Using your Blue Badge
A Blue Badge is registered to a person, not a car.
You should only use your Blue Badge if:
- you're travelling in a vehicle as a driver or passenger
- someone is collecting you or dropping you off and needs to park
A Blue Badge should not be used to park in a restricted area if the badge holder is not leaving the car.
Parking
You can use your Blue Badge to park in certain restricted areas for free, including:
- at on-street parking meters
- in pay and display bays
- in disabled parking spaces
- on single and double yellow lines if it's safe to so and there are no loading restrictions
Where you cannot park
You cannot use your Blue Badge to park:
- in loading/unloading bays unless nearby signs specify time limits for badge holders
- where there are one or two yellow markings on the kerb (nearby signs will show the times when badge holders can or cannot park in these areas)
- at parking places reserved for specific users such as residents' bays or taxi ranks
- at pedestrian crossings (including zebra, pelican, toucan and puffin crossings) and areas marked with zigzag lines
- at clearways (no stopping)
- at a bus stop
- at double or single red lines during their hours of operation
- at an urban clearway within its hours of operation
- at school 'keep clear' markings during the hours shown on a yellow no-stopping plate
- at bus, tram or cycle lanes, cycle tracks - badge holders are not entitled to drive in bus lanes during their hours of operation
- where there are double white lines in the centre of the road (even if one of the lines is broken)
- at suspended meter bays or when use of the meter is not allowed
- where temporary parking restrictions are in force along a length of road, for example as indicated by no-waiting cones
You might have to pay to use off-street car parks, such as:
- shopping centres
- hospitals
- supermarkets.
These rules can change from car park to car park and are usually displayed on signs.
How to display the badge
You must display the badge so that someone can read it from outside the vehicle. The front of the badge should face upwards, showing the name of your local council.
Find out more about displaying your badge.
Using your badge in the UK and abroad
You can use your Blue Badge in most other countries.
If you're using your Blue Badge in England or Wales you will need to use a parking clock.
Using your badge in the European Union
You can continue to use your UK Blue Badge when travelling in some European Union (EU) countries.
You can check guidance for using your badge in each EU country on gov.uk
Tourists visiting Scotland
If you're visiting from the EU, you can use your disability parking card instead of a Blue Badge.
If you're visiting from a non-EU country, you should contact the local council of the area you're staying in. They will be able to provide you with more information.
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