UK Passport Photo Checklist: 15 Checks Before You Submit
A passport photo that fails costs you time you may not have. Work through these 15 checks, each taken from GOV.UK and HM Passport Office guidance, before you upload or print, and catch the faults that cause most rejections.
By Helal · Last updated
Why check the photo before you submit?
Because it is the one part of a passport application you can fully test before anyone else sees it. A form can be corrected later. A photo that fails has to be replaced, and you lose time you may not have. How long a UK passport takes explains what a delay can cost around a trip.
The rules themselves are short. GOV.UK sets them out in a page of bullet points, and HM Passport Office's examiner guidance adds detail. The trouble is that they are spread across several documents, and people skim. This checklist pulls them together into fifteen checks you can run in a few minutes, with a pointer to the fuller guide for each one.
Work through it in order, and do it on the actual file or print you intend to use, at full size, not a thumbnail.
The fifteen checks
1. Was it taken in the last month?
GOV.UK says the photo "must have been taken in the last month." An old photo, however good, will not do. If you are reusing a file, check its date. See how long a passport photo stays valid for the detail.
2. Is it in colour?
Both the digital and printed rules require colour. HM Passport Office "will not accept black and white digital or paper photos."
3. Is it clear and in focus?
The photo must be "clear and in focus." The examiner guidance says photos must be in "sharp focus, showing a strong definition and contrast between face and background," and will not accept photos that are "blurry, too dark or too light."
4. Is it unaltered?
GOV.UK requires a photo "unaltered by computer software." Examiners must reject retouched faces, and filters that add effects or change how old you look. Brightness and contrast adjustments are accepted. Can you edit or filter a UK passport photo? sets out the line.
5. Is the background plain and light?
The photo must be taken "against a plain light-coloured background," and you must be "in clear contrast to the background." Shades of white, cream, ivory and light grey are accepted. See passport photo background colour.
6. Are you facing forwards and looking at the camera?
You must be "facing forwards and looking straight at the camera," with your head straight rather than tilted or turned. Some people are exempt: see the checks on children and disabled applicants below.
7. Is your expression plain, with your mouth closed?
GOV.UK asks for "a plain expression and your mouth closed." A broad smile fails. Why smiling gets your passport photo rejected covers what examiners do and do not accept.
8. Are your eyes open and visible?
Both eyes must be open and visible, with "no hair in front of your eyes." If your fringe falls forward, pin it back. Hair, beards, piercings and tattoos are covered in hair, beards, piercings and tattoos in a UK passport photo.
9. Is there any red eye?
"Red-eye shows as a red circle or a crescent shape covering the eye," and examiners must reject a photo where it shows. Use daylight, not a flash.
10. Are there shadows on your face or behind you?
GOV.UK says "not have any shadows on your face or behind you." Stand facing a window and away from the wall. Small shadows that do not hide your features can be accepted, but even light is safer. Passport photo lighting guide shows how.
11. Is anything covering your face?
Nothing should cover your face. Head coverings are allowed only "for religious or medical reasons," and your face must stay visible. See head coverings in a UK passport photo.
12. Are you wearing glasses?
Do not wear them "unless you have to." If you must, they cannot be tinted, and there must be no glare or frames covering your eyes. See can you wear glasses in a UK passport photo.
13. Is the size right?
For a digital photo: at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall, and between 50KB and 10MB. For a printed photo: 45mm high by 35mm wide, with your face between 29mm and 34mm high, and two identical prints. See passport photo file requirements and UK passport photo size. The passport photo resizer can set a photo to the UK passport size.
14. If printed, is it the right kind of print?
Printed photos must be on "plain white photographic paper with no border," without creases or tears, and "unmarked on both sides (unless a photo needs to be countersigned)." Keep them loose, not attached to the form. Printed UK passport photos: size, paper and the back-of-photo rules has every rule.
15. Does your application need anything extra?
Two situations change what you do with the photo:
- A countersignature. Some paper applications need a person who has known you two years to sign the back of one photo. See who can countersign your passport photo.
- A medical condition or disability that stops you meeting a rule. Examiners may waive some standards, and you explain it on the application. See passport photos with a medical condition or disability.
Special cases to remember
Babies and young children. GOV.UK says "Children under one do not have to have their eyes open" and "Children under 6 do not have to be looking directly at the camera or have a plain expression." Babies should lie on a plain light-coloured sheet, photographed from above. See UK baby passport photo rules and child passport photo rules by age.
Replacing a lost or stolen passport. You need a new photo, taken in the last month, and often a countersignature on paper. See lost or stolen passport: cancel it, then get your photo ready.
Someone to help. For a digital application, GOV.UK's rules ask for "someone to help you take a photo." A helper solves most of the problems above, such as the camera angle, the shadows and the moment of the shutter.
How to use the list
Read the photo, not the list. Open the file at full size, and go down the fifteen points looking at your actual face, background and edges. Then check it a second time in a different setting, such as on a phone as well as a computer, because glare and shadows are easy to miss on one screen.
Common places where checks fail, in roughly the order people miss them:
- Shadows behind you, because you stood close to a wall.
- Hair across the eyes, because of a slight head tilt.
- A smile, because the photographer said cheese.
- Selfie distortion, because the camera was too close. Passport photo selfie rules explains it.
- Automatic phone filters switched on by default.
If you would like an automatic second opinion, the passport photo checker reads a photo against the main requirements before you pay for anything. It is a check, not an official decision: only HM Passport Office decides whether a photo is accepted.
If a photo is rejected anyway
It happens even to careful applicants, because examiners use judgement. The calm response is to read the reason, fix the actual fault and retake the photo. What to do when your passport photo is rejected explains the steps, and why UK passport photos get rejected lists the usual causes so you can avoid repeating them.
Frequently asked questions
How recent does a passport photo have to be?
GOV.UK says it must have been taken in the last month.
What size should a digital passport photo be?
At least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall, and at least 50KB and no more than 10MB.
What size is a printed passport photo?
45mm high by 35mm wide, with the image of your face between 29mm and 34mm high. You need two identical prints for a paper application.
Can I smile in a passport photo?
No. GOV.UK asks for a plain expression with your mouth closed.
Can I wear glasses in a passport photo?
Only if you have to. They must not be tinted, and there must be no glare or frames covering your eyes.
Can I edit my passport photo?
Not your face. Filters that change brightness or contrast are accepted, but retouching and effects are rejected.
Who decides if my photo is acceptable?
HM Passport Office. Any checker, including ours, is guidance only. DigitalPhotoPassport is an independent service and is not affiliated with HM Passport Office.
Sources
- GOV.UK, Get a passport photo
- GOV.UK, Get a passport photo: printed photos
- GOV.UK, Photo requirements for babies and children
- HM Passport Office, Photo standards (accessible)
- GOV.UK, Countersigning passport applications