Blue Badge holders could soon park in two additional destinations this summer—provided an agreement is finalised. The Department for Transport has released a statement regarding where people can use their Blue Badge when visiting the European Union.
A Blue Badge is a nationwide disabled parking permit for individuals with severe mobility issues or hidden disabilities, enabling them to park nearer to their destinations in designated disabled bays, enjoy free on-street parking, or park for limited periods on yellow lines.
Within the EU, regulations vary by member state — and the UK government has been working to ensure British drivers can utilise their badges abroad. In a recent response, the DfT announced promising developments for two popular UK holiday destinations, with France having recently signed up and officials close to finalising another agreement that could take effect this summer.
Liberal Democrat Martin Wrigley posed a parliamentary written question to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, asking: "Whether her Department plans to (a) publish guidance and (b) pursue agreements to help improve certainty for UK Blue Badge holders driving in EU member states."
In response, Simon Lightwood, Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Department for Transport, explained: "The Blue Badge scheme in the UK is administered and enforced by local authorities and applies to on-street parking locations only. While the UK has informal reciprocal arrangements with EU Member States, acceptance of any non-UK badge is ultimately a matter for local authority discretion.", reports Chronicle Live.
"The UK is a member of the European Conference of Ministers of Transport Resolution ECMT Resolution 97/4 and has accepted Resolution 97/4, but this is not mandatory, nor is it reflected in UK domestic legislation.
"The UK continues to recognise disabled parking cards issued in individual EU/EEA Nations for people visiting and travelling in the UK. Any confirmation of reciprocity of this goodwill gesture is not legally binding. It is for individual EU Member States to decide if they will recognise a Disabled Parking Card issued in another country. Using a Blue Badge in Europe - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab)."
Regarding future arrangements, he added: "The Department for Transport has ongoing discussions with individual countries regarding continued recognition of the UK Blue Badge across the European Union (EU).
"Through close working and partnership with our French and Spanish friends and allies, this Government has now secured the mutual recognition with France regarding each other's disabled parking permits and are now currently working on the final agreement with Spain. This means that UK Blue Badge holders can now travel with confidence when heading to France for their holidays or travel and this will also apply to Spain in due course."
The Foreign Office confirms that UK Blue Badge holders can utilise their permits when travelling to certain European countries. However, it advises: "Before visiting a country, check whether it recognises the UK Blue Badge.
"Some countries may require you to display a local parking notice as well as your Blue Badge. The pages linked to in the table below provide contact information for the parking authorities in the different countries."
The department cautioned: "Even in countries that recognise the Blue Badge, parking rules can vary in different parts of the country. Rules can also change, and some countries may have changed their rules since the pages linked to this guidance page were published.
"You should research local parking regulations or get in touch with the relevant local authority for specific information. Local tourist information centres can also provide advice on parking rules for disabled people and may tell you about any specific requirements or restrictions in the area you are visiting."
