The CEA Card explained: a free ticket for the person who comes with you to the cinema
If you or your child need someone with you at the cinema, the CEA Card means that person does not have to pay. It costs £6.50 a year and works at most UK cinemas. Here is how it works and how to apply without the form coming back.
The short version
- One free ticket for the person who comes with you, when you buy a full-price ticket for yourself for the same showing in one transaction.
- £6.50, valid for 1 year from the date it is issued.
- For anyone aged 5 or over who needs to be accompanied at the cinema because of their disability.
- About 90 per cent of UK cinemas accept it.
- Usually arrives within 10 working days of the CEA Card team receiving your payment.
What the card does
The CEA Card is run on behalf of the UK Cinema Association. It started in 2004 as one way for cinemas to make reasonable adjustments for disabled customers who need help during a visit.
When you show the card, you get one free ticket for someone to go with you. The catch is that you have to buy a full-price ticket for yourself, for the same film, the same performance and the same screen, in a single transaction. If you are using a discounted ticket for yourself, check with the cinema how the free ticket works.
The free ticket assumes the person with you is there to help. The scheme gives examples such as helping you get around the cinema and find your seat, helping you leave in an emergency, going with you to the toilet and helping you buy food and drinks.
Who can get one
You need to be 5 or over and need someone with you at the cinema because of the effect of your disability. There are three ways to show that:
- Evidence that the disabled person gets Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Adult Disability Payment or Child Disability Payment, Pension Age Disability Payment or Armed Forces Independence Payment. The scheme’s list does not mention a minimum rate.
- Evidence that the disabled person is registered severely sight impaired (blind) or sight impaired (partially sighted).
- If neither applies, or you cannot find the paperwork, you can still apply. The team will look at your application individually.
The scheme does not accept some things as automatic proof: other access cards (including the Access Card), a Disabled Persons Railcard, Freedom Pass or Blue Badge, Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance letters, and referral letters, appointment letters or prescriptions. You can still mention them in an individual application, but they will not get you through on their own.
Applying for a child
If your child is between 5 and 16, you apply for them, but the card is in their name and has their photo, because they are the person who needs the help. You need parental responsibility, which means being their parent or legal guardian.
The evidence has to be in the child’s name. The CEA Card team’s own example is useful here: if your child gets a disability benefit and you get Carer’s Allowance, they need to see the child’s award letter, not yours. When applying online, choose the option that says you are completing it on behalf of the person who needs help.
Because the card belongs to the cardholder rather than the carer, anyone can be the person who goes with them. That might be a parent one week and a grandparent, friend or support worker the next.
How to apply
- Go to ceacard.co.uk/apply. You can apply online or by post.
- Have your evidence ready: an award letter or statement for one of the payments above, or your sight impairment certificate. A clear photo or scan is fine online. If you post original documents and want them back, include a stamped addressed envelope, otherwise they are shredded.
- Add a photo. It does not need to be a passport photo. A clear head-and-shoulders selfie is fine, but avoid a window or busy background behind you, and do not use a photo of an old CEA Card, Blue Badge or passport.
- Pay the £6.50 fee. If you pay by post, make a cheque or postal order out to CEA Card.
- Wait up to 10 working days after your payment is received. If nothing arrives, the scheme asks you to wait 3 weeks after the despatch email before getting in touch.
Using the card
Check that your cinema takes part using the participating cinemas list. Each card has a unique number that cinemas use to check it when you pre-book or at the box office. How you book varies by cinema, so check their website. Take the card with you, because staff may ask to see it.
Cinemas that do not take part still have to make reasonable adjustments. The CEA Card site says so directly. If your local cinema is not on the list, ask them what they offer instead.
Renewing, replacing and cancelling
The card lasts a year and does not renew itself. A renewal is treated like a new application, so you need to upload your evidence again. Having had a card before does not guarantee you will get another one. If your card is lost, stolen or damaged, you apply and pay again.
If you change your mind after applying, contact the CEA Card team quickly. They refund the fee up to the point the card is printed, but not after, because it is personalised.
Your eligibility documents are deleted 14 days after the card is issued. The card itself has a notch to help blind and partially sighted people find the right way round, and you can ask for a braille label.
Related entitlement pages
- CEA Card — A cinema card that lets a companion go free when you buy a full-price ticket at participating cinemas.
- Access Card (Nimbus) — A widely used access and companion card for venues, theatres and attractions, showing the adjustments you need.
- Carer and companion concessions at attractions — Many visitor attractions offer a free or reduced essential-companion ticket if you are disabled and need support to visit.
- Disability Living Allowance for children — A tax-free benefit for children under 16 who need extra care or have mobility needs.
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP) — A tax-free benefit to help with extra costs of a long-term disability or health condition, paid at daily living and mobility rates.
Organisations that can help
These are listings from our directory. They are not a recommendation, and they may not cover your area.
Equality Advisory and Support Service
Free service providing advice on discrimination and human rights issues in England, Scotland and Wales. It can help you understand your rights and next steps; it is not a solicitor firm.
Community care and discrimination
Disability Rights UK
National disabled people's organisation. Its own helplines cover personal budgets and direct payments, and disabled students in post-16 education in England — not general social security benefits advice. Opening hours are limited; check the website.
Benefits advice and welfare rights
Frequently asked questions
Does my child need a particular rate of DLA for a CEA Card?
The CEA Card eligibility page lists Disability Living Allowance without a minimum rate. It also lets you apply without a listed benefit, in which case your application is looked at individually.
Can different people take turns coming with me?
Yes. The card is in the disabled person’s name, so whoever goes with them can use the free ticket, as long as the cardholder is there and you buy their full-price ticket in the same transaction.
Will a Blue Badge or Universal Credit letter do as evidence?
Not on its own. The scheme says it does not accept a Blue Badge, Disabled Persons Railcard, Freedom Pass, other access cards, Universal Credit or ESA letters as automatic proof.
My cinema does not take the CEA Card. What can I do?
Ask what reasonable adjustments they offer instead. The CEA Card site says cinemas that do not accept the card still need to make reasonable adjustments. If you think you have been treated unfairly, the Equality Advisory and Support Service can advise in England, Scotland and Wales.
This guide is part of our Days out, cinema and carer concessions if you are disabled guide. You might also want: Days out with the Max Card, Changing Places toilets and the Radar key, Access Card and companion tickets.