Does a British disabled badge work in France or spain

[Yerfdog]

I have a British disabled badge does it work in France or Spain. If it doesn’t what do I need to do to get requisite documentation
thanks

 

[Widge]

Not parking, but i have been to loads of places in france spain and italy, where entrance to a park, aquarium or other attractions, my wife has shown her disability card (french one), she gets in half price, and I get in free as her carer.

 

[Dorset Diver]

I absolutely accept that there are people, you, my late 'MiL' and anybody else who is medically proven to be in need of a 'Blue Badge' should be able to claim one and gain the exemptions provided. No dispute, my problem is all the people who don't qualify for one but who are either issued them, or use them fraudently. When my wife handed her Mothers' Blue Badge into the Council Office they were aghast as virtually no one surrenders them. Tells you something about fraudalent use.

I'm in my mid 70's and lucky enough to be able rely on my own two legs for the time being, but who knows what the future may bring.

Robert

I agree that fraudulent use is rife in the UK. Many family members seem to think they can borrow the badge of another.

 

[Roby2008]

Not parking, but i have been to loads of places in france spain and italy, where entrance to a park, aquarium or other attractions, my wife has shown her disability card (french one), she gets in half price, and I get in free as her carer.

Same here, my wife pays half price in the cinema and I go free as her care assistant........

Using a handicapped space falsely will get you a fine here, using a blue badge falsely will earn you a €900 fine.......not enough in my book but better than nothing.

 

[Charente16]

elibretI have a British disabled badge does it work in France or Spain. If it doesn’t what do I need to do to get requisite documentation
thanks

I cannot answer for Spain, but in France the Gendarmes are very practical people like most of the French, I have no experience of the 'Police National' as we live in the Boondocks and not policed by them. If you have a current UK 'Blue Badge' and are parked in a Disabled Parking Bay I don't think you will have anything to worry about. In LeClerc at La Rochfoucald, I have seen the Gendarmes waiting for people to return to their UK registered cars as they presumably were either expired, or parts delibretly obscured. Yes,, we still have regular Police Patrols and Documentation Checks here!

Robert

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[Soycd]

But I bet theirs are valid here.
Our gov are too soft and obliging.

Is that a fact?

 

[fifthwheel]

Is that a fact?

According to Katie Melua there are nine million bicycles in Beijing

 

[Widge]

Is that a fact?

From the little i have managed to find out, it does look like the uk policy on europien blue badges is that for the moment they are still valid in the UK and that there is an ongoing process to ensure that in the future UK blue badges will be valid in Europe, but this was obviously one of the many thousands of things that nobody thought about during the negotiations.

 

[Widge]

Same here, my wife pays half price in the cinema and I go free as her care assistant........

Using a handicapped space falsely will get you a fine here, using a blue badge falsely will earn you a €900 fine.......not enough in my book but better than nothing.

Not sure about here in France but the fine is £1000 in the UK for fraudulent use.

 

[Sunseeker 11]

Cornwall have introduced a scheme where only locals registered with them get any discount or free parking. So if a visitor to the county you pay full price irrespective of a blue badge.

We fell foul of that when trying to park in Falmouth, decided to go elsewhere!!

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[Verteuil Man]

It would be a very mean minded parking attendant/copper that would issue a fine for using an UK Blue Badge permit in the EU. If I ever got a fine in those circumstances I would send it the the British Embassy in that country and thel them to sort it out.

 

[Mike Pudney]

As a Spanish resident with experience of this issue I can confirm that officially the UK blue badgy is not legal in Spain. All linked to the UK being "third country" status. However as is so typical of Spain it all depends on the local "official" who spots it. They have such powers of interpretation! In general the local police will turn a blind eye or at worst point out it is not legal and leave it at that. Spain is a compassionate country.

 

[ifearnobeer]

Surely even for you UK residents just visiting any Super Market you must wonder why all these 'Disabled Parking Places' are required! We have had experience of visiting UK and going out with a seriouly 'Disabled' MiL with a Blue Badge and failed to find a parking place in the 'so called' Disabled Parking Bays'. We have had to park as near as possible in the Public parking area and watched the Car Park entrance blocked by cars' queing up waiting for a free space to become vacant. Then watched people sprinting for the entrance.

It is no wonder the UK 'Blue Badge'is held in such little regard in mainland europe where it has already been posted that it is not that easy to obtain, nor do people seem to aspire to obtaining one.

Please enlighten me,

Robert

Also been verbally abused for daring to pull out of an ordinary Parking Place as no Disabled Place was vacant in order to try to get a MiL out of her wheel chair into the car, French registered which I suppose didn't help.

We have 8 disabled parking places at our local DIY store.Am i missing something.

 

[The Tafia]

But I bet theirs are valid here.
Our gov are too soft and obliging.

 

[cakey]

My recent experience in Tenerife. I was parked in a space for Blue badge holders in a Lidl car park with my badge on the dashboard. The owner of the car next to me came out as we were loading our shopping into our car. He thought I was admiring his car but I wasn’t I had noticed he didn’t have anything showing on his dashboard to show he could park in the space. He then pointed out that he had a permanent sticker in his rear window and he said the police only look in the rear window for a badge/stroke sticker and if I was on a public road I would more than likely get a ticket. Okay on private property ie shops and the like. Didn’t put it to the test after that. By the way this conversation was held on a very friendly basis.

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[EuroTrotters]

our friend used hers no problem. Never had an issue at all.

 

[gus-lopez]

He then pointed out that he had a permanent sticker in his rear window and he said the police only look in the rear window for a badge/stroke sticker and if I was on a public road I would more than likely get a ticket.

That might be the case in the canarias but here it is the same old cardboard clock slung on the dash for the spanish as well

 

[pappajohn]

You do in some car parks in uk

Blue badge drivers have no exemption in ALL Scarborough council off street carparks.
On street bays are free and unlimited time for blue badge holders.
All council carparks are free after 6pm regardless
They average £5 million per year in parking fines and fees.