Who is eligible for a Blue Badge

Blue Badge eligibility criteria is set by the Department for Transport.

You will automatically qualify for a Blue Badge if you are aged 3 or over 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 a Personal Independence Payment (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 Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement
• you have received a lump sum benefit within tariff levels 1 to 8 of the Armed Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation) Scheme and have been certified as having a permanent and substantial disability that 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.

If you don’t automatically qualify, you may be eligible for a Blue Badge subject to further assessment if one or more of the following impacts on your ability to walk between a vehicle and your destination:

• you cannot walk at all
• you find walking very difficult, for example due to pain, breathlessness, balance 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 / SR1 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 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.

Applicants who can walk more than 80 metres (87.5 yards) and do not demonstrate very considerable difficulty in walking through any other factors will not be eligible for a Blue Badge.

There is more information on GOV.UK Who can get a Blue Badge. Please also see our Blue Badge Scheme policy (PDF, 400.4 KB) .