UK Passport Photo Requirements
HM Passport Office is stricter than most: the photo must be taken within the last month, the mouth closed, the background cream or light grey, and nothing altered by software. Check your picture against those rules here before you pay for a print or start the online form.
Passport Photo
or drop JPG, JPEG, JFIF … files here ·
Max 95 MB per file· Up to 20 files· Deleted after 30 minutes
Files are processed on our servers and deleted after 30 minutes.
Quality is lowered until the photo is at or just under this size; tiny files are padded up to the spec's minimum.
300 DPI is the print standard for passport photos; a 35×45 mm photo is then 413×531 px.
Place several copies on a 4×6 in (10×15 cm) photo print or an A4 page, ready for a photo kiosk or home printer.
How many photos on the sheet. A 4×6 in print fits 6 photos of 2×2 in or 6 of 35×45 mm; an A4 sheet fits more.
How to use this tool
- 1
Get someone else to take it
Stand in front of a plain cream or light grey wall with your head, shoulders and upper body in frame. GOV.UK does not accept a selfie at arm's length.
- 2
Check the head band
The UK preset draws the Head-size guide at 29–34 mm inside a 45 × 35 mm frame. Background stays on Keep original, because the photo must not be altered.
- 3
Export a print-size file
Press Make for a 600 × 750 px JPG, then have a lab print it at 45 × 35 mm on plain white photo paper.
What are the UK passport photo requirements?
Printed: 45 mm high × 35 mm wide, head 29–34 mm, cream or light grey background, taken within the last month. Digital: at least 600 × 750 px, 50 KB to 10 MB.
UK passport photo size for print and online
35 × 45 mm
Printed photo
Head 29–34 mm, no border, two identical copies
600 × 750 px
Digital, minimum
50 KB to 10 MB, upload uncropped
4 × 6 in
Lab print sheet
Cut both copies from one print
UK passport photo rules for adults, children and babies
Full head and upper shoulders, facing the camera, neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open and visible.
- No hair over the eyes
- Head coverings only for religious or medical reasons
- Avoid glasses; never tinted lenses
Same size and background, but a neutral expression and a direct gaze are not required.
- Child alone in the photo
- No toys in frame
Eyes may be closed. Lay the baby on a plain light sheet and shoot from above.
- No dummy or toy
- Any supporting hand must not be visible
What the UK preset changes, and what it leaves alone
The preset frames you for the 45 × 35 mm print and exports 600 × 750 px, the GOV.UK digital minimum, which is over 400 DPI at print size. Auto-centre face puts your chin and crown inside the 29–34 mm band, the geometry an examiner measures first.
It does not smooth skin, brighten eyes or swap the wall, because GOV.UK rejects photos altered by software. Shadows and a colored wall have to be fixed when you shoot. If you are not sure what to wear against a light grey wall, see what to wear for a passport photo.
For a paper application, GOV.UK wants two identical photos printed to a professional standard on plain white photo paper, kept loose and not cut down from a larger picture. Order the file as a lab print rather than printing at home.
Common reasons HM Passport Office sends a photo back
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| Take it within a month of applying | Use a beauty filter or retouching app |
| Keep the mouth closed | Crop a self-taken photo for the online form |
| Shoot against cream or light grey | Write on the back without a countersignatory |
| Send prints loose, not clipped to the form | Print on matte office paper with a border |
UK passport photo questions
How recent does a UK passport photo have to be?
Taken within the last month, the shortest window of any major passport office. You also need a new photo for every new passport, even if you look exactly the same as last time.
Can I take a UK passport photo with my phone for the online application?
Yes. Ask someone else to take it, use a plain light background and upload it uncropped: GOV.UK asks for at least 600 × 750 px and a file between 50 KB and 10 MB, and its own service does the crop.
What background color does a UK passport photo need?
Printed photos need plain cream or light grey. For digital photos GOV.UK says plain and light-colored, in clear contrast to you. White walls often read as cream in daylight; a bright white studio flash can fail the contrast rule with pale skin or light hair.
Why does this page keep my original background?
GOV.UK says the photo must not be altered by computer software, and swapping the wall counts as altering. The crop and resize only change the frame, not your face, so shoot against a suitable wall and keep Keep original selected.
Who signs the back of a UK passport photo?
Only a countersignatory, and only when your application needs one, for example a first passport or when you cannot be recognized from the old one. Otherwise both sides stay unmarked. GOV.UK's countersigning page lists who qualifies.
Is the UK size the same as a Schengen photo?
The frame is the same 35 × 45 mm, but the UK head band is 29–34 mm and the Schengen one 32–36 mm, so the same file is rarely perfect for both. Use Schengen visa photo size for a European visa.