How to Get a Handicap Placard in Virginia: Qualify, Apply, Renew

To get a handicap placard in Virginia, download the DMV’s MED 10 application, fill out the applicant section, and have a licensed physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, podiatrist, or chiropractor complete the medical certification. Submit the signed form to any DMV Customer Service Center or mail it to the Richmond address on the form. Individual placards, whether temporary or permanent, are free.¹

Who Qualifies

Virginia law covers a wide range of conditions. Your certifying provider decides whether you meet one of them.² The qualifying conditions include:

Inability to walk 200 feet without stopping to rest.
Inability to walk without a brace, cane, crutch, prosthetic device, wheelchair, or help from another person.
Lung disease with forced expiratory volume under one liter per second, or resting arterial oxygen below 60 mm Hg on room air.
Reliance on portable oxygen.
A Class III or Class IV cardiac condition under American Heart Association standards.
An arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition that severely limits walking.
Any other debilitating condition that, in your doctor’s judgment, limits your ability to walk.
An autism spectrum disorder, developmental delay, or similar condition that impairs judgment.
Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia.
Legal blindness or deafness.
Any other condition that creates a safety concern while walking due to impaired judgment or physical, developmental, or mental limitations.

That last category is a genuine catch-all. If your condition doesn’t fit the specific items above but walking still poses a real safety risk, your doctor can still certify you.²

How to Apply

The application is the MED 10, titled Disabled Parking Placard or License Plates Application. Download it from the Virginia DMV website or pick one up at any DMV Customer Service Center.³

You complete the applicant section with your full legal name, current home address, and either your DMV-assigned customer number or Social Security number. The rest goes to your healthcare provider. A licensed physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, podiatrist, or chiropractor fills out the medical certification, describes your disability, and marks whether it is temporary or permanent.³

Once you and the provider have signed, you have two submission options:

In person at any DMV Customer Service Center or DMV Select office. Staff can check the paperwork while you’re there, which catches small mistakes before they slow things down.
By mail to Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, P.O. Box 85815, Richmond, VA 23285-5815.

The placard is produced by an outside vendor and mailed to the address on your application.¹

Temporary or Permanent

Which placard you receive depends on how long your provider expects your condition to last.

A temporary placard is for conditions expected to improve. Your doctor sets the duration, up to a maximum of 12 months. Temporary placards cannot be renewed. If you still need parking privileges when it expires, you file a new MED 10 with fresh medical certification.⁴

A permanent placard is valid for five years and can be renewed when it approaches expiration. Renewal does not require a new medical certification.⁴ Both types are free for individual Virginia residents.¹

What the Placard Lets You Do

Your placard lets you park in any space marked with the International Symbol of Access. It also lets you park for up to four hours in metered or time-restricted spaces without paying, unless the locality has specifically prohibited that.⁵

Virginia placards are recognized in all 50 states and in many other countries, so you don’t need a separate permit when traveling domestically.⁵

Permanent placard holders must carry the Disabled Parking Placard Identification Card issued with the placard and show it to law enforcement on request.²

Renewing or Replacing

Renew a permanent placard in person at any DMV Customer Service Center or DMV Select office, or by mail to the same Richmond P.O. Box used for initial applications. No new medical certification is needed.⁴

If your placard is lost, stolen, or damaged, the DMV replaces it at no charge. You complete the applicant and certification sections of the MED 10, but you don’t need new medical certification as long as a valid placard is already on file. If your permanent placard is within one year of expiration, you can renew for a fresh five-year term instead of simply replacing the old one.⁶

Don’t Lend Your Placard

One warning worth keeping in mind once your placard arrives. Using someone else’s placard when you are not transporting a person with a qualifying disability is a Class 2 misdemeanor, and giving your placard to a non-disabled person to use is a Class 3 misdemeanor.⁷ Lending the placard to a family member who doesn’t qualify is a common way people turn a convenience into a criminal record.

1
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Apply for a Disabled Parking Placard or License Plate
2
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-1240 – Definitions
3
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. MED 10 Disabled Parking Placard or License Plates Application
4
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Renew or Replace a Disabled Parking Placard or License Plate
5
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Disabled Parking Placards and Plates Privileges
6
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. DLG-2205 Replacement Procedures
7
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code Chapter 12.1 – Parking for Persons with Disabilities