How to apply or reapply for a Blue Badge

You can apply for a Blue Badge for yourself or on behalf of someone else

Before you apply

Before applying make sure you have the following:

• personal information including national insurance number
• evidence of qualification for a Blue Badge as detailed in the eligibility criteria
• a photocopy of one of the following: passport, driving licence, birth certificate, marriage/divorce certificate, civil partnership/dissolution certificate
• a photocopy of a bill dated in the last 12 months with your name and address showing
• a colour passport style photograph taken in the last 12 months

Cost

• The fee for a Blue Badge is:
• £10

This can be paid in one of the following ways:

• you can pay the Blue Badge issuing fee when submitting your Blue Badge application online

IMPORTANT: If your Blue Badge application is unsuccessful, we will automatically refund this fee to you within 10 working days of our decision.

• alternatively, once your application has been assessed and deemed successful, we can email you a link to make an online payment
• if you are unable to pay online, you can call us to make a card payment over the telephone
• alternatively, you can send a £10 cheque or postal order with your paper application – made payable to Hampshire County Council

Please note: Once a Blue Badge has been issued, we are unable to refund the issuing fee, even if the badge is no longer needed.

Please be aware of the Blue Badge scam websites where you may be charged £49 or more for an application which won’t guarantee that a Blue Badge will be issued to you. These websites are not associated with Hampshire County Council or the Blue Badge Service. We are unable to accept the application form supplied by these websites.

How long it takes

NEW APPLICANTS

If successful, you should receive your badge approximately 16 weeks from when we receive your fully completed application. You are required to provide proof of identity, proof of address and clinical evidence which supports the information in your application. If you are applying under any of the automatic eligibility criteria, you are required to provide relevant supporting documents for example if you are severely sight impaired, a Certificate of Vision Impairment (CVI).

FOR FIRST TIME APPLICANTS ONLY

Only contact us to enquire about the status of your application if you have not heard from us within 16 weeks of submitting your application.

IF YOU ARE RE-APPLYING

We have a different process for people who are re-applying for a Blue Badge to prevent, wherever possible, any time without a badge. We will send you a courtesy reminder via email or other communication method approximately 12 weeks before your current badge expires. This is an automated process, and are unable to send the reminder any earlier. We recommend you apply as soon as the reminder is received. You must notify us if you have moved since your last badge was issued.

Re-applicants are required to provide proof of identity, proof of address and recent clinical evidence which supports the information in their application. If you are re-applying under any of the automatic eligibility criteria, provide relevant supporting documents, for example, if you are severely sight impaired, a Certificate of Vision Impairment (CVI).

Apply or reapply online

You can apply online on GOV.UK and your application will be sent to us.

We can only start processing your application if it is complete. By this we mean you have provided all of the required documents including proof of ID, proof of address, a recent photo and supporting evidence or proof of automatic eligibility.

Applications will be unsuccessful if the information/evidence provided does not satisfactorily evidence how your condition impacts your ability to walk. This includes evidence of considerable psychological distress or risk of serious harm.

Condition/Disability Description - Helpful medical evidence includes letter of diagnoses, consultation reports and/or treatment plans. Please attach any clinical reports or hospital letters you already possess that would support your application. Unless you already have one in your possession, letters from your GP to support your application are not required as they usually incur costs and may not give us the type of information we require. Registering online with your GP surgery will enable you to access your Patient Summary which should support your application.

Information on your health and care records and how to access them.

IF YOU HAVE A LIFE LIMITING ILLNESS

Hampshire County Council have included a concession to the Blue Badge service for people who have a life limiting illness where an SR1 form has been issued. This form tells us your condition is advanced, progressive, incurable and is expected to considerably shorten your life.

We can issue a Blue Badge under our Fast-Track service when you provide a copy of this form with your application. If you do not have a copy of the SR1, we can accept a letter containing the same information from your oncologist or other involved medical professional. The SR1 or letter must accompany your application form.

When applying online, use the first descriptive box on the application form to accurately explain the impact of the illness and the prognosis. If applying using the paper application form, complete Part 6. For both application types, providing an upfront payment means we can get the Blue Badge delivered to you more quickly.

If your application or re-application is unsuccessful

If you disagree with our decision you can request a review within 28 days of receiving notification.

Provide us with an explanation as to why you believe the decision is incorrect and provide additional, previously unseen evidence which shows you do have an enduring and substantial disability which causes you during the course of your journey to be unable to walk or have very considerable difficulty whilst walking, which may include overwhelming psychological distress.

If you believe the review outcome is incorrect then we will offer you an Independent Expert Assessment (IEA), which will be carried out by a Hampshire County Council Occupational Therapist.

Reapplying for a Blue Badge

Blue Badges are not automatically renewed; you need to re-apply every three years or before the expiry date on the current badge. 

If you are re-applying, take a note of your current badge expiry date and submit your re-application as soon as possible after receiving the courtesy reminder.

The information and evidence you supply needs to be as relevant and up to date as possible.

Apply or reapply for a Blue Badge

If you are unable to apply online download an application form.

If you are unable to print an application form for yourself you can email [email protected] and one will be sent to you in the post.

If you have completed a paper application form, return it to: Blue Badge Service, Universal Services, Hampshire County Council, The Castle, Winchester, SO23 8UD. If paying by cheque or Postal Order, make payable to Hampshire County Council for £10.