Home › UK passport photo
Checked against every GOV.UK rule
Take it on your phone. We check it against every GOV.UK rule, then give you the digital photo for an online application and 35 × 45 mm prints for the post. Free to check, $4.99 to download.
or drop a photo anywhere on this page
Head 29–34 mmChecked for a UK passport
Example photo, AI-generated.
Online or by post?
GOV.UK wants a different photo for each. You get both from one picture, so you don’t have to decide before you take it.
GOV.UK crops itUK passport photo requirements
Most of these are checked on your photo before you pay. The one we can’t check is when it was taken.
| Rule | GOV.UK says | What we check |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 45 mm high, 35 mm wide; 29–34 mm from chin to the top of the head | CheckedCropped to fit from the top of your head and your chin |
| Background | Plain cream or light grey (prints); plain and light, in contrast with you (digital) | CheckedColour, shadows, patterns and anything behind you |
| Expression | Neutral, mouth closed | CheckedSmiles and an open mouth |
| Eyes | Open and visible; no hair over them | CheckedClosed eyes |
| Glasses | Only if you have to wear them: no tinted lenses, no frames or glare over your eyes | CheckedGlasses, so you can take them off |
| Pose | Facing forward, looking straight at the camera; nobody else in the photo | CheckedTilt, turn, and other people or hands in the frame |
| Unedited | “Unaltered by computer software” | Our promiseWe never change it, unless you choose to replace the background |
| How recent | Taken in the last month | Up to youWe can’t tell when a photo was taken |
From GOV.UK, checked November 2026. The passport office always makes the final call. Compare every passport photo size.
Children and babies
GOV.UK relaxes a few rules for young children. Tell us the photo is of a child or a baby and we check against those instead.
They don’t need a neutral expression or to look straight at the camera.
Their eyes can be closed. You can support their head, as long as your hand doesn’t show.
Lay them on a plain, light sheet and take the photo from above.
Taking a baby’s photo? How to take it at home, step by step.
Questions
Yes. For an online application you upload a photo taken on a phone or camera, and it’s easier if someone else takes it. Stand in front of a plain, light wall, face the camera and keep a neutral expression. We check it against every rule before you pay.
A printed photo is 45 mm high and 35 mm wide, with 29 to 34 mm from your chin to the top of your head. A digital photo for an online application must be at least 600 × 750 pixels and between 50 KB and 10 MB, and you shouldn’t crop it: GOV.UK crops it for you.
No. A code is how a photo booth or shop sends GOV.UK their photo. If you take your own, you upload the file instead. We give you that file, uncropped as GOV.UK asks, once it’s checked.
Printed photos need a plain cream or light grey background. A digital photo needs a plain, light-coloured background that stands out from you. Either way, no patterns, objects or shadows.
GOV.UK asks you not to wear glasses unless you have to. If you do, no tinted lenses, and no frames or glare over your eyes. Keep a neutral expression with your mouth closed. Children under 6 don’t have to.
It must have been taken in the last month. That’s stricter than the US, Australia and New Zealand, which allow six months.
No. GOV.UK says it must be “unaltered by computer software”. We never change your photo unless you choose to replace the background, and we tell you first that it may be rejected.
Free to check. $4.99 to download both the digital photo and the prints.
Take my photoUpload my photo
