The European Blue Badge scheme provides a range of parking concessions for people with severe mobility problems who have difficulty using public transport.
You can apply for a European blue parking badge if an assessment shows that you:
- drive a motor vehicle regularly and have a severe disability in both upper limbs and are unable to turn by hand the steering wheel of a motor vehicle even if it is fitted with a turning knob
- have a permanent and substantial disability, which causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking.
Automatic eligibility applies if you:
- get Mobility Allowance or Higher rate of Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- receive a War Pension or War Pensioner's Mobility Supplement
- are registered blind
- use a disabled person's car supplied by a government department
- receive a grant towards your own vehicle under section 5(2)(a) of the NHS Act, 1977.
If you don't fulfil the automatic criteria a medical assessment needs to be arranged. A small fee is charged.
What you will need to apply
You need to complete an application form, give proof of allowance (for example a photocopy of the allowance book or an official letter confirming the award dated within the last two months) and two passport-sized photographs.
We will send out an application the next working day and we will send out the blue badge within 12 to 14 weeks of approval of the application. It is your responsibility to ensure that your blue badge is in date and you should contact us if it requires renewing.
Blue badges are free; charging was scrapped in 2007.
You may park using your blue badge in the following locations:
- designated disabled parking bys
- pay and display parking bays
- yellow lines (as long as you do not cause an obstruction, there are no loading restrictions and you do not park for longer than three hours)
The blue badge is not a licence to park anywhere. You must not park during the time a ban on loading or unloading is in force (normally indicated by one or two yellow marks on the kerb at the times shown).
You must not park where there are double white lines in the centre of the road, in a bus or tram lane during operating hours, in a cycle lane or on a clearway. You cannot park on pedestrian (Zebra, Pelican, Toucan and Puffin) crossings or the zigzag markings before and after these crossings, in parking places reserved for specific uses, such as loading bays, taxis, cycles, or where temporary restrictions on parking are in force. It does not permit you to park in a residents’ parking bay, unless there are signs showing that you may do so, in suspended Pay and Display meter bays or on school “keep clear” markings during the hours shown.
And you must not park where it would be obstructive or cause a danger to others, for instance at school entrances, bus stops, on a bend, or near the brow of a hill or hump bridge, where emergency vehicles stop or go in and out, such as hospital entrances, on the pavement or where the kerb has been lowered or the road raised to form a pedestrian crossing.
Applying for your badge
To apply for your blue badge, print off, complete and return the application form below by clicking on the PDF icon:
In addition to completing the application form, you must also supply a signature - to do so, print off and complete the form below, sending it in with your application form.
The following guidance notes may help you when completing your blue badge application form. Click on the PDF icon below to download:
Renewing your blue badge
Blue Badges are issued for three years. Unfortunately, we are no longer able to send out reminders when badges are due for renewal so you will need to make a note to re-apply for a new one yourself.
We recommend you apply for your renewal at least six weeks before the expiry date in case there is a delay in the badge being processed.
Frequently asked questions
If you have any more questions about the blue badge scheme, take a look at our frequently asked questions page.
Contact us
For more information, contact us by either using our online form or by:
e-mail: city.direct@wolverhampton.gov.uk
Phone: 01902 551155
Minicom: 01902 555554
Fax: 01902 551195