You can get a Blue Badge if:

• you receive the ‘higher rate mobility component’ of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) (please see an example of a DLA award letter in the "Example documents" section of this page)
• you receive 8 points or more for the 'moving around' part of the mobility section of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) (please see an example of a PIP award letter in the "Example documents" section of this page)
• you receive the mobility component of PIP and have obtained 10 points under the “planning and following a journey” activity, if they can't make any journey because it would cause them too much mental stress. (please be aware that people applying that have 10 points for Descriptor D or 12 points for Descriptor F under the 'planning and following a journeys' mobility activity don't get a guarantee of a blue badge.)
• you are registered as severely sight impaired (blind) under the National Assistance Act 1948 (partially sighted people do not automatically qualify) or you have a Certificate of Visual Impairment (CVI) proving you are severely sight impaired
• you receive a War Pensioner's Mobility Supplement
• you receive Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) award, tariffs 1-8 and have been assessed by the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) as having a permanent and significant disability that makes it impossible or very difficult to walk.

Please note we will need to see a copy of the proof of eligibility if applying under any of the above criteria. See also the Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payments samples in the "Example documents" section of this page.

Go to the Blue Badge management page

You may be able to get a Blue Badge if:

A person who has been certified by an expert assessor as having an enduring and sustainable physical or non physical/hidden disability that causes then during the course of a journey to: 

• are unable to walk 
• experience very considerable difficulty whilst walking, which may include very considerable psychological distress
• be at risk of serious harm when walking, or pose, when walking, a risk of serious harm to any other people
• you have a child under 3 years old and need to transport bulky medical equipment for urgent treatment, or always be near a vehicle so they can be treated or driven to a place for treatment for a permanent illness
• you drive a vehicle regularly and have a severe disability in both arms and have considerable difficulty working parking meters

Go to the Blue Badge management page

• your organisation cares for and transports groups of disabled people who would qualify for a Blue Badge in their own right

Your organisation should be using a vehicle specifically adapted for the use of disabled passengers; provide details of the adaptations and if the vehicle is licensed under the Disabled Passenger Vehicle (DPV) taxation class and confirm that the vehicle is solely being used for the purpose of transporting the disabled people being cared for. The organisation will need to provide proof of the above eligibility and each vehicle will require a separate badge.

Consider applying for a Blue Badge if the applicant has a non-visible (hidden) condition, causing them to severely struggle with journeys between a vehicle and their destination, and either: 

• is constantly a significant risk to themselves or others near vehicles, in traffic or car parks
• severely struggles to plan or follow a journey 
• finds it difficult or impossible to control their actions and lacks awareness of the impact they could have on others 
• regularly has intense and overwhelming responses to situations causing temporary loss of behavioural control 
• frequently becomes extremely anxious or fearful of public or open spaces 

It is the applicants responsibility to provide the relevant evidence to support their application and demonstrate their eligibility for a Blue Badge. This type of evidence could include (but is not limited to): 

• letter of diagnosis
• confirmation of ongoing treatments, clinic attendances or referral for such
• evidence of prescribed medication relevant to the applicant’s disability/symptoms
• evidence of specialist consultations, or referral for such
• Education Health and Care Plans (EHCP), which may provide insight into the needs, experiences and coping strategies devised for younger people with complex needs, learning disabilities and or behavioural difficulties
• personal Independence Payment (PIP) decision letters
• social housing letters or assessment reports from the local authority
• care plans from social care teams
• the applicant’s Patient Summary or Summary Care Records
• evidence of the progression or advancement of the condition over time. (This may be especially relevant if someone is re-applying having been previously rejected because the condition was previously not judged to be severe enough)
• evidence of other benefits received by the applicant
• letters from professionals involved in the care of the applicant

Disability Living Allowance (DLA)

The Blue Badge team will need to see a copy of the letter from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) dated within the last 12 months, showing that you receive Disability Living Allowance 'higher rate mobility component for help with getting around', it maybe indefinite or time limited.  

Example Disability Living Allowance letter:

Personal Independence Payment (PIP)

The Blue Badge team will need to see a full copy of the latest award letter (not your Yearly Update or Annual Advice Letter) from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) showing that you receive '8 points or more for the 'moving around activity' under the mobility section' of Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

Or Receives the mobility component of PIP and has obtained 10 points specifically for Descriptor E under the “planning and following journeys” activity, on the grounds that they are unable to undertake any journey because it would cause them overwhelming psychological distress (please note that applicants in receipt of 10 points for Descriptor D or 12 points for Descriptor F under the 'planning and following a journeys' mobility activity do not  automatically qualify)’.

Download an example PIP letter