Disabled Parking Permit Usage in the United States

AAA recommends that disabled drivers from other countries driving in the United States and Canada who need the use of designated parking spaces, should consider the following. These rules apply to all states in the United States, and provinces throughout Canada:

• Travel with the same credentials normally displayed in your home country.

• Travel with a letter from your physician stating the nature of your disability.

• Display your permit by hanging it from the rearview mirror, or by placing it on the dashboard so that it can be seen through all windows of the vehicle (and the front and back). This international disabled symbol is a side view of a wheelchair.

• If you need additional details, contact the nearest State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) or the Department of Transportation (DOT), listed in the middle “government offices” section of any phone book, or call the local police department, concerning a temporary use parking permit once you have arrived in the United States.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a final ruling that provides guidelines to all states for the establishment of a uniform parking system for drivers with disabilities that limit or impair the ability to walk. The guidelines include minimum requirements to be incorporated into all state systems. Under the DOT guidelines, placards must be hung from the windshield rearview mirror (or placed on the dashboard) so they can be viewed from the front and rear of a car, helping law enforcement personnel to easily recognize whether a vehicle is legally parked.

If you need additional information, please contact AAA International Relations.

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