UK Passport Photo Code: Get One or Upload Your Own

A photo code is not compulsory. It is easy to assume you have to find a booth before you can apply, but GOV.UK lists two ways to add a digital photo to an online application, and only one of them uses a code. The other is a photo taken on your own device during the application, with a second person holding the camera.

The code route does have one real advantage, and GOV.UK states it plainly, so it is worth knowing before you choose.

Everything here comes from GOV.UK's digital photo rules, the passport service's photo code instructions for suppliers and its rules for digital photos, all read on September 16, 2026. For the full specification, printed photos included, see our UK passport photo requirements guide.

Code or own device: the two routes side by side

GOV.UK's page on applying for a first adult passport online lists what you need as "a digital photo of you (or a device that takes digital photos and someone to take your photo)". The online fee is the same whichever route you pick: £102 for an adult, against £115.50 on a paper form, per GOV.UK's passport fees page.

How a photo code actually works

The code is a shortened internet address, not a password or a reference number. The passport service's page for photo suppliers explains the plumbing, and it answers most of the questions people have about codes.

The supplier has to:

• host your digital photo securely on the internet
• convert its full HTTPS address into a shortened version
• give you that short address and describe it as a photo code
• give you details of how to contact them if there is a problem with your digital photo

On the technical side, the photo behind the code must be a JPEG between 50 KB and 10 MB, retrievable in under 30 seconds, and it must meet the rules for digital passport photos. The short address follows a fixed pattern, and the page's own example is photo.co/yh8Y6K2s. Only HM Passport Office can retrieve the photo: each request is signed, and the supplier checks the signature against the Passport Office's published key.

Two practical consequences follow. First, a code is only as good as the supplier's server: if the link breaks, the supplier is the one who can fix it, which is why they must give you contact details. Second, the code carries no approval. The same page says HM Passport Office checks that all photos meet the rules for UK passports.

Getting a code from a booth or shop

GOV.UK's instruction is short: before starting your application, get a digital passport photo from a photo booth or shop, and choose the option to get a code with your photos. You'll be asked to enter the code during the application and your digital photo will be added to it.

A few things are worth checking at the machine or the counter:

• That you picked the code option. GOV.UK describes the code as an option you choose, so don't assume it comes automatically.
• That you can read the code. Photograph the receipt or strip. GOV.UK's example mixes capital and lower-case letters, so copy it exactly as printed.
• The date. Your photo must have been taken in the last month. Get the code shortly before you apply, not at the start of a long wait for documents.
• The expression and the glasses. Whoever takes the photo, those rules are on you: plain expression, mouth closed. GOV.UK says not to wear glasses unless you have to, and never tinted ones.

What a booth or shop charges is up to the operator, and GOV.UK does not publish prices. Our passport photo cost comparison sets the paid options against doing it yourself.

Taking the photo on your own device

This is the route that makes a code unnecessary. GOV.UK's rules for it are specific:

• You'll need someone to help you take the photo during your application.
• Include your head, shoulders and upper body. GOV.UK: "Do not crop your photo - it will be done for you."
• Plain light-coloured background, in clear contrast with you, with no objects and no other people.
• At least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall, 50 KB to 10 MB, clear, in focus, in colour, no red eye.
• Unaltered by computer software. The service's rules page adds: no effects or filters, and "you can't 'correct' your passport photo".

The appearance rules are the same as for a booth photo: face forwards and look straight at the camera, plain expression with your mouth closed ("no smile", in the service's words), eyes open and visible, no hair in front of your eyes, no head covering unless for religious or medical reasons, and no shadows on your face or behind you.

• A second person holds the camera, square to your face at eye level
• Plain light-coloured wall, with you standing clear of it so no shadow falls behind you
• Head, shoulders and upper body in the frame, left uncropped
• Even daylight from the front, mouth closed, eyes open
• Taken on the day you apply, well inside the one-month limit
• A selfie at arm's length, or a tight crop of your face
• A filter, beauty mode, background blur or any edit
• Tinted glasses, or glare across the lenses of clear ones
• A patterned wall, a door frame or a picture behind your head

The most common own-device failures, and how the online service reports them, are covered in UK passport photo rejected online.

Which route should you choose?

Choose a code if you can reach a booth or shop easily, you have no one to help, your home has no plain light wall, or you want the route GOV.UK itself says is more likely to be approved.

Choose your own device if you can get a second person, a plain light wall and daylight, and you would rather not pay or travel. It also suits children, who have to be on their own in the picture, and for babies under one, whom GOV.UK suggests laying on a plain light-coloured sheet and photographing from above. Our UK child passport photo guide covers the under-6 and under-1 exceptions.

If you have a disability that means you cannot meet the rules, GOV.UK's passport services for disabled people page says your photo will be automatically checked during the online application. If it doesn't meet the rules, you should still submit it, explain why in the additional information box, and send a letter saying what your condition is and whether it's temporary or permanent.

Where our tool fits, honestly

We cannot give you a photo code. Codes come from booths and shops that host the photo for HM Passport Office to collect, and we are not one of them.

What we can do is check a photo before it goes into the application. Upload the photo you took at home and we measure head height and tilt, and check that the background is plain and even and that the photo is sharp and well exposed. We don't detect glasses, so we ask you to confirm that yourself. We never edit your face or repaint your background, which GOV.UK's "unaltered by computer software" rule would not allow anyway.

One thing is different about the UK online route. GOV.UK says not to crop a photo taken on your own device, because the service crops it for you. So for an online application, use our check on your photo, then give the service the original, uncropped photo, not a resized copy. Our sized 35 x 45 mm file is for when you need one, such as a print; GOV.UK requires paper-application prints to be made to a professional standard, so take that file to a photo counter rather than a home printer.

Paper applications: no code, two prints

A code only ever works online. If you apply with a paper form, including the paper renewal route, GOV.UK asks for 2 new and identical printed photos, 45 mm high by 35 mm wide, with your face 29 mm to 34 mm from crown to chin, on a plain cream or light grey background.

Some paper applications also need a countersignatory to sign the form and write "I certify that this is a true likeness of" followed by your title and full name on the back of one photo, according to GOV.UK's countersigning page. Online applications work differently: the person who confirms your identity does it online and does not need to sign a printed photo.

Codes, passport photos and your driving licence

GOV.UK's page on changing the photo on your driving licence says that when you renew online you'll be able to use your passport photo or upload a new one, for £14. So a good passport photo can end up on your licence as well, which is one more reason to get it right. The DVLA side, including where codes do and don't apply, is in our UK driving licence photo guide, and every major upload portal is compared in digital passport photo uploads.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a photo code to apply for a UK passport online?

No. GOV.UK gives two ways to add a digital photo: enter a code from a photo booth or shop, or take a photo using your own device during the application, with someone to help. The code is optional, although GOV.UK says booth and shop photos are more likely to be approved.

Where do I get a UK passport photo code?

From a photo booth or a shop that offers digital passport photos. GOV.UK tells you to choose the option to get a code with your photos before you start the application. You then type the code into the online form and the photo is added to your application.

How long does a passport photo code last?

GOV.UK does not publish an expiry period for codes. The rule that limits you is a different one: your photo must have been taken in the last month. A code from a booth visit six weeks ago points to a photo that is already too old to use, whether or not the link still works.

Can I use a photo code for a paper passport application?

No. A code only works in the online application. Paper forms need two identical printed photos, 45 mm high by 35 mm wide, printed to a professional standard. HM Passport Office describes booths and shops giving the code with your printed photos, so ask at the booth or counter before you pay.

What should I do if my photo code does not work?

Contact the booth operator or shop that gave it to you. HM Passport Office's instructions for photo suppliers require them to give customers contact details for problems with their digital photo. If you are short of time, you can switch to taking a photo on your own device inside the application.

Is a photo code photo checked before it reaches HM Passport Office?

HM Passport Office checks every photo against the rules for UK passports, whichever route it came from. A code does not mean the photo has been approved. It means the photo was taken in a booth or shop, which GOV.UK says makes approval more likely than a photo from your own device.

Sources

• GOV.UK - Get a passport photo: digital photos
• GOV.UK - Get a passport photo: printed photos
• HM Passport Office - Photo code for digital passport photos (guidance for suppliers)
• HM Passport Office - Rules for digital passport photos
• GOV.UK - Getting your first adult passport: apply online
• GOV.UK - Passport fees
• GOV.UK - Passport services if you're disabled
• GOV.UK - Countersigning passport applications and photos
• GOV.UK - Change the photo on your driving licence