Who can get a Blue Badge? In England you get one without further assessment if you are 3 or over and get the higher rate of the mobility part of DLA, 8 points or more for Moving around in PIP or 10 points for descriptor E of Planning and following journeys, are registered blind or get one of two war and armed forces payments. Anyone else can apply and be assessed by the council on how they walk during a journey, and that includes people with non-visible conditions. This Blue Badge eligibility checker follows the official criteria for England, question by question.
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Who gets a Blue Badge automatically in England
The official term is "eligible without further assessment". You qualify this way if you are 3 or over and at least one of these applies:
- You get the higher rate of the mobility component of DLA.
- You get the mobility part of PIP and scored 8 points or more for Moving around, which means you cannot walk more than 50 metres.
- You get the mobility part of PIP and scored 10 points for descriptor E of Planning and following journeys: you cannot undertake any journey because it would cause overwhelming psychological distress.
- You are registered blind (severely sight impaired).
- You get the War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement.
- You received a lump sum from the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme at tariff levels 1 to 8 and are certified as having a permanent and substantial disability that causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty walking.
Two points catch people out. Any Planning and following journeys score other than 10 points for descriptor E, including 12 points for descriptor F, is not automatic. And councils are told not to add Moving around and journeys points together. In both cases you can still be assessed. Our guide to PIP and the Blue Badge explains the PIP side in full, and how the Moving around descriptors are scored.
Who may get a Blue Badge after a council assessment
If none of the automatic routes fits, you can still apply. GOV.UK says you may be eligible if one or more of these applies:
- you cannot walk at all
- you cannot walk without help from someone else or using mobility aids
- you find walking very difficult because of pain, breathlessness or the time it takes
- walking is dangerous to your health and safety
- you have a life-limiting illness and an SR1 form, and cannot walk or find walking very difficult
- you have a severe disability in both arms, drive regularly and cannot operate pay-and-display machines
- 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
- you have a child under 3 who must always have bulky medical equipment with them, or must always be kept near a vehicle in case they need emergency treatment
In the regulations the walking and non-visible criteria share one test: an enduring and substantial disability that, during the course of a journey, means you cannot walk, have very considerable difficulty whilst walking (which can include very considerable psychological distress) or are at risk of serious harm when walking, or pose a risk of serious harm to someone else. The DfT guidance treats "enduring" as lasting at least 3 years.
How councils judge walking difficulty
The Department for Transport's guidance to councils in England gives them a framework, and it explains why the checker asks about distance and pace:
| What you can manage | What the guidance says |
|---|---|
| Less than 30 metres in total without excessive pain or breathlessness | Walking ability is "not appreciable": you can be treated as having very considerable difficulty |
| 30 to 80 metres | You may be eligible if other factors show very considerable difficulty, such as an extremely slow pace or the way you walk |
| More than 80 metres, with no other factors | Would not usually be eligible |
| Less than 40 metres in a minute, including stops | An extremely slow pace, likely to make walking very difficult on its own |
| Walking for less than a minute in total | Walking is likely to be very difficult |
Source: DfT, Blue Badge scheme local authority guidance (England), paragraphs 4.49 to 4.53, updated 3 June 2025.
Pain and breathlessness count whether they come while you walk or afterwards, as long as walking causes them. Using or not using a walking aid does not settle it either way. Someone who can walk fairly normally with a stick or an artificial leg is not usually eligible, while someone who struggles even with an aid can be. The guidance also covers people who can physically walk but should not, because the effort is a danger to their life or would seriously damage their health: it names serious chest, lung and heart conditions. If PIP is also on your mind, the same walking facts drive the Moving around activity, where 8 points make the badge automatic.
Non-visible (hidden) conditions
Since 30 August 2019 the criteria in England cover people whose difficulty comes from a non-visible condition rather than the physical act of walking. Very considerable psychological distress while walking during a journey, or a risk of serious harm to yourself or others, can qualify. The guidance says councils should look at how often it happens (research it cites suggests "more often than not"), should not treat avoiding journeys as a coping strategy and should not expect you to name the criterion you fit. Our guide to the Blue Badge for hidden disabilities goes through autism, anxiety, dementia and other conditions, with the evidence that helps.
8 points for Moving around in PIP makes the Blue Badge automatic in England, and the mobility part of PIP is a weekly payment of its own. If walking is as hard as your answers say, see how one of your own PIP form answers would be written, free.
Try one activity free →How to apply and what it costs
- Where: in England, Scotland and Wales you apply on GOV.UK through Apply for or renew a Blue Badge, and your council deals with it. Northern Ireland has its own service on nidirect.
- What you need: a recent digital head and shoulders photo, proof of identity, proof of address, your National Insurance number if you have one and proof of any qualifying benefit. Since 2025 the DfT has told councils in England to check PIP and higher rate DLA awards with the DWP directly, so you may not be asked to upload the letter.
- Cost: up to £10 in England, up to £20 in Scotland and £10 in Northern Ireland. It is free in Wales. In England only successful applicants should be charged.
- Time: councils usually decide within 12 weeks. An assessed application can take longer.
- How long it lasts: usually up to 3 years. A badge given on PIP, DLA or the War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement ends with that award if it is due to end sooner. See how Blue Badge renewal works.
- If you are refused: the council must tell you why, and you can ask it to look again. Our guide to a refused Blue Badge explains how.
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Each runs its own Blue Badge scheme with similar but not identical rules. The checker uses the rules for England, so if you live elsewhere treat the result as a rough pointer and check the official criteria for your nation:
- Wales: Blue Badges: eligibility on GOV.WALES
- Scotland: Blue Badge eligibility on mygov.scot. Our sister site covers Adult Disability Payment and the Blue Badge.
- Northern Ireland: Blue Badge eligibility criteria on nidirect
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- The Disabled Persons (Badges for Motor Vehicles) (England) Regulations 2000, regulation 4 (who can get a badge, as amended by SI 2019/891 from 30 August 2019), regulation 6 (fee and period of issue) and regulation 8 (refusals and reasons).
- DfT, Who can get a Blue Badge? (England, updated 10 August 2021).
- DfT, Blue Badge scheme local authority guidance (England), updated 3 June 2025 (automatic criteria, walking assessment, non-visible conditions, period of issue).
- GOV.UK, Apply for or renew a Blue Badge (cost, decision time, how long a badge lasts, refusals).
- The Social Security (Personal Independence Payment) Regulations 2013, Schedule 1, Part 3 (the mobility descriptors).
- nidirect, Apply for or renew a Blue Badge online (the £10 fee in Northern Ireland).
Checked 15 October 2026. Guidance only: your council decides who gets a Blue Badge.