FS29E - Disabled Distich (Blue Badge)

What is a Disabled Distich (badge)

The disabled distich is a personal and non-transferable card, intended for people with reduced mobility or other intellectual or visual disabilities. It is a blue plastic card with a white image representing a person in a wheelchair, followed by the phrase “Cartão de estacionamento para pessoas com deficiência” (Parking card for people with disabilities). It is easily recognisable by authorities, parking attendants etc. On the back is the identification and personal data of the card holder and their signature.

This distich can be used to park the car in public parking spaces reserved for vehicles that are driven by people with disabilities or those that transport them, identified with an authorised parking sign and with a specific sign for holders of this card, but also for parking in other places not specifically reserved for parking, but only when it is really necessary, and providing it is not for a long time and does not disturb pedestrians or other vehicles. It is important to note that the card is not associated with a vehicle. Therefore, it can be used in any vehicle that transports the person to whom it was assigned. Never forget to place the card in a place of high visibility by the windshield.

For whom is the parking distich intended 

• A person with physical or organic disability who, due to changes in the structure and functions of the body, congenital or acquired, has a functional limitation of permanent character, of a degree equal to or greater than 60% as evaluated by the National Disabilities Chart, provided that such disability makes it difficult for them to move around in public spaces or on the access and use of conventional public transport without the help of others or who use prostheses and orthosis, wheel chairs, crutches and canes;

• A person with intellectual disability and the person with autism spectrum disorders with a degree of disability equal to or greater than 60%;

• A visually impaired person, with a permanent change in the field of vision equal or greater than 95%, assessed by the National Disabilities Charts.

Necessary documents

• Application Form 13-IMT to be delivered to the IMT, IP signed by the interested party or whoever legally represents them;

• Identification document (if you are a foreign national, present one of these documents: residence permit/card, temporary or permanent, or a passport + study, work, temporary stay or residence visa, issued by a Portuguese consular post, by SEF/AIMA or by another service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs);

• Multipurpose medical certificate of incapacity (AMIM) certifying the condition of a person with a disability under the terms of the legislation in force (must be filled in stating the percentage of disability).

Multipurpose medical certificate of incapacity (Atestado Médico de Incapacidade Multiuso-AMIM)

The multipurpose medical certificate of incapacity is an official document that declares that the person has a disability after an evaluation by the medical board. This certificate indicates, through an assigned percentage, the value of global incapacity. To obtain this certificate you will need to book an appointment for the Junta Médica (Medical Board)* in your local Health Centre (Centro de Saúde), presenting for this purpose: the application for disability assessment and delivering medical and other reports with complementary diagnostic aids, which may serve to justify the issuance of the AMIM. This certificate serves as proof of the person's disability to be entitled to benefits or rights.

* Except for cancer patients who benefit from a special procedure for the issuance of the AMIM, with the automatic attribution of a minimum degree of incapacity of 60%, for a period of five years, counting from the date of diagnosis. This medical certificate is the responsibility of the hospital where the diagnosis was made, and a specialist doctor other than the doctor who follows the patient is competent to issue it and confirm the diagnosis.

Support that a person with AMIM is entitled to

For people with a degree of disability equal to or greater than 60%, proven by the AMIM, according to the National Disability Chart, the Portuguese legislation establishes several benefits, among which the following stand out:

• Attribution of the Social Inclusion Benefit which is a subsidy intended to offset some of the additional costs and overheads experienced by disabled people. The Social Inclusion Benefit can be granted to national and foreign citizens, refugees and stateless people, legally resident in Portugal and who have a disability which results in a degree of incapacity equal to or greater than 60% (for further information on social benefits please check HERE - the website is in Portuguese but you can use the translator in your browser to change the language);

• Social protection and social benefits, including the granting of special interest on bank loans, possible benefits on lease contracts, discounts on the purchase of some transport services, recreational or other;

• The attribution of a parking distich;

• Tax benefits such as: IVA exemption in car purchase, ISV depending on emissions and not exceeding the amount of 7 800 euros; IUC exemption for certain vehicles up to a limit of € 240 and IRS benefits. (For further information on tax benefits please check HERE - in Portuguese but you can use the translator in your browser to change the language);

• University scholarships;

• Personal assistance under the Modelo de Apoio à Vida Independente (MAVI)- Support for Independent Living;

• Non-urgent transport of patients (for further information please check HERE - the website is in Portuguese but you can use the translator in your browser to change the language);

• Exemption from user fees in the Serviço Nacional de Saúde (National Health Service – or SNS). The person with a disability must present the AMIM at the local Centro de Saúde or at the hospital where they are being treated. The exemption for incapacity will be registered, remaining valid until the date of reassessment of the incapacity recorded on the certificate. For the application of the exemption, the degree of disability must be 60% or more.

How to obtain the parking distich 

The parking distich must be requested by the interested party or by whoever represents them, at the Institute of Mobility and Transport, I.P. (IMT, IP) and it is free of charge. It can be ordered electronically on the website (IMT Online > Login (imt-ip.pt)) or in person, at any IMT, including in the Citizen's Shops (Lojas do Cidadão). 

How to request the parking distich online

You can access using your Finanças login, click where it says ‘Entrar’.

The same window as the one from the Finanças will appear for you to login (if you don’t have a login to the Finanças Portal see our FS30 How to apply for Financas password).

If you are already registered in the IMT online website, you can skip this step and go straight to number 5. After you have logged in it will ask you to fill in some mandatory fields (the ones with the star sign *). You need to fill in your full name, NIF (Fiscal Number), Male or Female, ID number (IMT accepts many different forms of ID as shown in the image below), date of birth, address and email. After you have filled in all required fields click in ‘Submeter’.

IMT will immediately send you a confirmation email with a code for you to validate your registration on their website. Insert the code in the same place that you were before and click in ‘Validar’.

To submit your request for the disabled distich, go to ‘Pedidos’ and then chose ‘Outros’ and click where it says ‘Cartão de Estacionamento para Pessoas com Deficiência’.

Fill in all the fields: Name / Address / Zip Code / Type and ID number / and upload your Multipurpose medical certificate of incapacity (AMIM) in PDF format and A4 size (can´t exceed the 700000 bytes). After all the information completed you just need to click where it says ‘Submeter’ and see what further instructions the IMT will send you.

EU parking card for people with disabilities

If your disability is a cause of reduced mobility, you may be entitled to an EU parking card for people with disabilities in your country of residence, which should be recognised in all EU countries. If you are travelling outside your home country, this EU parking card should give you access to several rights and facilities specific to the country you are visiting. The competent authority in your country of residence is responsible for issuing the card, based on the EU parking card model.

When using your card, don't forget to put it in the windshield. The front of the card must be clearly visible for control purposes. Also, if you use your card in another EU country, you can put the fold-out explanation in the windshield, next to the parking card, so that the language(s) of the country you are in will be visible.

Information for UK citizens

A new decree-law has been published on the 30^th of December 2022 – DL 90/2022. This decree-law, amongst other things, establishes the recognition of parking cards for people with disabilities conditioned on their mobility, issued by the United Kingdom.

Practical Guide for the Disabled People Rights in Portugal

The Guide was issued to provide a practical tool that helps people looking for answers in this area, to know where to go and what to do if in any doubt. Unfortunately, it is only available in Portuguese, however, some of the links they provide you have the possibility to change the language. The information for the Guide was provided by entities from the various areas of the Portuguese Government and is updated as of the date of publication – available in pdf and eBook version - Guia: Direitos das Pessoas com Deficiência - INR, I.P. (website currently being updated).