Apply for, renew or pay for a Blue Badge

How to apply for, renew or pay for a Blue Badge

Renew a Blue Badge

Applications can take up to 12 weeks to process, so we recommend you apply to renew at least 10 weeks before your badge expires.

Overview

You can only renew an existing Blue Badge using this application form if:

  • your previous badge was awarded based on one of the automatic eligibility entitlements and you are still receiving the same benefit, or
  • when your previous badge was awarded it was decided that no further assessment was required

You will need to apply for a new badge using the full application if:

  • your benefit award has changed or been removed, or
  • if when your previous badge was awarded it was decided that a further assessment was required

Please note: if you try to use the short renewal application and your previous badge was not issued based on an automatic entitlement, or where no further assessment is required, the system will advise you to reapply and you cannot submit a short renewal application.

How to renew your Blue Badge

This form will take approximately 10 minutes to complete.

Step 1 – Gather documents

You will need:

  • your existing Blue Badge number
  • your National Insurance number (this can be found on any documents relating to benefits, pay or pensions)
  • photograph taken within the last 6 months

To see which documents we can accept go to Supporting documents.

Step 2 - Register

If you have not yet used our online portal, you'll first need to register for a self-service account with us online:

Register

Once you've registered, you'll receive a confirmation email with a link to activate your account. Once you've activated it, you'll receive another email with a link to login to your account.

Step 3 - Login

To login to your account:

Login

Once logged in go to Online Forms, then choose Blue Badge - Renew.

Step 4 - Complete your application

You are now ready to complete your renewal application. Once you're logged in, you can use your online account to:

  • start a renewal application
  • upload photograph
  • track the progress of your application
  • make a payment

Once you have submitted your application you will receive an email confirmation with a ‘FS’ reference number. You will then need to send us your supporting documents by email or post quoting this reference number.

For more information on how to send us documents go to sending documents.

What happens next

When you submit your renewal application online, you will get a confirmation email to let you know we’ve received it.

We’ll normally be in touch within 6 weeks of your applying but, please note it can take up to 12 weeks to fully process your application.

If we've requested further or new evidence, you can upload this to your application by logging in to your account.

You can also track the progress of your application at any time.

If your badge has expired

You should continue using your old badge until it expires. Even if you have received your new badge, you shouldn't use it until the old one has expired.

Once expired, the old badge should be returned to:

Address:

Blue Badge team
Essex County Council
Rowan House
33 Sheepen Road
Colchester
CO3 3WG
United Kingdom