United Kingdom · Visa
UK visa photo
Most UK visa applicants never upload a photo — it is taken at a visa application centre or in the UK Immigration: ID Check app. Where an upload is asked for, GOV.UK wants a new, live image: vertical JPG of at least 600 x 750 pixels, 50 KB to 6 MB, never your passport photo. Check your file here before you attach it.
The check is free and runs on your device. You pay only if you download the finished file — $4.99, or $6.99 with a 4 × 6 in print sheet.
The exact specification
The same numbers the checker applies.
- Printed size
- No print — digital only
- Digital file
- JPG/JPEG · 600 × 750 to 3000 × 3750 px · 50 kB min, 6 MB max
- Head size
- 50%–80% of the photo height
- Background
- Plain, light-coloured, in clear contrast with your face
- Glasses
- GOV.UK says not to wear glasses unless you have to. Never sunglasses or tinted; no glare, reflection, shadow or frame over the eyes.
Not fully verified. Published: vertical JPG of at least 600 x 750 px, 50 KB to 6 MB, head, shoulders and upper body. Not published: a head-size figure or a pixel maximum — the framing window and upper bound we check against are ours. Most visa applications take the photo at a centre or in the app rather than asking for an upload.
About background editing. GOV.UK's UKVI page rules out software changes and filters, and Home Office guidance wants a new, live image. Background replacement is off by default; leave it off.
What the free check covers
We measure
- Head size against the published window
- Eye position, where the authority sets one
- Head tilt and rotation
- Background brightness and evenness
- Sharpness and exposure
Only you can confirm
- Glasses — we can't reliably detect them, so we flag rather than pass
- Expression and mouth position
- Red eye
- Filters, retouching or AI edits made before upload
We are an independent service, not affiliated with any government. The issuing authority always makes the final decision — a pass here means your photo meets the published measurements we can check.