Yes
Blue badges
Disabled parking permits are known as blue badges in the UK and Europe. Portsmouth City Council is responsible for the issue of all blue badges in the city, covering all postcodes between PO1 and PO6. If you live outside of this area, for example Waterlooville, Fareham or Gosport, you will need to contact Hampshire County Council to apply for a Blue Badge.
The blue badge scheme provides a national range of parking concessions for disabled people with severe mobility problems who have difficulty using public transport. It is designed to help severely disabled people to travel independently, as either a driver or passenger, by allowing them to park close to their destination.
For information on disabled parking bays, please visit our disabled parking bays page.
Applying for a blue badge
You can apply for or renew a blue badge online. Alternatively, contact us for an application form:
- email bluebadges@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
- write to Parking Service, Civic Offices, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO1 2NE
- phone 023 9284 1176
The application process can be tracked online, and includes questions to check your eligibility for a blue badge. All badges are issued by the council and cost £10 to cover administration and production.
If you don’t meet the automatic qualification criteria when you apply for a blue badge, you may need to attend a Mobility Assessment. This will take place at Portsmouth Deaf Centre, Arundel Street, Portsmouth and will be carried out by a fully qualified occupational therapist.
Applicants who need an assessment will be contacted to arrange an appointment when their application has been processed.
Hidden disabilities
From 30 August 2019 the blue badge scheme was extended to include applicants with hidden disabilities who:
- experience very considerable difficulty whilst walking, which may include very considerable psychological distress
- are at risk of serious harm when walking
- pose a risk of serious harm to any other person when walking
Is there a different application form for me to complete if I have a hidden disability?
Yes, we have created an application form specifically for applicants with hidden disabilities.
How do I apply?
You can either contact the blue badge team for an application form by calling 023 92 84 1176 or you can apply online.
If I have a hidden disability, how will I know if I automatically qualify for a blue badge?
You will only be automatically eligible for a blue badge if you receive 10 points on the ‘planning and following a journey’ descriptor E (‘Cannot undertake any journey because it would cause overwhelming psychological distress‘) for the Mobility Component of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
If you receive 10 points for descriptor D (‘Cannot follow the route of an unfamiliar journey without another person, assistance dog or orientation aid‘) or 12 points for descriptor F (‘Cannot follow the route of a familiar journey without another person, an assistance dog or an orientation aid’) for the Mobility Component of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP), you will not automatically qualify but you may be eligible subject to further assessment.
Will I automatically qualify if I have autism?
Eligibility for a blue badge is not based on having a specific diagnosis or condition. You may be eligible if you:
- experience very considerable difficulty when walking (which may include very considerable psychological distress), or
- are at risk of serious harm when walking, or
- when walking, pose a risk of serious harm to any other person
I have a hidden disability, will I be asked to attend a face to face assessment?
It is unlikely that you will be asked to attend a face to face assessment. It is important that you provide with your application supporting documents from health and social care practitioners detailing, for example diagnosis, care plans, patient summaries and any other documents which detail your condition and the impact it has on you when undertaking a journey between a vehicle and your destination. Further details on what to provide can be found on the application form and guidance notes.
How to collect your blue badge
We are not currently requiring blue badges to be collected in person. When your blue badge is ready we will contact you with details of how to pay and once payment has been received your blue badge will be posted out to you.
You can also report a lost or stolen blue badge online.
Disabled parking bays
Disabled parking bays feature a sign next to them (on a wall, fence or post) which reads ‘Disabled badge holders only’. It is a requirement to display a valid blue badge at all times whilst parked in an enforceable disabled parking bay.
Any motorist found parked in a disabled bay without displaying a valid blue badge is liable to receive a Penalty Charge Notice.
Further information on disabled parking bays can be found on our disabled parking bays page.
Frequently asked questions
Eligibility
No. Department for Transport legislation allows only one badge to be issued per person for personal use.
No. People with a temporary disability (such as a broken leg) will not qualify for a badge.
We do not issue temporary badges, but we do allow the use of non-European Union Blue Badges within the city. Please contact the blue badge team for further advice.
You may apply for a blue badge for your child, if they are under three years old and have a specific medical condition where:
- they must always be accompanied by big or heavy medical equipment which is carried around with great difficulty
- they need to be kept near a vehicle at all times for treatment or, if necessary, to be driven somewhere for treatment, such as a hospital
Automatic eligibility
You will automatically be eligible if you receive the higher rate mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance or the mobility component of Personal Independence Payment at either the standard rate or the enhanced rate under section 79(3) of the Welfare Reform Act 2012, and, in an assessment carried out under the Social Security (Personal Independence Payment) Regulations 2013:
(i) obtained a score of at least 8 points in relation to the “moving around” activity; or
(ii) obtained a score of 10 points in relation to the “planning and following journeys” activity on the grounds that they cannot undertake any journey because it would cause them overwhelming psychological distress.”;
No. Receiving Attendance Allowance does not automatically qualify you for a blue badge.
No. Being registered as partially sighted does not automatically qualify you for a blue badge – only a severe sight impairment or being registered blind automatically qualifies you.
The government has agreed to provide automatic blue badge entitlement to service personnel and veterans who have been both:
- awarded a benefit (giving rise to entitlement to a lump sum at tariffs 1-8 inclusive) under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme
- assessed and certified by the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) as having a permanent and substantial disability which causes inability to walk (or very considerable difficulty in walking)
Applicants will be required to provide a letter from the SPVA confirming that they:
- are in receipt of tariffs 1-8 under the Armed Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation Scheme) Order 2011, and
- have assessed the applicant as having a permanent disability as detailed above.
Yes. If you don’t meet the automatic qualification criteria when you apply for a blue badge, we may arrange for you to attend a Mobility Assessment. (If you are applying under the hidden disabilities criteria please also refer to that section).
The IMA provides evidence about the extent of your disability and how it affects your mobility. This helps us to assess your application.
Applicants will be contacted to arrange an appointment when their application has been processed.
New applications and renewals
A blue badge is valid for a maximum period of 3 years.
We will automatically send a renewal application form to you around six weeks before your badge is due to expire. If you haven’t received a renewal application form two weeks before your badge is due to expire, please contact us.
Passport photographs are ideal. We can accept other photographs as long as they are a similar standard to images taken in a photo booth. We cannot accept full face photos if they are 6 x 4 inches. Photos must be colour, and not include other people in the background.
Blue badges are not automatically renewed, a review of your application takes place every 3 years, to ensure you continue to be eligible and you may be asked to attend further mobility assessments.
The review of your application may have resulted in the decision being made that you no longer meet the eligibility criteria, this may be because you have had treatment or an operation which has improved your mobility.
Yes. Any documents sent in as proof of entitlement will be returned as quickly as possible, once they are no longer needed.
Yes. A designated member of the family or friend can sign the application form on behalf of the applicant.
We will do our best to deal with your application as quickly as possible. However, due to the high number of applications received and the work required to process them, please allow up to 6 weeks.
We can fast-track applications for applicants with a terminal illness. If you are applying for a Blue Badge under this criteria, please provide a letter/DS1500 form confirming your diagnosis from either:
- your GP,
- your specialist, or
- your Macmillan nurse.
Once we have received the completed application form, we will aim to order a Blue Badge within 48 hours. We should receive it within five working days of the order.
Yes. Your appeal will be considered by a Parking Manager in conjunction with the Professional Lead for Occupational Therapy.
If you wish to appeal, please write to us explaining the reason(s) why you do not agree with the decision.
Using your blue badge
When you receive a blue badge, you will also receive a ‘Rights and responsibilities’ booklet, which includes a list of concessions.
Blue badge holders may park free of charge for an unlimited time in all on-street pay and display areas and most Portsmouth City Council-run car parks. The blue badge must be clearly displayed in the vehicle.
All council-run car parks and pay and display meters will have signs advising if parking is free for badge holders.
Some car parks within the city are not run by the council and do not provide free parking for blue badge holders; please check signage for payment and terms and conditions of use.
Blue badge holders can also park within resident parking schemes in the city exempt of any limited wait restrictions or where the parking bays are signed “Permit Holders only”.
The blue badge is valid throughout the European Union. It can be used for parking concessions in other EU countries, as detailed in the ‘Rights and responsibilities’ booklet issued with your blue badge.
There is currently no arrangement to use blue badges outside of the European Union (such as in the US, Canada, or Australia).
Changes in circumstance
Yes. If you change your address please inform us as soon as possible. If you don’t, you will not receive the renewal form and we will be unable to contact you.
Please let us know as soon as possible your new address in Portsmouth and it would also be helpful to notify the authority who your existing blue badge was issued by and they will arrange to transfer your badge record to Portsmouth City Council. You do not need to get a new blue badge issued by Portsmouth until your current badge comes up for expiry.
Please return it to us – we do not need a letter, but we do need to note the date of death to amend the records.
Report an issue with a blue badge
If your badge becomes damaged, please contact us and we will arrange for an application for a duplicate badge to be sent to you.
You will need to return the damaged badge to receive a replacement.
Please contact us – we will arrange for you to receive an application form for a duplicate badge.
You will need to complete the lost blue badge report form that comes with the duplicate badge application and enclose it.
Please contact us – we will arrange for you to receive an application form for a duplicate badge.
You will need to report the theft to the Police and get a crime reference number, which you must enclose with your application.
Yes, there is a £10 charge to replace any badge.
If you suspect misuse of a badge, please contact us and provide as much information as possible, such as:
- the blue badge serial number and expiry date,
- details of the vehicle in which the badge is being displayed
- the location of the vehicle.
It is important to us that we receive notification of any abuse of the blue badge scheme. We will investigate the matter and consider what action, if any, can be taken.
Further information
Further information on disabled parking bays can be found on our disabled parking bays page.
If you’d like to contact us:
- email bluebadges@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
- write to Parking Service, Civic Offices, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO1 2NE
- phone 023 9284 1176