UK Passport Photo Requirements (2026): Digital and Print

UK passport photo rules come from HM Passport Office and are published on GOV.UK. They're stricter than many people expect: your photo must have been taken within the last month, you need a new photo for every new passport, and a photo that doesn't meet the rules will delay your application.

The rules also depend on how you apply. Online applications use a digital photo. Paper applications need two identical printed photos. This guide covers both.

Requirements below come from GOV.UK's official guide, Get a passport photo, unless noted otherwise. We also read HM Passport Office's photo standards guidance for examiners (version 51.0, published for staff on 19 January 2026) and its older guidance for photographers on September 19, 2026. HM Passport Office makes the final decision on whether a photo is acceptable.

Digital photo or printed photo: which do you need?

Whichever route you take, two rules apply to everyone:

• Your photo must have been taken in the last month.
• You must get a new photo for a new passport, even if your appearance hasn't changed.

UK digital passport photo requirements

How to get a digital photo

GOV.UK describes two ways:

1. Get a photo code from a photo booth or shop before you apply. You enter the code during your application and the photo is added automatically.
2. Take a photo using your own device during your application. You'll need someone to help you take it.

GOV.UK says photos from a booth or shop are more likely to be approved than photos taken on your own device.

Technical rules for digital photos

The online passport service's own photo rules page adds that photos must have no effects or filters, must be unedited, and must have balanced lighting with no texture or pattern in the background.

Framing: don't crop it yourself

If you take the photo on your own device, include your head, shoulders and upper body, and don't crop your photo. GOV.UK says the cropping will be done for you. This is different from US online renewal, where you crop in the application yourself.

For more on pixel specs across countries, see passport photo size in pixels.

UK printed passport photo requirements

If you apply with a paper form, you need 2 identical printed photos that meet all of the rules below. GOV.UK's printed photos page lists them.

Size

If you use a photo booth outside the UK, check that it produces 45 x 35 mm photos.

HM Passport Office's guidance for photographers (published in 2014) clarifies that the crown means the top of the head, not the top of the hair. It also says it's not necessary for all of your hair to be in the photo.

Print quality

Your printed photos must be:

• Printed to a professional standard
• Clear and in focus
• In color on plain white photographic paper with no border
• Free of creases and tears
• Unmarked on both sides, unless a photo needs to be countersigned
• Unaltered by computer software

The photographers' guidance (published in 2014) adds that photos should be on high-quality, medium/low gloss or matt photographic paper, not heavy card, and that photos printed at home are not usually clear enough. The newer examiner guidance is a little more precise: it says home-printed photos are accepted only if they match the quality of booth and studio prints, and that HM Passport Office will not accept glossy or textured paper, because it causes haze and glare when the print is scanned.

What the printed photo must show

• A close-up of your full head and upper shoulders
• No other objects or people
• A plain cream or light gray background, in clear contrast to you
• No red eye

The photographers' guidance recommends a light gray background of 5% to 10% gray.

What the examiner guidance adds

GOV.UK's public pages are short. The examiner guidance (version 51.0) tells HM Passport Office staff how the rules are applied, and it answers several questions the public pages leave open. It is written for staff, so treat it as a description of how photos are judged, not as a promise that a photo will pass.

• Backgrounds: examiners accept any plain background in a light colour, including shades of white such as cream or ivory, and light grey. They also accept textured backgrounds such as woodchip or painted brick if the wall is plain, light and will show no visible marks in the printed passport, and they accept a tone that is lighter or darker in places as long as your face and features are clear. Patterned wallpaper is refused when its marks would show. That is more forgiving than the 5% to 10% grey the photographers' guidance recommends.
• Bars on digital photos: a white, grey or black bar along the top, side or bottom edge of a digital photo is a fault. Before 8 December 2025 a white bar across the bottom of a child's photo could be accepted if it did not cover the face; from that date it can't.
• Paper: glossy or textured paper is not accepted. Only one of two paper photos may be signed for a countersignature; the other must stay blank, and writing that shows up when scanned means rejection.
• Eye position: the automatic check has trouble finding the eyes unless they sit in roughly the top 40% to 70% of the photo, which fits GOV.UK asking for your head, shoulders and upper body in an uncropped photo.
• Expression: examiners reject a wide smile, pouting or frowning. A relaxed mouth with the teeth or lips slightly apart is accepted if the face isn't distorted.
• Glasses and ears: frames may sit over the eye socket or eyelids but must not hide the eyes, including the white and the pupil. Glasses must come off if glare or reflection covers the eye. Earphones, earbuds and headphones are rejected; visible hearing aids are accepted.
• Editing: black and white photos are refused. Filters that change brightness or contrast are accepted, but filters that add textures or effects, or make you look younger or older, are not. Digital enhancement of your face is rejected. The guidance also says a photo can be accepted if its background was edited to remove shadows or marks, provided your image is untouched. GOV.UK's public rules still say photos must be unaltered by computer software, so don't count on that leniency.
• Selfies and mirrored photos: a selfie taken at arm's length can be accepted if it meets the other standards, but mirror images are not accepted.

Pose, expression and appearance (digital and printed)

These rules apply to both photo types. In your photo you must:

• Face forwards and look straight at the camera
• Have a plain expression with your mouth closed
• Have your eyes open and visible
• Not have hair in front of your eyes
• Not wear a head covering, unless it's for religious or medical reasons
• Not have anything covering your face
• Not have shadows on your face or behind you

The online service's photo rules state it directly: no smile, and mouth closed. For how this compares with the US, where a closed-mouth smile is allowed, see Can you smile in a passport photo?

Glasses

GOV.UK says don't wear glasses unless you have to. If you must wear them:

• They can't be sunglasses or tinted glasses.
• Your eyes must not be covered by the frames.
• There must be no glare, reflection or shadow over your eyes.

Photos of babies and children

GOV.UK relaxes some rules for young children:

Other rules for children's photos:

• Babies must not be holding toys or using dummies.
• You can support a baby's head with your hand, but your hand must not be visible.
• For digital photos, GOV.UK suggests laying children under one on a plain light-colored sheet and taking the photo from above.

For practical setup tips, see how to take a passport photo at home.

Countersigning and posting printed photos

Some paper applications need a countersignatory, who confirms your identity and signs one of your photos. That's why GOV.UK allows markings on a photo that needs to be countersigned. The application guidance will tell you whether your application needs one.

When you send your application, your photos must be:

• Separated from each other
• Left loose, not attached to the application form

If you're disabled

GOV.UK offers help with passport photos if you're disabled and can't meet some requirements. HM Passport Office's photographers' guidance also says it will accept the best image possible, with a statement that the applicant can't meet the requirement because of a disability.

UK vs. US passport photo rules at a glance

If you hold or apply for both passports, don't reuse the same photo without checking.

Full US details are in our US passport photo requirements guide.

Where our tool fits, honestly

For UK online applications, the most reliable routes are a photo code from a booth or shop, or the photo you take on your own device inside the application. If you take it at home, upload the original, uncropped photo, since GOV.UK says the service crops it. Our tool has a UK passport setting that crops to 35 x 45 mm with the head in the 29 to 34 mm range and checks tilt, background evenness, sharpness and exposure, so you're less likely to submit a photo with obvious problems. It doesn't detect glasses or judge your expression, and it doesn't repaint backgrounds. Because GOV.UK asks you not to crop a photo taken on your own device, treat its cropped output as a pre-check and upload the original. HM Passport Office still makes the final decision.

For UK paper applications, GOV.UK requires prints made to a professional standard, and the photographers' guidance says home prints usually aren't clear enough. Plan on a professional print rather than a home printer.

UK passport photo checklist

• Taken within the last month
• Color, clear, in focus, no red eye
• Not edited, filtered or retouched
• Plain expression, mouth closed, eyes open
• Facing forwards, hair away from eyes
• No glasses unless essential; never tinted
• No head covering unless religious or medical
• No shadows on face or background
• Digital: at least 600 x 750 px, 50 KB–10 MB, light plain background, uncropped if taken on your own device
• Printed: 2 identical, 45 x 35 mm, head 29–34 mm, cream or light gray background, professional print on plain white photo paper, no border

Frequently asked questions

What size is a UK passport photo?

Printed UK passport photos must be 45 mm high by 35 mm wide, with your head (crown to chin) between 29 mm and 34 mm. Digital photos for online applications must be at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall, and between 50 KB and 10 MB.

How old can a UK passport photo be?

GOV.UK says your photo must have been taken in the last month. You also need a new photo for every new passport, even if your appearance hasn't changed.

Can I take my UK passport photo at home?

For online applications, yes. You can take a photo on your own device during the application, but you'll need someone to help. GOV.UK notes that photos from a booth or shop are more likely to be approved. Printed photos must be printed to a professional standard.

Can you smile in a UK passport photo?

No. GOV.UK requires a plain expression with your mouth closed, and the online passport service's photo rules say no smile. Children under 6 don't need a plain expression.

Can I wear glasses in my UK passport photo?

Only if you have to. GOV.UK says not to wear glasses unless necessary. If you must, they can't be sunglasses or tinted, and your eyes must not be covered by the frames or by glare, reflections or shadows.

Sources

• GOV.UK - Get a passport photo: digital photos
• GOV.UK - Get a passport photo: printed photos
• Apply for a passport (GOV.UK) - Rules for digital passport photos
• HM Passport Office - Photo standards: guidance for examiners, version 51.0
• HM Passport Office - Passport photos: guidance for photographers (2014)