Are a blue badge easy to get France why I’m asking is I always see people using blue bays that clearly don’t have a need for them and people always park in blue badge spots even with no card at all clearly not afraid of getting a fine I have asked people if they ever even seen people getting checked ore ticked for parking in blue badge spots
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I once ran into a Carrefour just to get a baguette and left the car in a blue area for just 2 minutes. When I got back to it there was a gendarme waiting to tick me off. No further action ensued but I have never done it since.
My wife, who can hardly walk, should definitely qualify but every time we broached the subject to our doctor he mumbled something about being very difficult and we never took it further.
Now we have a new doctor and your question @Bajen has prompted me to wonder if we should try again so any answers you get would be very interesting.
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Yes try again. There is a form to fill in and the Doctor will fill in his bit. They decide the percentage disability and will decide the eligibility. Usually they are for one year and reviewed. Sometimes longer. After my wife got her first one, at review they issued a Permanent one. Remember that not all disabilities are obviously seen. Yes the Gendarme patrol shopping car parks etc. and issue fines for non badge holders.
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Thanks I’ll remember that next time we visit. 
Blue badges can be obtained upon application to your department’s MDPH.
My application took around 3 months to process.
The badge was issued for 5 years.
My understanding is that the badges can be used throughout Europe, including the UK.
We were given a ‘blue badge’ at the tourist office but it’s not for disabled drivers. It has a disc which is rotated to show the hour of arrival and I believe it’s for parking on the blue dotted line areas. Reading the above I’m confused.
Your blue badge is, as you say, for those areas identified by blue lines… it is for a stipulated limited period (details will be displayed nearby)… which is why you turn the dial to say what time you have arrived/parked the car.
Some folk call the Disabled Parking Permit (whatever)… a Blue Badge… hence your confusion (and you are not alone).
In France, the proper name for the disabled “blue badge” is “Carte Mobilite Inclusion”
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They are called Cartes mobilité inclusion now, and UK issued ones are no longer valid. You need to get your doctor to sign off on the application. Here:
The Blue Badges which are just local parking controls are a P in a blue square but do NOT have the wheelchair symbol on them. And are for car parks that prioritise local people. Specific parking bays for disabled people will have the wheelchair symbol and these Blue Badges are not suitable to park in them.
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These are the blue badges I’m talking about… (free parking)
They only cost a few euros (from the tabac etc) and it’s well worth having one in the glove compartment.
They can be used in any of the public parking areas designated with the blue lines… (quite often near local small shops).
We have used them all across France… and found the scheme to be very handy when we are passing through some town/village and just want to make a quick stop.
(Always wise to check the Display Notice which will tell you how long you can park.)
Sometimes the “blue line parking” will be at the side of the street… sometimes it will be within a general carpark… just keep your eyes peeled…
EDIT: these free, short-term parking spots are obviously completely different from the Disable Parking bays - which are identified by the Wheelchair sign similar to this…
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Confused.com. There are lot’s of disabled parking places because it became mandatory to have a certain number in all parking and it’s probably not gone unnoticed that some drivers will try to avoid at all cost walking an extra 10 metres in a car park so reduced mobility individuals were forced to park kilometres away to get a baguette. My advice don’t park there it’s illegal and comes with a €135 fine.
Do you know most of us? Or only the lazy slobs?
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My brother (first family I’ve seen in 2 years) has been staying the past week and is disabled through rheumatoid arthritis . He as a blue disabled (uk issued) badge and used it no problem at our local ish Carrefour. Stupid thing is, that whilst the disabled bays are right next to the entrance, you have to walk ( or in his case slowly hobble) halfway across the car park to get a trolley.
Others have been fined in last few months……
(I have RA too, so sympathy to your BIL - but he needs to move to France as the medical care I have had here is sooo much better!)
I think he would if he could, but its a lot more complicated …
Not only the English who use national/racial generalisations Vero, I learned yesterday from a French contributor to another Anglo forum that ‘walk in showers’ are referred to by some French people as ‘douches Italiennes’ because Italians are too lazy to step over the edge. 
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Apologies no intention to offend. At least at my local supermarket people will park 5 metres in the no parking zone from the entrance as well as in the disabled and family reserved places rather than apparently taking a free place 50m away. On the other hand it’s a small minority.
Seems less than joined up thinking
I have acute gout at the moment so I know how he feels, slowly hobbling is about as fast as I can manage as well.
I don’t know why parkers all bunch up together when most of the car park is empty. In multi-storey car parks I often just drive to the empty top floor instead of hunting on the lower floors for a space.
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OH’s car has wide doors, so needs lots of space to comfortably open them and let me climb out…
He will deliberately choose an empty part of any carpark… and when we return we find someone parked right up close (too dratted close sometimes) despite emptiness elsewhere… 
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