Apply for or renew a Blue Badge

Apply for or renew a Blue Badge
Expert assessors

Apply for or renew a Blue Badge

You can apply for a Blue Badge for yourself or on someone else’s behalf, including for a child. Badges cost £10 and are usually valid for up to 3 years.

You can only apply to renew your badge within 8 weeks of your current badge expiring. This allows us to assess eligibility using up‑to‑date information, in line with national Blue Badge guidance.

Renewal applications submitted earlier than this will be closed and cannot be reopened. A reminder will be sent when the renewal window opens.

Apply for or renew a Blue Badge

We aim to process Blue Badge applications within 6 weeks of submission.

To help avoid waiting longer for a decision, please make sure all required documents and supporting evidence are supplied at the time the application is submitted. Requests for further information may result in delays.

Once your application has been approved, we will send you a payment link via email. When we have received payment, we can issue your Blue Badge.

Get help with your application

If you need support completing your application, we can help you over the phone or by email:

phone: 0300 126 7000
email: [email protected]

If you prefer face‑to‑face support, let us know and we will connect you with the library team to book an appointment at your local library. Library support is by appointment only.

Read more about how the Blue Badge scheme works.

Documents

To start processing a Blue Badge application, we need certain documents to be submitted.

This includes:

proof of identity
proof of address
a passport‑style photo for your badge

Depending on how your application is assessed, you may also be required to provide proof of eligibility such as medical or professional evidence. Further guidance on the exact documents required is provided on the application form.

We cannot begin assessing your application until we have received all the documents required.

When you apply for a Blue Badge, the GOV.UK application form will ask a series of structured questions about your condition or disability.

These questions form a self‑assessment and give you the opportunity to explain how your condition affects you on your most difficult days, including any pain, breathlessness, fatigue, psychological distress, or risks you experience when walking or making journeys.

The information you provide in these answers is checked against the supporting documents you submit, and they should describe the same difficulties. This helps us understand your situation fully and ensure the information provided is consistent.

National guidance explains that Blue Badge eligibility is based on how a condition affects a person’s ability to travel, rather than on diagnosis alone. For this reason, it is important to give clear and detailed answers that explain the day‑to‑day impact of your condition.

Your responses play an important role in helping us make a fair and consistent decision, particularly where eligibility is not automatically clear from benefit entitlement or medical evidence. Providing full information at the application stage can also help avoid delays, as it may reduce the need for follow‑up questions or further assessment.

If your Blue Badge has been lost, stolen or damaged, you can request a replacement by submitting an application through the GOV.UK Blue Badge service.

When applying for a replacement, you will need to provide proof of address so we can confirm your details are correct before issuing a new badge.

You can replace a lost, stolen or damaged Blue Badge on GOV.UK.

Blue Badges can be issued to organisations with a permanent address in West Northamptonshire that care for and regularly transport people who would themselves be eligible for a Blue Badge.

The organisation must use a vehicle that is specifically adapted for disabled passengers, provide details of those adaptations, and confirm that the vehicle is licensed under the Disabled Passenger Vehicle (DPV) taxation class.

The vehicle must be used solely for transporting the disabled people being cared for, and evidence must be provided to confirm that all eligibility requirements are met.

To submit an application, apply for or renew a Blue Badge.

Further guidance is provided as you progress through the application.

Once a complete application has been received, the assessment process may take up to 6 weeks. Please do not contact us for an update before this period has passed.