Please note: this guidance is for Zones H01, M01-M03, N01, SJ01, SS01 and TC01-TC10
How does it work?
Under our virtual e-permit system you will still obtain the annual visitor permit at the same cost of £15 per year. Instead of receiving a paper permit in the post, you will allocate the e-permit to your visitor’s vehicles throughout the year via your account. In the same way a paper permit could only be displayed in one vehicle at a time, the permit can only be ‘active’ against one vehicle at a time.
When you apply you have the option to add as many registrations as you want. You don’t have to enter any; you can enter a zero and just add them as and when required. But the system gives the flexibility for you to add frequent visitors vehicles at the point of application if you wish to - it is down to the applicant to decide. You can have 99 vehicles listed on the permit at one time, although as explained only one can be ‘active’. This page provides more detail if you require assistance.
What does ‘active’ mean?
We use the word ‘active’ this means the registration that the permit is linked to at that time. When a visitor parks during the restricted time, the visitor permit will need to be active on their vehicle registration for our Civil Enforcement Officers to see that they have a valid permit. The permit can only be active in one vehicle at a time, in the same way a paper permit could only be displayed in one vehicle at a time. You could have a permit with 10 vehicles listed but when our Civil Enforcement Officers are checking if a vehicle has a valid permit, the permit will only show on the active vehicle.
The application process
When applying for the annual permit, you will be asked how many vehicles you wish to register for the permit - the system will automatically default to zero.
If you have regular visitors vehicle registrations that you want to add at the time of the application, you can enter the number of vehicles you want to add and it will give you a box for each one. If you entered one vehicle, you’ll be asked to enter one registration. The permit will automatically be active on that vehicle. If you only have one person that visits you throughout the year, the permit would remain active on that vehicle for the whole year, unless changed.
If you want to enter two or more registrations at the point of applying, the application will ask you to enter vehicle registration for the number of vehicles chosen. Note that the first registration is the one that will be ‘active’ when the permit is issued. Any others will be listed on the permit for you to easily change to active as and when required.
Your permit will not be ready for use until you have had confirmation that your permit has been issued. We aim to respond to all applications within two working days. If your application is successful, you will be ‘offered’ a permit which will prompt you to make payment for the permit. After payment is made, the permit will be ‘issued’ instantly.
Once you have notification that your annual permit has been issued, it will show under ‘my permits’ in your account and is ready for use. You can see all active permits there. Next to the ‘PPA Visitors Permit’ is a green button with a car logo on the right hand side. Selecting this will take you to the vehicles page, which lists all the vehicles on the permit and give you the options to add and remove vehicles, as well as change active vehicles.
Adding vehicles and changing ‘active’ vehicles
The first vehicle registration shown in your list is the active vehicle, demonstrated by a green tick symbol on the right hand side.
To add additional vehicles to your list, select the '+ add vehicle' button, proceed to enter registration and then press save. The registration will then show in the list.
To change the active vehicle, you select the ‘switch vehicle’ button and you will be prompted to select the vehicle from a drop down for you to select from and press save.
Once you select the vehicle you want to be active, it will be indicated as active on the permit and showing at the top of the list. These changes will reflect on our Civil Enforcement Officers handheld devices within a matter of seconds.
How long does a vehicle remain active for?
Once a vehicle is made active, it will remain the active registration until you change it. The system gives the flexibility to prepare in advance too. If for example you were not expecting any visitors for a few days but knew you had a friend or relative coming on a certain day, you could add their vehicle and make their vehicle active on the permit now, so it’s ready for when they arrive.
Important
Ensuring that you enter your visitor’s vehicle registrations correctly is key. Please also ensure that you make your visitors vehicle registration active on your visitor permit. Failure to do so may result in a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) being issued.
Further information and support
If you have any questions, please telephone 01474 337000 or email parking.permits@gravesham.gov.uk