Photo requirements
UK Passport offline 35x45 mm (3.5x4.5 cm)
A guide to UK passport photographs: distinguish digital uploads, printed photos and photo codes, with age-specific rules for children and a final submission checklist.
- Printed size
- 35 × 45 mm (printed)
- Background
- Cream or light grey (print); plain light-coloured (digital)
- Official reference
- HM Passport Office
- Source verified
Glasses: only when necessary
Avoid glasses unless necessary. If worn, frames, glare and shadows must not hide the eyes; tinted glasses are not allowed.
Make this photo now
Use the selected format in the passport photo tool.
Photo requirements
Photo specification
Use these values as a preparation guide and confirm current official instructions.
| Printed size | 35 × 45 mm (printed) |
|---|---|
| Digital dimensions | Check the application channel below |
| Background | Cream or light grey (print); plain light-coloured (digital) |
| Head height | 29–34 mm |
| File and resolution | Check the application channel below |
Lighting setup: what to change
A ceiling light can darken the eyes. Move to face a broad window and check the original photograph for shadows.
Original teaching diagram, not an accepted/rejected applicant photograph. Even lighting still needs checking in your actual image.
More photo requirements for United Kingdom
- UK Driving Licence 35x45 mm (3.5x4.5 cm)
- UK ID / residence card 45x35 mm (4.5x3.5 cm)
- British Seaman's card 35x45 mm
- British Seaman's discharge book 35x45 mm
- UK Boat licence 35x45 mm
- UK bus pass 35x45 mm
- UK Bus pass online form - 264x340 px
- London Freedom pass 35x45 mm
- UK BASC Firearms / Shotgun Licensing 35x45 mm
- UK Leisure pass 35x45 mm
- Oyster travel photocard - 35x45 mm
- UK Railcard 35x45 mm
- UK School card 35x45 mm
- UK Taxicard 35x45 mm
- UK BNO passport - 900x1200 px
- UK child passport online - 900x1200 px
- UK Passport online - 900x1200 px
- UK Visa 35x45 mm (3.5x4.5 cm)
Digital upload, printed photos or a photo code?
| Submission | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Digital photo | For online applications: at least 600 px wide × 750 px high, between 50 KB and 10 MB. The picture must be clear, in focus, in colour and unaltered. Do not crop it yourself; leave room around the head and upper body. |
| Printed photos | For paper applications: two identical photos, 35 mm wide × 45 mm high. Head height from chin to crown must be 29–34 mm. Do not cut down a larger photograph to make it fit. Use a plain cream or light-grey background. |
| Photo code | Some shops and booths supply a code that lets the passport service retrieve your digital image. Confirm that the service provides a UK passport photo code; a downloaded JPEG is not itself a code. |
- GOV.UK · Digital passport photosOnline passport applicationsSource verified
- GOV.UK · Printed passport photosPaper passport applicationsSource verified
- GOV.UK · Digital photos and photo codesRetrieving a digital photo with a codeSource verified
Take a new photo for each application
"Use a photograph taken in the last month. You need a new photograph when renewing as well, even if your appearance has not changed. This is a different recency rule from the six-month rule used by some other countries."
"Plan the photograph near the time you expect to submit. Keeping an old booth print or file for a later application can leave it outside the required period. A new download date does not make an older photograph recent."
- GOV.UK · Digital passport photosOnline passport applicationsSource verified
- GOV.UK · Printed passport photosPaper passport applicationsSource verified
Set up an uncropped digital photograph
Use a plain light background
Choose a plain light-coloured background and avoid shadows on the face or behind you. As a practical step, move away from the wall and use even light.
Have someone take the picture
Face the camera with your head, shoulders and upper body visible. Leave space for the online application to crop the image.
Keep a neutral expression
Keep the mouth closed and eyes open and visible. Remove hair from the eyes. Do not add beauty filters or alter the image with software.
Upload the original digital photo
Do not photograph a paper print. Follow the online application prompts; do not impose the 35 × 45 mm print crop on a digital submission.
- GOV.UK · Digital passport photosOnline passport applicationsSource verified
Keep the eyes and face clearly visible
"Do not wear sunglasses or tinted glasses. If you need glasses, the eyes must be visible without glare or reflections. GOV.UK advises removing them if possible; do not rewrite this as the same blanket glasses rule used for U.S. passports."
"Head coverings are allowed only for religious or medical reasons. The face must remain visible. Remove items that hide the features, and check that a covering or hairstyle does not create shadows across the face."
- GOV.UK · Digital passport photosOnline passport applicationsSource verified
- GOV.UK · Printed passport photosPaper passport applicationsSource verified
Children: age-specific exceptions
"Children must be alone in the picture. Children under six do not have to look directly at the camera or keep a neutral expression. Babies under one do not have to keep their eyes open. These exceptions do not allow toys or an adult’s hand to obscure the face."
"For a baby, a plain light-coloured sheet can provide the background. If a parent supports the head, the supporting hand must not be visible. Arrange safe support and lighting before taking the photograph, and stop if the child is uncomfortable."
- GOV.UK · Digital passport photosOnline passport applicationsSource verified
- GOV.UK · Printed passport photosPaper passport applicationsSource verified
Printed photos and photo codes are different services
"For a paper application, use two identical professional-quality photos printed on plain white photographic paper. Check for creases, tears and markings. Whether one photo needs a countersignature depends on the application; follow that form’s instructions instead of asking everyone to sign both photographs."
"For an online application, a participating shop or booth may issue a photo code. Enter it where the passport service requests it to retrieve the digital photograph. The issuing service should explain how to use the code; IDPIC does not claim to issue an HM Passport Office photo code."
- GOV.UK · Printed passport photosPaper passport applicationsSource verified
- GOV.UK · Digital photos and photo codesRetrieving a digital photo with a codeSource verified
When the upload raises a warning
Read the specific message
Distinguish a file-size warning from lighting, expression or framing. Change the cause, not just the filename.
Return to the original
Use the digital original, not a screenshot, scan or photo of a print. If details are blurred, take a new photograph.
Recheck the route
Digital and paper specifications are not interchangeable. Confirm the recency requirement and child exception that apply.
Wait for the authority’s decision
A checker result is not final passport approval. Do not assume a guaranteed number of retries or acceptance based on a successful upload.
- GOV.UK · Digital passport photosOnline passport applicationsSource verified
- GOV.UK · Printed passport photosPaper passport applicationsSource verified
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about creating and submitting this document photo.
Is a downloaded JPEG the same as a UK photo code?
No. A photo code is supplied by a participating shop or booth so the passport service can retrieve the digital photograph. IDPIC does not claim to issue these codes.
Can I reuse last year’s UK passport photograph?
No. You need a new photograph taken in the last month, even if your appearance has not changed. Online applications require a digital photo; paper applications require two identical prints.
Does a successful tool check guarantee acceptance?
No. A tool check or successful upload is not an official acceptance decision. Keep the original portrait, avoid changing your appearance and retake unsuitable lighting or blur. The receiving authority decides whether the photograph is acceptable.
Official reference
- GOV.UK · Digital passport photosOnline passport applicationsSource verified
- GOV.UK · Printed passport photosPaper passport applicationsSource verified