Without an assessment
You may automatically qualify for a Blue Badge if you are over 2 years old and you:
- get the higher rate of the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- get the mobility component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP):
- at least 8 points or more in respect of 'moving around', or
- at least 12 points or more in respect of 'planning and following journeys'
- are registered as severely sight impaired
- get a War Pensioner's Mobility Supplement
- have both been awarded a lump sum benefit at tariffs 1-8 of the Armed Forces and Reserved Forces (Compensation) Scheme and are certified as having a permanent and substantial disability which causes you to be unable to walk or have very considerable difficulty in walking.
You'll need to provide evidence of the criteria you meet.
With an assessment
You may be also eligible for a Blue Badge, but you will need an assessment, if you:
- are over the age of 2 and have a permanent and substantial disability that means you're unable to walk
- are over the age of 2 and have a permanent and substantial disability which means you're virtually unable to walk
- are over the age of 2 and have a temporary and substantial disability, for more than 12 months but less than 3 years, which means you're unable to walk
- are over the age of 2 and have a temporary and substantial disability, for more than 12 months but less than 3 years, which means you're virtually unable to walk
- drive a vehicle regularly and have a severe disability in both arms that means you're unable to operate all or some types of parking meters
- drive a vehicle regularly and have a severe disability in both arms that means you have considerable difficulty operating all or some types of parking meters
- are under the age of 3 and have a medical condition that means you must always be accompanied by bulky medical equipment
- are under the age of 3 and have a medical condition that means you must always be kept near a vehicle in case you need emergency medical treatment.
You'll need to provide evidence of the criteria you meet.
Risk in Traffic Blue Badge
You, or someone you care for, may be able to get a Blue Badge if you have diagnosed mental disorder or cognitive impairment where it is difficult to control behaviours that put you or others at risk in traffic.
To apply for a Blue Badge for this reason, you'll need to show us:
- you have a diagnosed mental disorder
- your safety or other people's safety may be at risk during journeys
- that other ways of preventing the risk have not worked.
We'll need information from your healthcare professional or social worker professional to show this.
Blue Badges for children under 3 with specific medical needs
You may be able to get a Blue Badge for your child if they're under 3 and they have a specific medical condition that means they always need to have bulky medical equipment with them.
Your child could get a Blue Badge if:
- they always need the equipment
- it cannot be carried around easily
- they need to be near a vehicle in case they need to be treated in the vehicle
- they need to be taken somewhere else quickly where they can be treated.
You'll need to provide us with a letter from a healthcare professional with:
- details of the child's medical condition
- the equipment, its size and portability
- the necessary treatment your child needs.
Organisations
Your organisation may be able to get a Blue Badge if you provide care and transportation for disabled people in Renfrewshire who need a Blue Badge.
Organisations like residential care homes, hospices, or local authority social services departments can apply for a Blue Badge.
Taxis, private hire operators and community transport operators are unlikely to get an organisational Blue Badge as their primary business is not the care of disabled people.
Your organisation should have a clear need for its own Blue Badge, rather than using the individual Blue Badges of the people being transported.
If you use the badge when there are no passengers in the vehicle who need a Blue Badge, you could be fined up to £1,000.
A senior member of your organisation should apply and include an organisation stamp or letter-headed paper as part of the proof.