Disabled parking
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If you can’t walk very far to or from your car, you might be eligible for a blue car badge. These badges used to be orange.
You can use your badge whether you are a driver or a passenger. It means you can park nearer to your destination, and in restricted parking areas. They are valid for three years, after which they need to be renewed. We will write to you around six weeks before your badge is about to expire to remind you to re-apply for a new one.
Blue car badges are part of a nationally recognised disabled parking scheme. You can find out more from the Department for Transport website.
What does it do?
Blue Badge parking privileges only apply when the registered badge holder is using the vehicle displaying the badge and needs to leave the vehicle. The main privileges are:
- free parking at meters for an indefinite period
- parking for an indefinite period where time limits normally apply
- parking on yellow lines (in some circumstances only).
Full details are sent when the badge is issued.
Who is it for?
Applicants must meet certain criteria. You can apply for a badge if you get benefits such as:
- the higher rate of the mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance
- a War Pensioners’ mobility supplement
- use of a car supplied for disabled people by a Government Health Department.
You are also eligible for the badge if you are:
- registered blind
- have a severe disability in both upper limbs
- a permanent and substantial disability which means you have severe difficulty in walking.
Special rules for children under two
A parent of a child who is less than two years old may apply for a badge for their child if the child has a specific medical condition which means that they:
- must always be accompanied by bulky medical equipment which cannot be carried around without great difficulty, and/or:
- need to be kept near a vehicle at all times, so that they can, if necessary, be treated in the vehicle, or quickly driven to a place where they can be treated, such as a hospital.
A list of bulky equipment can be found on the Department of Transport website, and includes such things as ventilators, suction machines, feed pumps and oxygen administration and monitoring equipment.
How much will it cost?
The blue car badge costs £2. You can pay by cheque or postal order, but please do not send cash.
How can I apply?
Please note: blue badges cannot be issued on a temporary basis.
Applications for a Blue Badge are dealt with by your local authority. You should complete our online application form only if you live in East Sussex.
Forms are sent directly to our Blue Badge Team who will assess your eligibility for a badge.
If you are eligible for a badge, the team will write to you asking you to send two recent photographs of yourself, signed on the back, with your payment of £2. One of the photographs will be attached to your blue badge as proof of identity that you are the badge holder.
Contact the disabled parking team.
Disabled parking bays
Find out if you are eligible for a disabled parking bay and how you can apply for one on our disabled parking bays page.
Existing badge users
Information about how to renew your badge, what to do if it is lost or stolen, or if you move house can be found on our existing car badge users page.
