Tips, guides, and advice to help you get the perfect passport or ID photo every time.
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Beards, moustaches and tattoos are accepted. Hair across your eyes and multiple facial piercings are where photos fail. Here is exactly what HM Passport Office's examiner guidance says about your hair, face and body jewellery.
Read moreGOV.UK says a passport photo must be unaltered by computer software, but HM Passport Office's own guidance does accept some filters. Here is where the line falls between a brightness tweak and a rejection.
Read moreA countersignature is one person vouching that your photo is a true likeness. The rules on who qualifies are strict: two years' acquaintance, no relatives, no one at your address. Here is who can sign, what they write and when you need one.
Read moreIf a medical condition or disability means you cannot meet every photo rule, HM Passport Office can waive some of them. Here is what examiners may accept, what they will not, and how to explain your situation so the application is not rejected.
Read moreApplying by paper means two identical prints on plain white photographic paper, 45mm by 35mm, left loose in the envelope. Here is every rule GOV.UK sets for printed photos, and the small mistakes that get them sent back.
Read moreGOV.UK's standard service processed almost all UK applications within three weeks last year, but only where nothing more was needed. Here is what the timing actually depends on, and what to do when your trip is closer than that.
Read moreThere is no dress code in the GOV.UK rules — but three requirements quietly decide what works. Contrast with the background, nothing covering the face, and no objects in frame. Here is what that means for your wardrobe.
Read moreBiometric residence permits have all expired and been replaced by eVisas, so the photo now lives in your UKVI account. The Home Office specification is close to the passport one, with three differences worth knowing.
Read moreA UK passport photo is 45mm high by 35mm wide, with your head measuring 29mm to 34mm from crown to chin. Here is what each of those numbers actually controls, and why the digital rules are completely different.
Read moreYes, in one specific way: when you renew a photocard licence online, DVLA can pull the photo already held on your passport record. What you cannot do is resubmit an old photo file yourself.
Read moreApply online with a UK passport and DVLA can take your photo and signature from your passport record, so you never supply a photo at all. Apply by post on a D1 and you need a printed passport-type photo.
Read morePrinting your own passport photos is allowed, but three requirements decide whether it works: professional-standard quality, plain white photographic paper, and no border. Here is the process, and where home printing goes wrong.
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