qualifies for a Blue Badge if they:

• are registered blind
• receive a War Pensioner's Mobility supplement
• receive the higher rate of the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance
• have received a lump sum benefit from the Armed Forces and Reserve Forces Compensation Scheme (within tariff levels 1 to 8) and have been certified as having a permanent and substantial disability which causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking
• receive a Personal Independence Payment showing 8 or more points in the 'moving around' or 10 points in the "planning and following a journey" (descriptor E) part of the Mobility assessment for Personal Independence Payment.

Anyone over 2 years old may be eligible for a Blue Badge, if they:

• have a permanent and substantial disability which means they can't walk, or which makes walking very difficult
• experience very considerable difficulty when walking, which may include very considerable phychological distress
• be at risk of serious harm, or pose a risk of serious harm to other people, when walking
• drive a motor vehicle regularly and have a severe disability in both arms, making it very difficult or impossible to operate parking meters
• have a terminal illness that seriously limits their ability to walk and have been issued with a DS1500 by a medical practitioner or McMillan welfare nurse.

If you're a parent of a child who is younger than 3 years old, you may also apply for a Blue Badge.

Your child must have a specific medical condition which means that they:

• must always be accompanied by bulky medical equipment which is very difficult to carry around, or
• need to be kept near a vehicle at all times to get emergency treatment for a condition when necessary

If you receive the lower rate of the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA), we will asses your application on its own merit. We may ask you to provide further information from a family GP or ask you to attend an independent assessment to clarify if you qualify for a badge. It's only the higher rate of mobility that gives you automatic entitlement to a badge.

If you receive the Daily Living component of the Personal Independence Payment, we will assess your application on its own merit. We may ask you to attend an independent assessment to clarify if you qualify for a badge. It's only the eligible descriptors of the 'moving around' or 'planning and following a journey' activity of the Mobility component that gives you automatic entitlement to a badge.

If you used to qualify for the higher rate mobility component of DLA but don't qualify for a Personal Independence Payment following reassessment, you'll be able to keep your existing badge until it expires. If at that point you don't have an appropriate Personal Independence Payment award, you will be able to apply and see if you qualify for a badge under any of the other criteria.

We understand that mobility can vary, with some days being better than others. When we assess Blue Badge applications that are ‘Subject to Further Assessment,’ we consider all medical or social care evidence you provide relating to your mobility against the national guidelines.

Your healthcare professional understands your condition best and can explain any mobility difficulties you experience, including any fluctuations. It’s a good idea to ask them to mention this in any letters they provide after any appointment, especially if it impacts your ability to travel. This should be someone involved in your care other than your GP, such as a hospital doctor, physiotherapist, or occupational therapist.

We appreciate that not everyone has a letter when they apply but are able to provide other information about their eligibility. We may arrange for an Independent Mobility Assessment that could support your application. During this assessment, you’ll have the chance to discuss any fluctuations in your mobility, which will be considered by the assessor against the scheme guidance when they make their recommendation.

If you're aged 70 or over and applying to renew your Blue Badge, the process may be more straightforward.

We recognise that long-term mobility issues are unlikely to improve significantly with age and are often managed by your GP rather than a hospital specialist. Because of this, we may be able to issue a badge based on your previous application history and our existing records about your mobility.

Please still include any relevant medical or social care documents you have with your application and ensure all sections of the form are completed. In some cases, we may contact you for further information to confirm your continued eligibility.

Most applicants aged 70 and over who have recently held a badge will not need to attend a mobility assessment when renewing. This simplified process does not apply to first-time applicants.

If your mobility has improved significantly since your last application, you must let us know so we can carry out a full assessment of your eligibility.

This approach previously applied only to applicants over 79, we reviewed the outcomes of applications for those aged 70-79 and can now extend this approach to renewals from people in this age group.