Blue Badge Eligibility

Blue badges enable those with disabilities to park closer to their destination, which can make everyday life easier. There are various eligibility criteria, including some new ones.

Automatic eligibility 

1. Personal Independence Payment – Mobility element for ‘Moving around’ awarded at 8 points or more

2. NEW - Personal Independence Payment – Mobility element for ‘planning and following journeys’ awarded at 10 points. This relates to someone being unable to undertake any journey without overwhelming psychological distress 

3. Disability Living Allowance – Mobility element awarded at the high rate

4. Terminal illness with a prognosis of less than a year to live

5. Armed Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation) Scheme - awarded a lump sum benefit at tariffs 1-8 and certification of having a permanent and substantial difficulty which causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking

6. War Pensioners Mobility Supplement

7. Registered blind or severely sight impaired with your local authority

8. Certificate of Visual Impairment (CVI – previously known as the BD8 form) signed by a consultant ophthalmologist

Non-automatic eligibility 

There are also two categories for which you apply and provide evidence, which are then considered by the county council. These are not automatic:

1. Permanent and severe disability in both arms – you must drive a vehicle regularly and be unable to operate all or some types of parking meter

2. Unable to walk or experience very considerable difficulty whilst walking – This must be due to an enduring and substantial disability that is an ongoing issue (i.e. not intermittent) and is likely to last for the next 3 years. It could be due to a physical disability or, in a NEW development to the criteria, it could be due to a non-visible (or hidden) disability

Being “unable to walk” means not being able to take even one step. Whereas examples of “considerable difficulty” include:

• For physical disabilities: excessive pain when walking or as a consequence of walking, breathlessness when walking or as a consequence of the effort of walking, needing to walk at an extremely slow speed, only being able to walk a small distance or after walking not being able to walk any distance again within a reasonable timescale, difficulty negotiating things like curbs or uneven surfaces, needing to use walking aids or having another person support you
• For non-visible disabilities: experiencing very considerable psychological distress, being at risk of serious harm or posing a risk of serious harm to another person

In order to apply under this criteria you will need to ask someone to complete an ‘expert assessor’ form on your behalf. This should be a healthcare professional excluding GPs – examples include: clinical psychologist, neurologist, psychiatrist or physiotherapist. The form includes questions about the likelihood of you experiencing difficulties whilst walking between a vehicle and a destination.

To apply for a Blue Badge, visit the Oxfordshire County Council website via oxfordshire.gov.uk and search ‘blue badge’ or call 0345 050 7666.