Frequently asked questions: Travel and Transport
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Who can apply for a Blue Badge?
The Blue Badge Scheme provides a national arrangement of parking concessions for people with severe walking difficulties who travel either as drivers or passengers.
The Scheme also applies to registered blind people, and people with very severe upper limb disabilities who regularly drive a vehicle but cannot turn a steering wheel by hand.
The Scheme is designed to help severely disabled people to travel independently, as either a driver or a passenger, by allowing them to park close to their destination.
You can get a badge if -
- you receive the higher rate of the mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance.
- you receive a War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement.
- you use a motor vehicle supplied for people with disabilities by the Scottish Executive or the Department of Social Security.
- you have a severe disability in both upper limbs, regularly drive a motor vehicle but cannot turn the steering wheel of a motor vehicle by hand.
- you have a permanent and substantial disability which means you are unable to walk or have very considerable difficulty in walking. In this case, you may be asked some questions to help your Local Authority decide if you are entitled to a badge.
- you are registered blind.
- you are unable to walk or have considerable difficulty in walking because of a temporary but substantial disability which is likely to last for a period of at least 12 months but less than 3 years.
- children under 2 whose medical needs require that he or she is accompanied by bulky medical equipment.
Can I use my Blue Badge abroad?
The Blue Badge design is now standard across the European Union and you are entitled to the local concessions which apply in each Member State. Please note that these do vary from country to country. A leaflet giving details of participating countries is available from the Scottish Executive -
Scottish Executive Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department, Aviation, Ports and International Division, Victoria Quay, Edinburgh, EH6 6QQ
Leaflet can also be downloaded at: www.iam.org.uk/motoringtrust/advice/parking/bluebadgeusersparkingineurope.htm
This can be left on your dashboard, next to your Blue Badge. If you are in doubt however, do not park.
Can a traffic warden ask to see my badge?
Yes. New powers have been granted to enforcement officers to inspect Blue Badges. The enforcement officers who have been given this new power are police officers, traffic wardens, local authority parking attendants and civil enforcement officers. These people should produce an identity card with their photograph on it to prove they are who they say they are. If an enforcement officer asks to see your badge, you must show it to them. If you do not, you will be breaking the law and could be fined up to £1,000. An enforcement officer cannot take away your badge.
