British passport photo requirements and free photo maker

UK passport photo requirements

UK passport photo requirements

Print size	35 x 45 mm
Head height (chin to top of head)	29–34 mm
Background	Printed photos: plain cream or light gray. Digital photos: plain and light-colored. In clear contrast to you, with no shadows, patterns or objects
Expression	Neutral, mouth closed, eyes open
Glasses	Only if you have to wear them: no sunglasses or tinted lenses, no glare, eyes fully visible
Head covering	Only for religious or medical reasons
How recent	Taken in the last month
Digital photo	Online application: at least 600 x 750 pixels and 50 KB to 10 MB, in color, showing your head, shoulders and upper body (the service crops it)

• Paper application: 2 identical printed photos, not a cut-down version of a larger picture; if you need a countersignature, only one is signed on the back
• Printed to a professional standard in color on plain white photo paper with no border, no creases or marks; HM Passport Office does not accept glossy or textured paper
• No red eye, no hair in front of your eyes and nothing covering your face
• No shadows on your face or behind you
• No other people or objects; babies must not hold toys or use dummies
• Your face must not be edited: no retouching, beauty filters or effects
• No headphones or earphones; hearing aids are fine

Official source: GOV.UK — Get a passport photo: Digital photos

Digital photo or printed photos: which do you need?

It depends on how you apply.

• Online application (to apply for, renew or replace a passport; it is £13.50 cheaper than applying by post): you need one digital photo. You can add it in two ways: enter a photo code from a photo booth or shop, or use a photo taken with your own device, either during the application or at home beforehand.
• Paper application form (from a Post Office, sent by post): you need 2 identical printed photos, 45 mm high by 35 mm wide. If your application needs a countersignature, one of them is signed on the back.

The same rules apply to both: a recent color photo of you alone, facing the camera with a plain expression, against a plain light background. The digital file from this tool is for the online route; the print sheet is for the paper form.

What is a UK passport photo code?

Many photo booths and shops in the UK can give you a digital passport photo with a code. When you take the photo, choose the option to get a code. During the online application you type in the code, and the photo is added to your application without you downloading or uploading anything.

A code is convenient, but it is not required. If you took your own photo, you use it in the application instead, and it goes through the same automatic photo check. This tool gives you that file for free, sized and checked, without sending your photo anywhere.

How to take a UK passport photo at home

1. Find a plain light wall. Cream, light gray or off-white work best. Avoid patterned wallpaper, pictures, doors and furniture behind you.
2. Stand about half a meter in front of it. The gap stops your shadow from falling on the wall behind you.
3. Light your face evenly. Face a window in daylight or a soft lamp. A light to one side or straight above leaves shadows on your face; turn off the flash to avoid red eye.
4. Get ready. Take off hats, headphones and earphones (hearing aids can stay), move your hair away from your eyes, and take off your glasses if you can manage without them.
5. Ask someone to take the photo. They should stand about 1.5 meters away, hold the phone at your eye level and use the normal back camera, with no zoom, portrait mode, beauty mode or filters. Include your head, shoulders and upper body.
6. Face the camera. Head straight, eyes open, mouth closed and a plain expression.
7. Upload the photo above. The tool finds your face, checks the rules below and gives you the online file and the print sheet.

Using your own photo in the online application

When you apply online and choose to use your own photo, upload the digital photo file from this tool. It is a JPEG of at least 600 x 750 pixels and under 10 MB that shows your head, shoulders and upper body, as GOV.UK asks: do not crop it yourself, because the service crops it for you.

The application then checks the photo automatically and shows you the result. If it reports a problem, the safest choice is to take a new photo. You can still submit the photo if you think the result is wrong, or if a medical or religious reason stops you from meeting a rule, but you must explain why, and an examiner makes the final decision.

What the tool checks for a UK passport

On the 35 x 45 mm frame, the tool measures your head from crown to chin against the 29–34 mm range and checks that you are centered and straight. It also checks that your eyes are open and your mouth is closed, that the photo is sharp, evenly lit and well exposed, and that the background is plain and light. It cannot see whether you need your glasses, or why you wear a head covering, so those are up to you.

By default the tool replaces your background with plain light gray, or cream if you prefer. HM Passport Office’s guidance allows edits to the background that leave your own image untouched, such as removing shadows, and accepts changes to brightness and contrast. The tool never smooths skin or changes your features, which would be rejected. If you would rather keep your own wall, choose Original background.

Common reasons UK passport photos are rejected

• Shadows on your face or on the wall behind you, usually from a light to one side.
• Glare on glasses, or frames covering your eyes. Tinted lenses are always refused.
• Expression: a wide smile, an open mouth, a frown or a pout that changes the shape of your face.
• Head position: tilted, turned or looking away from the camera.
• Background: patterned, dark or cluttered, or not in clear contrast to your hair and face.
• Mirrored selfies: some front cameras flip the image, and HM Passport Office does not accept mirror images. Use the back camera or turn off mirroring.
• Old photos: anything taken more than a month ago, or the photo from your last passport.
• Printing problems: glossy or textured paper, creases, borders, marks, or a photo cut down from a larger picture.

Printing UK passport photos

Use Download print sheet with the 10 x 15 cm size. It places six 35 x 45 mm photos on one 10 x 15 cm (6 x 4 inch) sheet at true size, with cut guides between them, so you get the 2 identical photos a paper form needs and some spares. Each photo is laid out at 35 x 45 mm with your head already at the right size, which is what the rule against a “cut down version of a larger picture” is about.

HM Passport Office expects photos printed to a professional standard on plain white photo paper with no border, and it does not accept glossy or textured paper because it causes glare when the photo is scanned. Order a standard 6 x 4 inch print with a matte finish at a photo counter, or print at home only if your printer and paper match that quality, at 100% scale. Our UK photo cost comparison shows what shops charge for passport photos and for a single print, and the print sheet maker explains how to keep the size exact. Do not write on the photos, and send them loose, not stapled to the form.

Countersigning a UK passport photo

Some paper applications must be countersigned: first adult and child passports, replacements for lost, stolen or damaged passports, renewals for children aged 11 or under, and renewals where you can no longer be recognized from your current passport. The countersignatory signs the form and writes on the back of one of your 2 photos: “I certify that this is a true likeness of”, then your title and full name, with their signature and the date. The other photo stays blank. It must be someone who has known you for at least 2 years, and not a relative, your partner or someone who lives at your address.

Photos of children and babies

Children must be alone in the photo, and babies must not hold toys or use a pacifier (dummy). Children under 6 do not have to look straight at the camera or have a plain expression, and babies under one do not need their eyes open. Lay a baby on a plain light-colored sheet and take the photo from above; you can support the head with your hand as long as your hand does not show. Our baby passport photo guide covers this step by step.

Frequently asked questions

What size is a UK passport photo?

A printed UK passport photo is 45 mm high and 35 mm wide, the standard size of UK photo booths. Your head, from the crown to the chin, must measure 29 to 34 mm. A digital photo for the online application must be at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall, and between 50 KB and 10 MB. The tool makes both.

What is a passport photo code?

It is a code that a photo booth or shop gives you with your digital passport photo. You enter it in the online application and HM Passport Office adds the photo to your application for you, so you never handle the file. You only get one if you choose the option for a code when you take the photo. Our tool makes a file you upload instead.

Can I take my own UK passport photo with a phone?

Yes. The online application lets you take a photo with your own device or upload one taken at home, and HM Passport Office accepts selfies that meet the rules. Ask someone to help so the camera is straight and far enough away. GOV.UK says photos from a booth or shop are more likely to be approved, so check yours carefully before you use it.

Can I wear glasses in my UK passport photo?

Only if you have to. Sunglasses and tinted glasses are never allowed. If you keep your glasses on, your eyes must be fully visible, with no glare, reflection or shadow and no frame across them. Strong lenses often cause glare, which can stop the passport system from finding your eyes, so take them off if you can see without them.

Can I smile in a UK passport photo?

No. You need a plain expression with your mouth closed and your eyes open. HM Passport Office rejects photos where a wide smile, a frown or a pout changes the shape of your face, because the passport's face recognition needs your normal features. A relaxed face with lips together is the safe choice. Children under 6 do not need a plain expression.

What background does a UK passport photo need?

GOV.UK asks for a plain cream or light gray background for printed photos and a plain light-colored one for digital photos. HM Passport Office's own guidance accepts any plain light color, including shades of white. There must be no pattern, objects or shadows behind you, and you must stand out clearly from the wall.

How recent must the photo be?

The photo must have been taken in the last month, and you need a new photo for every new passport even if you look the same. Do not reuse the photo from your current passport. If HM Passport Office delays your application, it can still accept the photos you sent at the start.

Why is the digital file larger than a passport photo?

GOV.UK asks online applicants who use their own photo to include their head, shoulders and upper body and not to crop it, because the service crops it for you. So the tool gives you an uncropped 4:5 portrait file for the online application and uses the exact 35 x 45 mm layout only for the print sheet.

Can the background of my photo be edited?

HM Passport Office's guidance says examiners can accept a photo whose background was edited, for example to remove shadows or marks, as long as your own image is not changed. It rejects photos where your face was changed, such as smoothed skin or a changed hairline. The tool only replaces the background and never retouches your face.

Sources

1. GOV.UK — Get a passport photo: Digital photos (opened September 30, 2026)
2. GOV.UK — Get a passport photo: Printed photos (opened September 30, 2026)
3. HM Passport Office — Photo standards (caseworker guidance, version 51.0) (opened September 30, 2026)
4. GOV.UK — Countersigning passport applications and photos (opened September 30, 2026)
5. GOV.UK — Apply online for a UK passport (opened September 30, 2026)

Last checked: September 30, 2026

passportvisapic.com is not affiliated with any government. The issuing authority makes the final decision on every photo.