UK Passport Photo Online: Rules and How to Take It at Home
For a UK passport application online, you need a colour digital photo at least 600 × 750 pixels and between 50 KB and 10 MB, taken against a plain light wall, showing your head, shoulders and upper body, and not edited. You can take it at home with a phone if someone helps you. For a paper application you need two printed photos 35 × 45 mm, which are best made in a booth or shop.
The short answer
- Online: at least 600 px wide × 750 px tall, 50 KB to 10 MB, colour, uncropped (the service crops it).
- Paper form: two identical prints, 45 mm × 35 mm, head 29 to 34 mm chin to crown, taken in the last month.
- Background: plain and light; for prints, plain cream or light grey.
- The rule people miss: no editing at all, not even the background.
The rules for online and paper applications
| Rule | Online application (digital) | Paper application (printed) |
|---|---|---|
| Size | At least 600 × 750 px | 45 mm high × 35 mm wide |
| File or paper | 50 KB to 10 MB | Plain white photo paper, no border, professional print |
| Head | Head, shoulders and upper body in the shot; not cropped | Chin to crown 29 mm to 34 mm |
| Background | Plain, light-coloured, contrasting with you | Plain cream or light grey |
| How many | One | Two identical prints |
| Who takes it | A booth or shop (you get a code), or someone else with your phone | A booth or shop |
| Age of photo | Recent; must look like you now | Taken in the last month |
| Editing | Not allowed | Not allowed |
For both: face the camera with a plain expression and your mouth closed, eyes open and visible, no hair across your eyes, no head covering unless it is for religious or medical reasons, no shadows on your face or behind you, and nobody and nothing else in the photo.
Take the digital photo at home
- Find a plain light wall with nothing on it: no pictures, switches or door frames in the shot. White, cream or light grey all work. Because you cannot edit the background afterwards, this is the step that matters most.
- Stand about half a metre from the wall, not against it. That stops your shadow landing behind your head.
- Face a window in daylight so both sides of your face are lit the same. Turn the flash off; it makes glare and a hard shadow on the wall.
- Ask someone to take it from about 1.5 metres away, with the phone at your eye level, in the normal photo mode. Turn off portrait mode and beauty filters: both change the photo.
- Frame wide. Your head, shoulders and upper body, with space above your hair. The passport service crops it to the right shape, so do not crop it yourself.
- Take several and choose the sharpest one with both eyes open and no glare on glasses.
Any phone photo is far above 600 × 750 pixels and well within 50 KB to 10 MB, so the file normally needs nothing doing to it. Upload the original.
If the upload will not take the file
These change the file, not the picture:
- An iPhone HEIC photo: if the upload does not accept it, save it as a JPEG with the HEIC to JPG converter. The picture stays the same; only the file type changes.
- Over 10 MB (rare, from some high-resolution cameras): the Image Compressor at 5 MB brings it under the limit at the same pixel size.
- Under 50 KB: the photo is too small or has been through a messaging app, which shrinks photos. Use the original from your camera roll, not a copy sent over WhatsApp.
Do not run the photo through a background remover, an "enhance" button, a sharpening tool or a face filter for a UK passport. GOV.UK says the photo must not be altered by computer software, and the checks look for it.
Printed photos for a paper form
A paper application needs two identical prints that are 45 mm high and 35 mm wide, printed to a professional standard on plain white photo paper. They cannot be cut down from a larger picture, so a 35 × 45 mm photo trimmed out of a home 6 × 4 print is not what GOV.UK asks for. A photo booth or a shop is the simple route, and many booths also give you the code for an online application at the same time.
If you want to check a print before you send it, measure your head with a ruler: 29 mm to 34 mm from chin to crown. The photos must be taken in the last month, and some applications need one of them countersigned; GOV.UK explains who can do it in its countersigning guide.
Children and babies
- The child must be alone in the photo, with no toys and no dummy.
- Under 6: they do not need to look straight at the camera or have a plain expression.
- Under 1: their eyes do not need to be open. You can support their head, but your hand must not show. The easy way is to lay them on a plain, light sheet and take the photo from above.
Why UK passport photos are rejected
| Problem | Usual cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Shadow behind the head | Standing against the wall, or flash | Step half a metre forward, flash off |
| Shadow on one side of the face | Light from one side | Face the window square on |
| Background not plain | Door frame, picture or pattern in the shot | Find a bare wall; do not edit it out |
| Glare on glasses | Light reflecting in the lenses | Take them off, or tilt your head down slightly |
| Photo too dark or blurry | Evening light, camera shake | Daylight, and tap to focus on the face |
| Cropped too tight | Cropped before uploading | Upload the uncropped original |
Applying for a different country?
The UK is one of the strictest countries about editing. The US lets you replace the background, and some countries do not accept home photos at all. Our passport photo rules by country guide covers Ireland, Canada, Germany, France, Poland and Sweden, and the US visa and DV lottery photo guide covers the US digital photo.
Frequently asked questions
What size is a UK passport photo for an online application?
At least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall, and between 50 KB and 10 MB. A photo straight from any modern phone is far bigger than that, so you rarely need to resize it. Do not crop it yourself: the online service crops it to the passport shape.
Can I take my own UK passport photo with my phone?
Yes, for an online application. GOV.UK lets you take it with your own device during the application, but someone else has to take it: a selfie is held too close and the arm shows. GOV.UK also says photos from a booth or shop are more likely to be approved, so if yours is rejected twice, a booth code is the quick way out. More help: ImgVX AI help docs.
Can I edit or change the background of a UK passport photo?
No. The photo must not be altered by computer software, and that includes replacing the wall behind you. Stand in front of a real plain, light wall instead. Changing the file type, for example from HEIC to JPEG, does not change the picture.
What size is a printed UK passport photo?
45 mm high by 35 mm wide, with your head 29 mm to 34 mm from chin to crown, on a plain cream or light grey background. You need two identical prints, taken within the last month, printed to a professional standard on plain white photo paper. They cannot be cut down from a larger picture.
Can I wear glasses in a UK passport photo?
GOV.UK says not to unless you have to. If you do, they cannot be sunglasses or tinted, and your eyes must not be hidden by the frames, by glare on the lenses or by shadow. Tilting the head down a little, or moving the light, usually gets rid of the glare. Browse: all free image tools.
Why was my UK passport photo rejected?
The most common reasons are a shadow on the face or behind the head, a background that is not plain, the photo being too dark or blurry, glare on glasses, hair across the eyes, and the photo being cropped too tightly so the shoulders do not show. Retake it facing a window, a little further from the wall.
Sources: GOV.UK, "Photos for passports" and "Photo requirements" (digital size and file size, printed size, head size, background, glasses, children), read on 30 October 2026. HM Passport Office decides whether a photo is accepted, and its rules change; check GOV.UK before you apply. ImgVX is not connected to HM Passport Office.
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