Disabled parking in France

[Esperaza]

I have tried searching the forum but get errors with a number of keys tried.

Is a UK disabled parking badge valid in France?

My wife has just needed to have one.

[Val_2]

I don't know for sure but how about asking at the French Consulate in London or the DSS at Newcastle overseas division, surely they would know.

[Eslier]

Providing you have the new type blue European one then yes it is valid. Remember that these need to be renewed every so often but you can use them in any car. When my mum comes to visit she always brings hers with her and we enjoy the benefit of parking in the best places.

The old orange ones may not be however be valid.

[Esperaza]

Thanks, it is a blue one and only received today.

[Richard-R]

We use the mother-in-laws when she visits. There are loads of bays in towns, and the police are very good about them. One market days we would pull up next to a copper and show him the badge. They would either stop the traffic behind us ,so the mother-in-law could get out, or let us double park.

[Ron Avery]

The only car I have seen in a disabled bay in France without a badge was a couple of chavs from the UK in Carredour in Calais

Round here they are left for genuine disabled people, and the people who use them are disabled too.  I have never seen a car with fit people in it using a bay as opposed to the UK, where every other car had an orange sticker and these cars were parked in a disabled position whether or not the disabled person was in the car. Perhaps in France you have to actually own a car to get a sticker???

Perhaps the UK should adopt the " you take my space,  you take my handicap" type notices that are common over here, but then again France appears to have a sensible attitude to ratios of spaces.  In the UK, where it has gone  you are lucky to park within a half mile of a shop or station, if you don't have kids or a handicap......  and of course this leads to abuses.