Blue Badge for Hidden Disabilities: Autism, Anxiety, Dementia and More

Can you get a Blue Badge for a hidden disability? Yes. Since 30 August 2019 the rules in England have covered non-visible conditions such as autism, severe anxiety, dementia and learning disabilities. You can qualify if, during a journey, your condition causes very considerable psychological distress while you walk, or puts you or other people at risk of serious harm. The diagnosis on its own does not decide it. The council looks at what happens on the walk between the car and where you are going, how often it happens and whether it is expected to last at least 3 years.

What Changed for Hidden Disabilities in 2019

Before 2019 the assessed route to a Blue Badge in England was written around the physical act of walking. The Disabled Persons (Badges for Motor Vehicles) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2019 rewrote regulation 4 of the 2000 regulations from 30 August 2019. Today you can qualify if an expert assessor certifies that you have an enduring and substantial disability which causes you, during the course of a journey, to:

• be unable to walk
• experience very considerable difficulty whilst walking, which may include very considerable psychological distress
• be at risk of serious harm when walking, or pose, when walking, a risk of serious harm to any other person

Three parts of that wording do most of the work for people with non-visible conditions.

"Enduring" instead of "permanent"

The old test asked for a permanent disability. The Department for Transport's guidance to councils explains the change: some disabilities, particularly those that affect cognitive function and mental capabilities, vary with personal development or in response to treatment but still endure. A badge can go to someone whose disability is expected to last in some way for the three-year period a badge is issued for. A short-term condition does not qualify on this route.

"During the course of a journey"

For many people with hidden conditions the problem is not the walking itself but what happens while they walk as part of a journey: a crowded car park, traffic, noise, a change of plan. The 2019 wording lets that count as difficulty whilst walking, alongside pain, breathlessness and the other physical factors.

"Expert assessor"

The independent mobility assessor became an expert assessor. That still covers occupational therapists and physiotherapists, but it also allows a wider range of health and care professionals to certify eligibility, including someone with close knowledge of your case history. A council does not need a certificate at all when it is self-evident from the information it has that you meet the test.

Is There an Automatic Route for Hidden Conditions?

There is one. If you get the mobility part of PIP with 10 points for descriptor E of Planning and following journeys, meaning you cannot undertake any journey because it would cause overwhelming psychological distress, you get a Blue Badge in England without further assessment.

That is the only journeys score that counts on its own. 10 points for descriptor D or 12 points for descriptor F, which are about needing another person, an assistance dog or an orientation aid to follow a route, are not automatic. Councils are also told not to add journeys points to Moving around points. With those scores you apply through the assessed route and send your PIP decision letter as evidence. Our guide to PIP and the Blue Badge covers the PIP scores in full, and the guide to Planning and following journeys explains each descriptor.

The higher rate of the mobility part of Disability Living Allowance also counts automatically, for adults who still get it and for children.

What Councils Look For

GOV.UK lists five situations for non-visible conditions in which you may be eligible for a badge:

• you are constantly a significant risk to yourself or others near vehicles, in traffic or car parks
• you struggle severely to plan or follow a journey
• you find it difficult or impossible to control your actions and lack awareness of the impact you could have on others
• you regularly have intense and overwhelming responses to situations causing temporary loss of behavioural control
• you frequently become extremely anxious or fearful of public or open spaces

The DfT guidance adds examples of how a risk of serious harm can show itself during a journey: becoming physically aggressive towards others, possibly without intent or awareness; refusing to walk, dropping to the floor or becoming a dead weight; wandering off or running away without awareness of roads or car parks; ignoring or not being aware of clear instructions; very severe anxiety such as hypervigilance; an overwhelming fear of public, open or busy spaces; and avoiding some or all journeys because of these experiences.

How often it happens

The guidance says research commissioned by the DfT in 2019 suggested it could be reasonable for councils to look for this difficulty "more often than not". An occasional bad trip is unlikely to be enough. If most of your journeys are affected, say so plainly and give numbers, such as "four out of five trips in the last month".

How severe it is

"Very considerable difficulty" and "serious harm" are high thresholds, and the guidance says they apply equally whether a disability is visible or not. The practical question is whether you could reach shops, services and appointments without very considerable difficulty, or without risk of serious harm, unless you could park close to them.

Coping strategies

Councils also ask whether the difficulty can be managed in another reasonable way. The guidance gives the example of someone who is only ever accompanied by another person, where that support removes the very considerable difficulty: a badge would not add anything. Two points work in your favour. A strategy that works but takes a great deal of time and effort is not the same as coping easily, and journey avoidance should not be treated as an appropriate coping strategy. "I just don't go out" is evidence of the problem, not proof that you are managing.

Whether parking closer would help

The badge lets you park close to where you are going, so the guidance asks councils to consider whether that would help with the difficulty you describe. Explain why a shorter walk from the car matters for you: less time in a busy car park, a quicker way back to a safe space, less chance of running into traffic.

Conditions People Apply With

The rules name no conditions, and the guidance says eligibility is not decided by the presence or absence of any particular diagnosis. These are some of the non-visible conditions people commonly apply with, and the kind of difficulty during a journey that the criteria are about:

• Autism. Overwhelming responses to noise, crowds or a change of plan on the way in, with loss of behavioural control, running off or dropping to the floor in a car park. See PIP for autism for how the same difficulties are described on the PIP form.
• Dementia. Wandering off, no awareness of traffic, distress in unfamiliar places. More in PIP for dementia.
• Severe anxiety, panic disorder and agoraphobia. Extreme fear of open or busy spaces, panic attacks between the car and the door, needing to get back to the car quickly. See PIP for agoraphobia and PIP for anxiety.
• PTSD. Hypervigilance and overwhelming distress in crowds, car parks or places linked to the trauma. See PIP for PTSD.
• Learning disabilities. No sense of danger near roads, not following instructions, distress at anything unexpected. See PIP for learning disabilities.
• Brain injury. Impulsive behaviour, poor awareness of risk and confusion in busy places. See PIP for brain injury.

Many people have a hidden condition alongside a physical one. The guidance says the criteria are not mutually exclusive, so physical walking difficulty and psychological distress can be assessed together. Our wider guide to hidden disabilities and PIP covers the benefit side of the same conditions.

Children with Hidden Disabilities

Children aged 3 or over are assessed on the same criteria as adults. Young children often run off or refuse to walk, so the guidance tells councils to compare the behaviour with common developmental milestones: the question is whether it goes well beyond what is usual for the child's age. An EHC plan, letters from the paediatrician or the mental health team and notes from school can all show that.

A child who gets the higher rate of the mobility part of DLA qualifies automatically. Children under 3 have two criteria of their own, about bulky medical equipment and needing to be kept near a vehicle for emergency treatment, which the checker covers. Under-16s claim DLA rather than PIP, as our guide to PIP and DLA for children explains.

Evidence That Helps

The DfT guidance lists what a good application process should let you give. Use it as your checklist:

• your own words on how the condition affects you while walking during a journey
• the coping strategies you use, and how well they work in practice
• the treatment and medication you receive for the condition
• the names and contact details of the health or social care professionals who diagnosed you and who support you now
• supporting documents such as diagnosis letters, care plans, patient summaries, EHC plans or disability benefit letters
• how you experience very severe anxiety, for example hypervigilance, or fear of public, open or busy spaces, and why you avoid some journeys

Who should write in support

The guidance separates the professionals who diagnosed a condition from those involved in ongoing treatment and support, and says the second group are more likely to know your lived experience. A community mental health nurse, occupational therapist, social worker, specialist nurse or support worker who sees you regularly can often describe a journey better than a consultant you met once. A GP letter can help put your experience in context, but a GP cannot act as the expert assessor, and a council should not use GP evidence as its only source. Our guide to getting a GP letter explains how to ask for one that describes function rather than diagnosis.

Describe one real journey

Councils assess what happens during a journey, so describe one. A useful order is: getting out of the car, crossing the car park or pavement, arriving at the shop, surgery or school, what happens when it goes wrong and how long it takes you to recover. Then say how often it is like that and what would change if you could park at the door. Dated examples from a diary carry more weight than general statements, and the same record helps with a PIP claim too: see our evidence checklist.

If the Council Says No

The council must tell you in writing why it refused. GOV.UK says you can ask it to reconsider if you think important information you gave was not taken into account, and you can reapply if things get worse. Our guide to a refused Blue Badge explains how to ask for a review and what to send with it. If your PIP journeys score is the problem, remember that 10 points for descriptor E is automatic: a PIP decision you think is wrong can be challenged through a mandatory reconsideration within one month.

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

This guide covers the rules in England. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland run their own Blue Badge schemes with similar but not identical criteria, so check the official pages: GOV.WALES, mygov.scot and nidirect.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you get a Blue Badge for a hidden disability?

Yes. Since 30 August 2019 the rules in England have covered non-visible conditions. You can qualify if an enduring and substantial disability causes very considerable psychological distress while you walk during a journey, or puts you or others at risk of serious harm. The council decides, usually after looking at your evidence and sometimes with an expert assessor.

Can you get a Blue Badge for anxiety?

You can if the anxiety is severe enough. GOV.UK lists frequently becoming extremely anxious or fearful of public or open spaces as one of the situations in which you may be eligible. The council looks at how often it happens during journeys (research cited by the DfT suggests more often than not), whether it is expected to last at least 3 years and whether parking closer would help.

Can you get a Blue Badge for autism?

Autism does not give a badge on its own, but many autistic people qualify through the effects during journeys: overwhelming responses with loss of behavioural control, running off near traffic or no awareness of danger in car parks. If you get 10 points for descriptor E of Planning and following journeys in PIP, or the higher rate of DLA mobility, the badge is automatic.

Can an autistic child get a Blue Badge?

Yes, from the age of 3, on the same criteria as adults. Councils compare the child's behaviour with what is usual for their age, so an EHC plan, letters from the paediatrician and notes from school help. A child who gets the higher rate of the mobility part of DLA qualifies automatically.

Do I need PIP to get a Blue Badge for a hidden disability?

No. You can apply without any benefit and be assessed by your council. PIP helps only if you have 10 points for descriptor E of Planning and following journeys, which is automatic. Other journeys scores are not automatic, but the decision letter is still useful evidence.

Who is the expert assessor?

A health or care professional who can certify that you meet the criteria. Since 2019 it no longer has to be an independent mobility assessor, so it can be someone who knows your case history, such as a mental health nurse or occupational therapist. Your GP cannot act as the expert assessor, and the council does not need one when your eligibility is self-evident from your evidence.

Is a hidden disability Blue Badge different from a normal one?

No. It is the same badge with the same rules for using it. In England it costs up to £10, councils usually decide within 12 weeks and a badge usually lasts up to 3 years, after which you reapply.