UK Passport Photo
This photo type is for renewing or applying for a UK passport. It is fully compliant with the latest HM Passport Office requirements.
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Four steps you can see.
Every rule, measured before you pay.
- Photo size
- 35 × 45 mm
- Head size
- 29–34 mm
- Background
- #F5F5F0
- Resolution
- 300 dpi
Personalised UK Passport Photo Prints — 4 Pack
Physical photographs on photo paper, made to order and posted to you. From £12.99 including VAT and free UK delivery.
UK Passport Photo Requirements
Before you upload, here's what the Passport Office actually checks. It's a short list, and most rejections come down to one of these being missed.
Digital photos
- Clear, in focus and in colour, with no filters or effects
- Between 50KB and 10MB
- At least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall
- Completely unedited by computer software
Printed photos
- Two identical, professional-quality prints
- 45mm high by 35mm wide, the usual photo booth size
- Head measuring 29mm to 34mm from crown to chin
Pose and expression
- Face forwards and look straight at the camera
- Plain expression with your mouth closed
- Eyes open and clear, with no hair across them
- No headwear unless it's religious or medical
- Glasses must not cover your eyes or reflect glare; no sunglasses
Babies and children
- Your child must be on their own, with no toys or dummies
- Under 6s don't need a plain expression
- Under 1s don't need to have their eyes open
That's the short version. For the full rules, with examples of what passes and what doesn't, learn more in our complete guide.
Accepted, or double your money back.
If the official issuing office rejects a photo you bought from us, email the rejection notice within 60 days and we'll refund double what you paid. No hoops.
Questions people ask first.
A UK passport photo is 45mm tall and 35mm wide, and your head, from the crown to the bottom of your chin, has to measure between 29mm and 34mm within that frame. That's the bit people trip over, because a photo can look perfectly fine to the eye and still be a couple of millimetres out. If you're applying online the rules shift again, so it's worth reading our breakdown of every measurement before you crop anything by hand.
You can. Nothing in the official rules bans a selfie, but arm's length is a problem: the lens sits too close, your face stretches at the edges and you end up with a shadow you didn't notice. Ask someone to take a UK passport photo of you from a couple of metres away against a plain wall, in even daylight, and you'll be much closer to a pass. We've written up why selfies fail and what to do instead.
The official line is not to wear them unless you really have to, so if you can take them off for the shot, do. If you need them, the frames mustn't cover your eyes and there can't be any glare on the lenses, and that second part is what catches most people out in a UK passport photo. Tinted or sunglass-style lenses are out either way. There's a longer walkthrough for glasses wearers if you'd like the detail.
Plain and light, with no patterns, shadows or other people creeping in. For a printed photo the guidance is cream or light grey, and for a digital one any plain, light colour works. Pure white looks like the safe choice but is often what gets a UK passport photo bounced, because it can read as blown-out against pale skin or a pale top. This article explains the colour rules properly.
Best not to. A UK passport photo asks for a neutral expression with your mouth closed and your eyes open and looking at the camera. In practice a soft, relaxed face with a hint of teeth can slip through, but a proper grin is one of the quickest ways to get sent back. If you want to know exactly where the line sits, here's what actually gets flagged.
Usually for small, fixable things: a shadow across the face, a background that isn't plain, glasses glare, a head that's too big or too small in the frame, or a blurry file. Almost none of it is about how you look. A rejected UK passport photo holds up your application rather than cancelling it, and the ten most common reasons are worth a skim so you know what to check before you submit.
The photo needs to have been taken within the last month when you send in your application, so don't get it done too early and let it sit. Once it's with the Passport Office it's kept on file for a while, which is a separate clock. If you want to see how the two differ, our explainer on photo validity lays it out.
