Concessionary travel pass guidance
When you will receive your travel pass
We aim to process your application within 10 working days of receiving your form.
Once processed, travel passes are usually sent to your home address within 5 to 10 working days.
If you have applied for a new travel pass before your date of eligibility, we will issue your travel pass up to 10 working days before your eligibility date.
Your eligibility date is:
- For age-related travel passes: Your 66th birthday
- For disabled travel passes: Your 5th birthday
Automatic renewals
We will issue automatically renewed travel passes before your current travel pass expires.
Read more about renewing an age-related travel pass or renewing a disabled travel pass.
Contact us if you have not automatically received your renewed travel pass.
Changing your details on your travel pass
You must notify us if your details or circumstances change.
Change your address or contact details online.
If you are posting documents, please send copies. Do not send original documents.
Changing your address
You must notify us of a change in address at least four weeks before your current pass is due to expire.
You must send us proof of address for your new address. This can include recent (no more than 12 months old) copies of a:
- Bank statement
- Benefit award letter from the Department for Work and Pensions (Previously known as Benefit book)
- Council tax bill
- Driving licence
- Letter or statement from HMRC
- Medical or optical prescription
- Letter from the pension service (Previously known as pension book or statement of entitlement to pension)
- Utilities bill (not a credit card or mobile phone bill)
If you do not notify us of a change in address at least four weeks before your pass is due to expire, you must pay a £13 admin fee.
If you are moving to an address outside of Norfolk you must:
- Return your pass to us
- Tell us that you have moved away from Norfolk
You will then need to apply to the relevant authority covering your new address to issue you with a new pass.
Changing your name
You must notify us of a name change.
You must send us proof of identity for your new name. This can include a:
- Birth certificate
- Deed poll certificate
- Driving licence with a photograph
- Driving licence without a photograph
- Passport
- Letter from the pension service (Previously known as pension book or statement of entitlement to pension)
If you would like a new travel pass with your new name on, before your current pass expires, you must pay a £13 admin fee.
Changing your photograph
You can update your photograph free of charge if your pass is due to expire within six months. You can email or post us the new photograph.
If your pass is still valid for more than six months, you must pay a £13 admin fee to change your photograph.
You don't need a new photograph every time your pass expires. We'll send you a new pass automatically. But, if your appearance changes a lot, you should send us a new photograph six months before your pass expires. If you don't, you might be refused to travel.
We accept legible photographs as well as scans.
Paying the admin fee
The admin fee covers us changing your details and sending you a new pass before the expiration date and automatic renewal.
You can pay the admin fee:
- Via cheque or postal order. Make this payable to Norfolk County Council.
- Over the phone. View our contact details.
Contact us
Change your address or contact details online.
You can notify us of a change in your details and send proof of identity and new photographs to us via email or post. View our contact details.
Replacement travel pass
You can get a replacement travel pass if your pass is:
- Lost
- Stolen
- Damaged
We only print replacement travel passes for those issued within the Norfolk district.
If you are now living in Norfolk after previously receiving a travel pass from another county, you must apply for a new pass from us:
If you need a replacement pass for a county other than Norfolk, contact your local council.
If your travel pass was:
- Still valid for more than two months, you must pay £13 for a replacement pass. This is payable in advance. This fee is not refundable should you find a lost pass at a later date.
- Due to expire within the next two months then we may be able to send a replacement pass free of charge
We do not require a new photograph for replacement passes.
Get a replacement travel pass online
You can also request a replacement pass over the phone. View our contact details.
How to pay for a replacement travel pass
You can pay for a replacement travel pass:
- Online via the Get a replacement travel pass form
- Via cheque or postal order. Make this payable to Norfolk County Council.
- Over the phone. View our contact details
Contact us
To contact us for more information and find our postal address, view our contact details.
Deferred applications
If you have applied online and we can't verify your details, your application will be deferred.
This does not necessarily mean that you are not eligible for a concessionary travel pass.
We may have been unable to verify your identity with the details you submitted because:
- The personal details you submitted may not exactly match those held in the database. Learn more about how to change your details.
- You may have applied for your new travel pass or renewal too early. If you applied too early please try again later. Learn more about when you can apply for an age-related travel pass. Read more about renewing an age-related travel pass or renewing a disabled travel pass.
- Your existing travel pass may have already expired. Read more about renewing an age-related travel pass or renewing a disabled travel pass.
- The pass you are trying to renew was originally issued by another local authority outside of Norfolk. You will need to apply for a new travel pass from us. Read more about how to apply for an age-related travel pass or how to apply for a disabled travel pass.
How to continue with a deferred application
We will email you to tell you if your application has been deferred and tell you what to do next.
To continue with a new online application, you can email or post us:
- Your name
- Your address
- Your online application number
- Copies of your proof of identity. This can include a passport, driving licence or birth certificate. This must be in the same name as your application.
- Copies of your proof of address. This can include a utility bill, bank statement, or any other official letter. This must be in your own name and must not be older than 12 months.
What to do if your travel pass is not scanning
Ticket machines can reject travel passes for the following reasons:
If your travel pass is invalid
If your travel pass is invalid a red light flashes and the ticket machine says 'Invalid' or 'No Valid Ticket'.
This could be because:
- You are trying to use your travel pass outside of valid times. Find out when you can use your age-related travel pass or when you can use your disabled travel pass.
- Your travel pass has expired. Your pass will have the expiry date printed on it. You must renew your travel pass. Read more about renewing an age-related travel pass or renewing a disabled travel pass.
If your travel pass is hotlisted
If your travel pass is hotlisted a red light flashes and the ticket machine says 'Hotlisted' or 'Blocked'.
This could be because:
- We have cancelled your travel card
- Your travel card has been reported as lost or stolen
Hotlisted passes are not valid for travel. Drivers will take the hotlisted pass out of circulation.
If your travel pass has been lost or stolen, you can apply for a replacement pass.
If your travel pass is damaged
If your travel pass is damaged, no light flashes and the ticket machine does not recognise the pass at all.
This means that the electronic chip in the card has been damaged.
You must replace a damaged travel pass. Apply for a replacement pass.
Drivers can manually record the pass and allow travel if your pass is visually acceptable, such as:
- If the pass is in date
- If the photograph on the pass matches the customer trying to use it
Drivers will tell you to order a replacement pass as you could be refused travel in the future.
You must pay £13 for a replacement pass.
If you order a replacement pass because your pass is not recognised, but you believe that your pass is undamaged:
- You can return the pass to us with a covering letter via post. View our contact details for our postal address.
- We will test your card
- If we find your card to be faulty but undamaged we will refund you the £13
What to do if the pass holder dies
Our Tell us once service covers:
- Age-related travel passes
- Disabled travel passes
If you use this service, you will not need to do anything further.
If you do not use this service, you must return the pass to us with a covering letter so that we can amend our records.
View our contact details for our postal address.
Contact the concessionary travel team
You can contact us via:
concessionarytravel@norfolk.gov.uk
Telephone
Call our customer service centre.
Post
Concessionary Travel
Norfolk County Council
Martineau Lane
Norwich
NR1 2SG
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