How to apply for a Blue Badge

Contents

- Overview
- Find out if you're eligible for a badge
- How to apply
- What will happen next
- Using your badge
- Renewing a badge
- Lost, stolen or replacement badges
- Cancel a badge

Overview

The Blue Badge scheme helps those with severe mobility problems park close to where they need to go. If you are eligible, a badge costs £10 and generally lasts for three years. 

Depending on your condition, you can be automatically eligible or you might need to be assessed. You will need to provide supporting evidence in both scenarios. 

Find out if you're eligible for a badge

A person is automatically eligible for a badge if they meet at least one of the following criteria. 

You're automatically eligible if you:

• receive the higher rate of the mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance (DLA).  If you require a copy of your letter from Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) you can call them on 0800 917 2222.
• receive a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for being unable to walk further than 50 metres. You must have a score of eight points or more under the "moving around" activity of the mobility component. Personal Independence Payment (PIP) helps with extra living costs if you have both a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability or difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around because of your condition. If you require a copy of your letter from DWP or your point score you can call them on 0345 712 3456.
• receive PIP for being unable to undertake any journey because it would cause overwhelming psychological distress. You must score exactly 10 points under the "planning and following journeys" activity of the mobility component. 
• are registered blind or severely sight impaired. Severely sight impaired was previously known as "blind". If you are unable to see because of injury, disease, or a congenital condition you are entitled to apply for a certificate called the Certificate of Vision Impairment (CVI), provided by your eye specialist (an ophthalmologist) (in England and Wales). The CVI would be required as evidence for this option.
• receive a War Pensioner's Mobility Supplement. War pensioners' mobility supplement is paid with War Disablement Pension to help with extra mobility costs due to service caused disability. 
   If you require a copy of your letter you can call Veterans UK on 0808 191 4218 or email them at veterans-uk@mod.uk
• have received a lump sum benefit within tariff levels 1-8 of the Armed Forces and Reserve Forces Compensation Scheme. Armed Forces Compensation Scheme - for UK serving and former service personnel injured as a result of their service in His Majesty's Armed Forces. If you require a copy you can call Veterans UK on 0808 191 4218 or email them at veterans-uk@mod.uk 

If you don't qualify automatically, you may still be eligible but we will need to ask further questions and review your application before we make a decision. 

You could be eligible if you:

• have a severe disability in both arms and are unable to operate, or have considerable difficulty in operating, parking meters.
• are unable to walk during a journey, as certified by an expert assessor.
• experience very considerable difficulty whilst walking as part of a journey, as certified by an expert assessor.
• experience very considerable psychological distress during a journey, as certified by an expert assessor.
• are at risk of serious harm when walking or pose a risk of serious harm to any other person, as certified by an expert assessor.

How to apply

Before making an application, you should review the eligibility criteria above to make sure you would be entitled to a badge.

The easiest and fastest way to apply for a Blue Badge is on our website. Online applications can take up to four weeks to process. This may take longer if information is missing or incorrect.

Before you begin, it might be helpful to have copies of the following documents on your computer.  We may ask for these during your application:

• proof of identity (passport, birth certificate, driving licence)
• proof of address (utility bill or Council Tax bill dated within the last 12 months) 
• proof of benefit (if applicable, a DLA award letter dated within the last 12 months)

You'll also need: 

• your national insurance number 
• a recent photograph of yourself ( JPEG file)

After completing the form, before you submit, you will be able to check and edit your answers.

We may also ask for your card details, if payment is needed. The charge for a Blue Badge is £10. 

You can opt to save the online form to revisit and complete at a later date. The form will be available for 28 days after which it will be removed.

Apply for a Blue Badge

Paper applications

If you cannot apply online, then you can fill in the Blue Badge application form and return it to parking services. Remember to sign the form otherwise we cannot process it.

Paper applications do take longer to process, possibly up to eight weeks to be completed, if possible we recommend you apply online, either yourself or by asking a family member, friend or carer for help.

If you need a paper application form, please contact our parking services team or call 0191 433 3636. 

What will happen next

Once we receive your application, our parking services team will review it.

If you are eligible, and have provided the right evidence to support your application, we will process your Blue Badge and send it to our partner to be printed and delivered.

If we have any questions about your application or you have not included the right evidence, we will be in touch. This might include follow up questions from our independent assessor.

If we request further information and this is not provided within 28 days of our request, your application will be closed and you will need to reapply.

Using your Blue Badge

You are fully responsible for the use of your badge and should be the only one who uses it. It is a criminal offence for someone else to use your badge and can lead to a fine of up to £1,000.

Blue badges are only valid for parking when the badge holder is either driving the vehicle or being transported in it. The journey must be for the badge holder's purposes, and the badge holder must be personally present at the time the vehicle is parked.

If you have surrendered your driving licence you are still entitled to the blue badge. As a badge holder you can travel in any vehicle and use the blue badge. You do not need a car or licence yourself.

The blue badge must be valid and displayed correctly. Blue badges should be displayed with the badge expiry date facing forward and clearly visible from outside the vehicle.

Motorists and badge holders who do not comply with all the requirements of the scheme may receive a parking ticket.

Renewing your Blue Badge

To renew your Blue Badge you need to go through the same process as you would if applying for the first time. It is your responsibility to renew your Blue Badge.

You are not automatically entitled to a new badge because you have had one in the past.

Every application must be accompanied by the supporting evidence stated, whether a new application or renewal. This is a requirement set out by the Department for Transport.

Changing your address

If you move home, please contact our parking services team or call them on 0191 433 3636 so that we can update our records.

If you move outside of Gateshead, you should also contact your new local authority in good time before your current badge runs out to allow time for them to send out and process an application form.

Lost, stolen or replacement badges

If your badge is stolen report this to the police to obtain a crime number. When you have this information, you should contact our parking services team or call them on 0191 433 3636.

If your badge is lost or damaged please contact our parking services team or call them on 0191 433 3636 as soon as possible. You will need to complete a form giving the circumstances of the loss and follow the process for renewal applications. There will be a fee of £10 to pay for your replacement Blue Badge.   

Your replacement badge will be issued to the same expiry date as the one you have lost. Only one replacement blue badge is normally allowed. 

If you have lost your time clock please contact Parking Services and we will replace it for free.

Cancelling a badge

If you no longer use your badge it should be returned to us with a note stating the reason why you would like to cancel.

We will cancel the badge to stop them being used illegally.

Please return the badge to us if:

• it has expired
• you are no longer eligible for a badge
• you have found the badge you thought was lost or stolen (please return the original)
• it is so damaged or faded that the you cannot read the details on it
• you no longer need it
• the badge holder died

The badge can be returned to the civic centre or by post to:

Parking Services
Gateshead Council
Civic Centre
Gateshead
NE8 1HH

Any questions contact our parking services team or call them on 0191 433 3636.