European Disability Card and European Parking Card for persons with disabilities

To facilitate free movement of persons with disabilities around the EU, the Commission has proposed the creation of:

a new European Disability Card
an improved European Parking Card for persons with disabilities

The aim of is give persons with disabilities legal certainty that their disability status will be recognised when accessing special conditions or preferential treatment offered by a wide variety of services, activities or facilities, including the parking ones. They will be able to benefit from them on equal terms and conditions as persons with disabilities in the visited Member States.

The cards are meant for short stays, with an exception for disability card holders that move to another Member State for a EU mobility programme. At the same time, Member States may also decide to apply the provisions for periods longer than a short stay for card holders visiting or staying in their territory.

What are these cards?

European Disability Card

The card will serve as a proof of disability status across all EU countries when accessing a wide range of services.

It will grant cardholders equal access to special conditions and preferential treatments offered to persons with disabilities anywhere in the EU.

The special conditions apply when using transport, attending cultural events and visiting museums, leisure and sports centres, amusement parks, and more.

They can take the form of, among others:

free entry
reduced tariffs
priority access
personal assistance
mobility aids

The European card will complement national disability cards, which will continue to be awarded by national authorities, based on their own criteria.

European Parking Card for persons with disabilities

The improved version of this card will serve as proof of rights to parking conditions and facilities reserved for persons with disabilities, holders of the card, in all EU countries. It will also contain security features to prevent and combat fraud.

It will replace national parking cards.

When will the cards be available?

On 6 September 2023, the Commission made a proposal to create these 2 cards. It was complemented on October 2023 by the Commission proposal to extend the scope of the directive to third-country nationals legally residing in a Member State.

Both Directives (2024/2841, 2024/2842) were approved by the European Parliament (on 17 September 2024) and the Council of the EU (on 14 October 2024).

The Member States will have 30 months from the date of entry of the Directives into force to adopt and publish the laws, regulations, and administrative provisions necessary to comply with them and 42 months to apply those measures. Therefore the cards are expected to be operational in 2028.

What is in the proposal?

The proposal sets the rules for both cards, concerning:

the scope
the beneficiaries
the physical format
the process for agreeing on the digital format
the conditions, rules, and procedures for issuing or withdrawing cards
accompanying information to be provided on the special conditions and preferential treatments

All of the above must be accessible for persons with disabilities.

Background

This initiative is built on the experience of the ongoing EU Disability Card pilot project launched in February 2026 in 8 EU countries and the EU parking card for people with disabilities based on Council Recommendation 98/376.

You can access to the national EU Disability Card websites of:

In addition, Croatia is implementing an EU-funded project and will put in place already the two new cards after the adoption of the new Directives.

A public consultation on the European Disability Card and the European Parking Card initiative was held in February-May 2023.

The proposal for the 2 cards delivers on a commitment made by the Commission in the EU’s Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030.