How to Complete the Maryland VR-210 Disability Parking Placard Application

To apply for a Maryland disability parking placard or disability license plates, you complete Form VR-210, the Application for Maryland Parking Placards/License Plates. The form has three parts: your information (Section A), vehicle information if you want plates (Section B), and a medical certification your healthcare provider signs (Section C). Placards are free. You can submit the finished form online, by mail, or in person at any full-service MVA branch.¹

Where to Get the Form

Download the VR-210 as a PDF from the MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration website, or pick up a paper copy at any full-service MVA branch.¹ If you have limited mobility and no internet access, the MVA’s automated phone system can mail a copy to your home. Work from the current version; outdated editions can delay processing.

Filling Out Section A

Section A is yours. Start by checking the box that matches your situation: new application, replacement, lost, or stolen. Then choose what you want — one or two permanent placards, one or two temporary placards, disability license plates, or motorcycle plates.²

Enter your full legal name, date of birth, Maryland driver’s license or state ID number, phone, and email. Put your residential street address in the address block. If your mailing address is different, use the separate line provided. The MVA sends the placard to the mailing address, so double-check it. Sign and date the section before you move on.

If the Applicant Is a Minor

When the person with the disability is a child, a parent or legal guardian fills out and signs Section A for them.³ The guardian’s name, date of birth, license number, and contact information go in the guardianship block at the bottom of the section.

Section B: Only If You Want Plates

Skip Section B if you’re only requesting a placard. Fill it in only when you want disability license plates or motorcycle plates.² Enter the vehicle title number for the car that will carry the plates. For motorcycle plates, there are separate title-number fields for up to two motorcycles. Sign and date the bottom of the section.

Section C: The Medical Certification

You don’t complete Section C. Hand the form to your healthcare provider’s office and let them fill it in. Under Maryland law, any of the following professionals can certify your disability:⁴

Licensed physician
Licensed physician assistant
Certified nurse practitioner
Licensed chiropractor
Licensed optometrist
Licensed podiatrist
Licensed physical therapist

The provider checks whether the disability is permanent, temporary, or whether you are a 100-percent disabled veteran, then selects the disability code that matches your condition. They provide their office address, medical license number, state of issuance, and license expiration date, and then sign and date the form. For a temporary placard, the provider must also specify how many months it should be valid and write a short reason for the temporary disability.²

Self-Certification for Limb Loss

There is one exception. If you have lost a foot, leg, hand, or arm (Disability Code 6), you can self-certify by appearing in person at an MVA branch with valid identification.² No provider signature is required in that case.

Conditions That Qualify

Your provider selects one of nine categories on the form:⁴

Severe lung disease, with forced expiratory volume under one liter measured by spirometry, or arterial oxygen tension below 60 mm/Hg on room air at rest.
Cardiovascular disease at Class III or IV under American Heart Association standards.
Inability to walk 200 feet without stopping to rest.
Inability to walk without a brace, cane, crutch, prosthetic device, wheelchair, or assistance from another person.
Wheelchair dependence.
Loss of a foot, leg, hand, or arm.
Loss of the functional use of a foot, leg, hand, or arm.
Central visual acuity of 20/200 or worse in the better eye with corrective lenses, or a visual field of 20 degrees or less in the better eye.
Another permanent ambulatory disability severe enough that denying accessible parking would cause hardship or risk of injury.

The ninth category gives providers some flexibility, but the condition still must affect your ability to walk. Conditions that don’t touch mobility generally won’t qualify, however serious they may be.

Submitting the Completed Form

Once you and your provider have signed, you have three options:

Online: scan or photograph the completed VR-210 and upload it through the myMVA online services portal.²
Mail: send the form to Motor Vehicle Administration, 6601 Ritchie Highway N.E., Glen Burnie, Maryland 21062, Attn: Disability Unit, Room 202.¹
In person: bring the form to any full-service MVA branch. If someone else drops it off for you, they must show a state-issued ID.²

Include payment if you’re requesting plates. Approved placards arrive by mail at the address on the form. Keep a copy of the completed VR-210 in case anything is lost in transit.

Fees

Parking placards are free, whether new, replacement, or temporary.² Disability license plates and motorcycle plates cost $40.00 as a substitute tag fee. If your registration is due for renewal at the same time, you’ll owe the standard registration fee on top of the $40.00.

How Many You Can Hold

Without disability plates, you can receive up to two placards. If you already have a set of disability plates on one vehicle, you’re limited to one additional placard. The combination of plates and placards can’t exceed two.³ A placard is assigned to you, not to a vehicle, so you can move it between cars you ride in.

How Long the Placard Lasts

Permanent placards do not expire. They display the word “PERMANENT” and remain valid until the holder’s death.¹ Once the MVA is notified of a holder’s death, it marks the placard as expired and asks that it be returned.

Temporary placards can be valid for anywhere from three weeks to six months, depending on what your provider writes in Section C.⁵ If your condition lasts longer than expected, submit a new VR-210 with a fresh medical certification. There is no simple renewal extension for temporary placards.

Replacing a Lost, Stolen, or Damaged Placard

For a replacement, fill out a new VR-210 but complete only Section A. You do not need another medical certification.² Check the appropriate box for replacement, lost, or stolen, and include the old placard number. If the placard was stolen, add the police report number and the jurisdiction where you filed the report. There is no fee. Submit the form the same three ways: online, by mail, or in person.

1
MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration. Disability Plates and Placards
2
MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration. Application for Maryland Parking Placards/License Plates VR-210
3
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Transportation 13-616.1 – Parking Placards for Individuals With Disabilities
4
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Transportation 13-616 – Special Registration Plates for Individuals With Disabilities
5
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Transportation 13-616.2