Apply for an under 22s bus pass

Your National Entitlement Card (NEC) or Young Scot NEC will be your bus pass. You can either:

• apply for a new card online or through your local council
• add free bus travel to your existing card if you’re over 16

If you’re aged 16 to 21, you’ll need to apply for  the bus pass yourself.

If you’re a parent, guardian or carer of a child aged 5 to 15, you'll need to apply for them.

Children aged 5 to 11 will get a bus pass without a photo. This will expire when they turn 12, but they can get a new bus pass with a photo from age 11.

You can only apply for one bus pass at a time. If you’re applying for more than one young person, you need to complete a separate application for each of them.

Apply online

There are 2 ways to apply online:

• at getyournec.scot
• through Parentsportal if you’re applying for a child under 16 whose school uses it

What you need to apply online

You'll need:

• a laptop, tablet, phone or other device with a camera
• a myaccount – you can register if you do not already have one
• a recent photo – if the bus pass is for someone aged 11 or older
• proof of address
• proof of identity

Find out what you can use as proof of address and proof of identity on NEC.scot.

If you’re applying for a child under 16, you’ll need proof of address and identity for both of you. You’ll also need proof of your relationship to them, such as:

• a full birth certificate
• an adoption certificate
• something that shows you’re the main person looking after your child

Find out what you can use as proof of relationship on freebus.scot.

If you do not have all the documents you need, you cannot apply online. You’ll need to apply through your local council instead.

Help with your online application

If you need help with your application, you can either:

• visit the getyournec.scot Help Centre
• visit the Parentsportal help page

Apply through your local council

If you cannot or do not want to apply online, you can apply through your local council.

How you can apply and how long it will take depends on the council. Your council will tell you the best way to apply in your area.

Add free bus travel to an existing card

If you’re over 16 and already have a Young Scot NEC or other NEC, you might be able to add free bus travel to your card with Transport Scotland’s Pass Collect app.

After you've applied

If you apply online, the Improvement Service, which  runs getyournec.scot, will process your application. If you apply through your local council, the council will process your application.

Once they approve your application, they'll post your card to you within 10 working days.

If they reject your application, they'll tell you why. You can then apply again.