HEALTHPLAN MAGAZINE

Like the UK and other European countries, Spain offers disabled parking badges to those who have a certain degree of disability and who qualify due to their reduced mobility.

The badge will usually enable a person with reduced mobility to park for free in restricted areas, without being fined. In some areas, you may still have to pay to park even if you have a disabled badge.

As the badge is also issued to the person and not the vehicle, the holder may also accompany another driver, who would then obtain the temporary right to also park in designated places, usually assigned to disabled drivers.

In Spain the badges or cards are known as ‘Tarjetas de aparcamiento’ or ‘Tarjeta de aparcamiento para las personas con discapacidad’.

Note, that if you do park illegally in a disabled space, you can be fined up to €200.

Visiting Spain From Another EU Country

If you have a blue disabled badge from another EU country, this will be valid in Spain and other EU and EEA countries if you are travelling.

This will entitle you to park in designated parking spaces where available.

Different regions may have different rules, so it is always a good idea to visit one of the many tourist offices to be on the safe side and to familiarise yourself with the rules for that particular region or municipality.

Visiting Spain From the UK

The UK left the EU on January 31, 2020, and is no longer part of the EU Disabled Parking Card Scheme. However, the UK Blue Badge is still recognised in Spain.

Some countries provide notices in the local language which you can print off and display next to your Blue Badge and that includes Spain. Click on the following link to print off the notice. You do not have to do this, but it may help avoid any issues.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/blue-badge-using-it-in-the-eu/using-a-blue-badge-in-the-european-union

Disabled Badges For Permanent Residents In Spain

If you intend to permanently reside here in Spain (or any other European country) you will need to apply for a new disabled badge at your local town hall (Ayuntamiento).

How to Apply for a Blue Disabled Badge in Spain

To qualify for a disabled parking badge you will usually need to:-

• Be resident in Spain
• Be registered on your local town hall’s padrón.
• Have a recognised disability of at least 33%
• Have reduced mobility that would prevent you from easily using public transport.

Anyone from the EU can apply for the blue badge, but you will need to have an NIE number and an EU passport. You won’t necessarily be asked for your residency certificate or card, however, if you are living in Spain for more than 3 months of the year you will usually have one of these as it is a legal requirement.

You will then need to complete the form, which you can get from your local town hall. The form is usually referred to as a ‘Solicitud de Reconocimiento de la Condición de la Minusvalida’.

Once you have completed the form, if not already done so, you will need to have your level of disability assessed by a doctor at one of the approved medical centres (Centro de Diagnostico y Orientación).

If you then qualify and have sufficient disability and reduced mobility, you can then apply for your blue badge via your local town hall.

The process to obtain the badge can take around 12 months or more, but will depend on your local authority.

The following web page provides you will lots of information on the requirements for each region and a link to the town hall so you can find out further information on how to get your blue badge.

Please note that the page is in Spanish. You can go to https://translate.google.com if you need to translate the page.

https://www.ocu.org/coches/coches/informe/tarjetas-de-aparcamiento-para-discapacitados388034

Further information can be found at the sources below.

https://www.supportinspain.info/knowledge-base/i-need-a-disabled-parking-badge/
https://www.citizensadvice.org.es/faq/disabled-parking-badge-do-i-need-to-pay-for-parking/
https://www.spanishsolutions.net/blog/newsletters/disabled-parking-badges-in-spain/