The Blue Badge Rights and Responsibility
booklet
Contents
1. Your responsibilities as a Blue Badge holder
2. Who can use the badge?
3. How to display the badge
4. When you need to use a parking clock
5. Power to inspect and retain the badge
6. Reapplying for a badge
7. Returning the badge
8. Reporting a medical condition to the DVLA
9. Road tax exemption
10. If your situation changes
11. If you have questions about your Blue Badge
12. Where can I park?
13. Places you need to check before parking
14. Places where you cannot park
15. Safe and responsible parking
16. Badges for organisations
17. Parking in central London
18. Central London congestion charge scheme
19. Travelling abroad
20. Toll concessions
A Blue Badge will help you to park close to your destination,
either as a passenger or driver.
The badge is intended for on-street parking only.
Off-street car parks, such as those provided by shopping
centres, hospitals or supermarkets are covered by separate
rules.
The concessions may be different in other parts of the UK
outside England. Check with the relevant authority in
Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
Your responsibilities as a Blue Badge
holder
You must use the Blue Badge properly. The badge and its
concessions are for your use only.
It is a criminal offence for you or anyone else to misuse the
badge. Doing so could lead to a £1,000 fine and confiscation of
the badge. Making sure that the scheme is not abused will
benefit genuine badge holders, such as yourself.
If you are using the parking concessions as a passenger, it is
your responsibility to make sure that the driver is aware of all
the rules set out in this guidance.
You must never give the badge to friends or family to allow
them to have the benefit of the parking concessions. You
must never use a copied badge to park or try to change the
details on a badge.
The badge remains the property of the issuing local
council. They can ask for the badge to be returned if it is
being misused.
Who can use the badge?
The badge is for your use and benefit only. It must only be
displayed if you are travelling in the vehicle as a driver or
passenger, or if someone is collecting you or dropping you off
and needs to park at the place where you are being collected or
dropped.
Don’t allow other people to use the badge to do something on
your behalf, such as shopping or collecting something for you.
• You must never give the badge to friends or family to allow
them to park for free, even if they are visiting you.
• You should not use the badge to allow non-disabled people
to take advantage of the benefits while you sit in the car.
• It’s a criminal offence to misuse a badge. This includes
people other than the badge holder taking advantage of the
parking concessions provided under the scheme.
How to display the badge
You must display the badge on the dashboard or facia panel,
where it can be clearly read through the front windscreen. If
there is no dashboard or facia panel in your vehicle, you must
display the badge in a place where it can be clearly read from
outside the vehicle. The front of the badge should face
upwards, showing the hologram. The side showing the
photograph should not be visible through the windscreen.
You must also ensure that the details on the front of the badge
remain legible. If they become unreadable through fading or
wear and tear, you must return the badge to your local council
so they can issue you with a new one. Displaying a badge that
is illegible may result in a parking fine.
Blind people need to ensure that people displaying the badge or
clock on their behalf understand how to display them correctly.
Incorrect display of the badge may result in a parking fine or a
penalty charge notice.
When you need to use a parking clock
When you park on yellow lines or in other places where there is
a time restriction, you need to display the blue parking clock to
show your time of arrival. The clock should be sent to you
together with the Blue Badge. If not, you can get a clock from
the same council that issued the badge.
If you need to use a parking clock, you must display it on the
vehicle’s dashboard or facia panel, so that the time can be seen
clearly through the front windscreen. The clock should be set to
show the quarter hour period during which you arrived. If there
is no dashboard or facia panel in your vehicle, you must still
display the clock in a place where it can be clearly read from
outside the vehicle.
Power to inspect and retain the badge
Police officers, traffic wardens, parking attendants and civil
enforcement officers have the power to inspect the badge.
These people should produce an identity card with their
photograph on it to prove they are who they say they are.
However, Civil Enforcement Officers are allowed to operate in
plain clothes.
If any of these people ask to see the badge, you must show it to
them. If you do not, you will be breaking the law and you could
be fined up to £1,000. Enforcement officers also have right to
retain the badge, without police presence, if they have
reasonable grounds to do so.
Reapplying for a badge
You should reapply for a new badge from your local council
some weeks before it runs out.
You can do this via the gov.uk website.
Returning the badge
You must return the badge securely to your local council if:
• the badge has expired
• your medical condition or mobility improves and you are no
longer eligible
• a replacement badge has been issued for one that is lost or
stolen and the original is found / recovered - then the original
badge must be returned
• the badge becomes damaged or faded and is illegible
• the badge is no longer required, for example should you be
confined to the house
Please also note that the badge should be returned to the
issuing council on the death of the badge holder. If you continue
to display the badge when you no longer need it you may be
fined up to £1,000.
Reporting a medical condition to the
DVLA
If you are a driver and your disability is likely to affect your
ability to drive (even if your car is adapted), the law says you
must tell the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
Or you can write to them at:
DVLA
Swansea
SA99 1TU
Phone - 0300 790 6806
Email - eftd@dvla.gov.uk
Road tax exemption
Holding a Blue Badge does not in itself mean that you do not
have to pay road tax, but you may be exempt if you meet
certain set criteria.
For more information, visit our page on vehicle tax
exemption if you’re a driver with a disability.
If your situation changes
You should always tell your local council if something
changes, such as:
• your condition changes, so you don’t need the badge
• the badge is lost, stolen or damaged
• you change address
• your name changes (for example by marriage, civil
partnership, deed poll)
• the holder of the badge dies
You will also be able to update your details on gov.uk.
If you have questions about your Blue
Badge
The Blue Badge scheme is administered and enforced by your
local council and you should always contact them first for
further information.
Where can I park?
If you do not drive yourself, it is important that you share
this information with anyone who will be carrying you as a
passenger.
These are the parking concessions available to you as a Blue
Badge holder. However, you must always check signs to see
what the rules are when parking.
Yellow lines
Badge holders may park on single or double yellow lines for up
to 3 hours, but in general not where there are restrictions on
loading or unloading - indicated by yellow kerb dashes and / or
signs on plates. You may wish to check whether a particular
local council has chosen to exempt Blue Badge holders from
this restriction.
Where local schemes apply, such as those that apply in parts of
central London, you should check the rules for that area. You
are not entitled to park on yellow lines in off-street car parks.
You must display the Blue Badge and the blue parking clock
showing the quarter hour period during which you arrived. You
must wait for at least one hour after a previous period of parking
before you can park the same vehicle in the same road or part
of a road on the same day.
‘On-street’ parking meters and pay-and-display
machines
Badge holders may park for free and for as long as they need
to. You must display the Blue Badge.
‘On-street’ disabled parking bays - signs have a
blue wheelchair symbol
You may park for free. Unless signs say otherwise, you may
park without time limit. You must display the Blue Badge (and
the blue parking clock if the bay is time limited). Always try to
use these bays instead of parking on yellow lines.
Places you need to check before parking
There are a number of restrictions and local parking schemes
which you need to be aware of. Here is a list of those places
and the parking restrictions in force. If in doubt, ask the relevant
council before you travel.
Off-street car parks (such as supermarket,
hospital or local council car parks)
Off-street car park operators should provide parking spaces for
disabled people. However, it is up to the car park owner to
decide whether badge holders can park free of charge.
Do not assume you can always park for free.
The London boroughs of Kensington and
Chelsea, the City of Westminster, the City of
London and part of the London Borough of
Camden
See Parking in central London below for further details.
Town centres where local schemes are in
operation
Check local signs for information.
On-street parking areas where all motorists can
park for free but only for a limited time
Badge holders may park for free and generally without time
limit. However, if signs show there is also a time limit for badge
holders, you must comply with the time limit shown and display
your parking clock set to show the quarter hour period when
you arrived at the bay.
Road systems at airports
Contact the airport in advance to check the parking
arrangements.
Private roads
Do not park unless you have permission from the owner.
Red Routes (major roads in Greater London
which are marked with a single or double red
line)
Transport for London has general information on concessions
for Blue Badge holders on roads that have priority (red) route
controls. You can obtain this information by ringing them on
0845 305 1234 or by visiting their website.
There are a small number of red routes outside of London.
Contact the relevant local council for advice on parking
restrictions on these routes.
Places where you cannot park
The Blue Badge is not a licence to park anywhere. Like other
road users, you must obey the rules of the road, as laid out in
the Highway Code. Here is a list of places where you must not
park.
Places where a ban on loading or unloading is in force, as
indicated above by kerb markings. You may wish to check
whether a particular local council has, exceptionally, chosen
to allow Blue Badge holders to park where there are loading
restrictions.
Parking places reserved for specific users such as resident’s
bays or loading bays. You may wish to check whether a
particular local council has chosen to exempt Blue Badge
holders from these restrictions.
Pedestrian crossings (zebra, pelican, toucan and puffin
crossings), including areas marked by zig-zag lines.
Clearways (no stopping).
A bus stop clearway during its hours of operation.
An urban clearway within its hours of operation. You may pick
up or drop off passengers. All parking is forbidden.
School ‘keep clear’ markings during the hours shown on a
yellow no-stopping plate.
Bus, tram or cycle lanes or cycle tracks. Badge holders are not
entitled to drive in bus lanes during their hours of operation.
Where there are double white lines in the centre of the road,
even if one of the lines is broken.
Suspended meter bays or when use of the meter is not allowed.
Where temporary parking restrictions are in force, as shown for
example by no-waiting cones.
Safe and responsible parking
The Blue Badge is not a licence to park anywhere. If you
park where it would cause an obstruction or danger to
other road users you could be fined or receive a Penalty
Charge Notice or have your vehicle removed.
Do not park where it would endanger, inconvenience or obstruct
pedestrians or other road users. Examples of dangerous or
obstructive parking include the following, although there are
others:
• school entrances, bus stops, on a bend, or near the brow of a
hill or hump bridge
• parking opposite or within 10 metres (32 feet) of a junction,
except in an authorised parking space
• where it would make the road narrow, such as by a traffic
island or roadworks
• where it would hold up traffic, such as in narrow stretches of
road or blocking vehicle entrances
• where emergency vehicles stop or go in and out, such as
hospital entrances
• where the kerb has been lowered or the road raised to help
wheelchair users
• on a pavement, unless signs permit it
If you do not drive yourself, you should share the
information in this guidance with the person who will be
carrying you as a passenger.
You cannot legally be wheelclamped on the public highway
(‘on-street’) for parking offences, provided you correctly
display a valid Blue Badge according to the rules of the
scheme.
Parking in forbidden areas or where it would endanger or
obstruct other road users is an offence, which could result
in you receiving a parking fine. You could also be
prosecuted, have your car towed away and the badge
withdrawn.
Badges for organisations
Organisations that both care for and transport disabled people
who would qualify for a Blue Badge in their own right may apply
for an organisational Blue Badge through their local council.
This badge may be used by the organisation when transporting
disabled people who would be eligible for a Blue Badge in their
own right. The badge is not allowed to be used at other times.
The parking concessions available for users of organisational
Blue Badges are the same as those for Blue Badges issued to
individuals. Please read the rest of this guidance for information
on what parking concessions you are entitled to and how to use
the badge.
What badge do I need for an organisation?
An organisational badge will have the stamp or logo of the
organisation on the reverse of the badge, rather than a
photograph. This side should be hidden from view when the
badge is on display.
Organisational badges may only be used when people who
would qualify for a Blue Badge in their own right are being
transported. The badge should only be displayed when
employees of the organisation are dropping off or picking up
eligible disabled people from the place where the vehicle is
parked.
You must never use a copied badge to park or attempt to alter
the details on a badge. The badge remains the property of the
issuing local council. They can ask for the badge to be returned
if it is being misused.
All employees of the organisation who are responsible for
transporting disabled people need to be made aware of the
rules of the scheme.
It’s a criminal offence for anyone to misuse a badge, and doing
so could lead to a £1,000 fine and confiscation of the badge.
Special rules for returning an organisational
badge
In addition to the advice contained in section 7 above, an
organisational badge must be returned to the issuing council if:
• the organisation has ceased to exist
• the organisation no longer cares for people who would qualify
for a Blue Badge in their own right
Parking in central London
The Blue Badge scheme does not fully apply in 4 central
London boroughs due to specific traffic management concerns
in these areas. These are the City of Westminster, the City of
London, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and
part of the London Borough of Camden.
These 4 boroughs offer their own individual parking
concessions to disabled people who live or work in their areas.
They do, however, provide a number of bays for Blue Badge
holders. Information on where these bays are located can be
found by contacting the relevant borough:
• City of London
• City of Westminster
• London Borough of Camden
• Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Central London congestion charge
scheme
As a badge holder you don’t have to pay the congestion charge.
To qualify for the 100% discount from the charge, you must first
register with Transport for London and pay a registration fee
of £10.
You don’t need to own or drive a vehicle to register for this
concession. You can register up to 2 vehicles that you normally
use for travelling in central London.
You can also get a registration form by writing to:
Congestion Charging
PO Box 344
Darlington
DL1 9QE
Phone - 0343 222 2222
Textphone - 020 7649 9123
Travelling abroad
Within the EU, Liechtenstein, Norway and
Switzerland
You can use your UK Blue Badge when travelling in some EU
Countries, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
Check which countries accept a UK Blue Badge.
Parking concessions vary in each country. Check locally
before travelling somewhere new.
Rest of world
There are no current arrangements for you to use the badge
outside the European Union, in countries such as the USA,
Canada, Australia or New Zealand, although they may be
prepared to recognise the Blue Badge. We advise you to check
what concessions are available before travelling to non-EU
countries.
