British Passport Photo

Photo for British passport - size

The dimensions of a photo for a British passport are 35 x 45 mm (3.5 x 4.5 cm). 

In terms of ratio, your passport photo ratio should be 0.78 (width to height) to 1.29 (height to width).

British passport photos should be in colour, clear and well contrasted. In addition, the image cannot be damaged in any way (including any tears or creases). You need to provide a recent digital or printed photo (taken within the last month) that has not been digitally altered.

In the photo for the UK passport, there can be no other people or objects. Your picture for a British passport must include your head in full and your upper shoulders. Your face should be visible from the top of your head to your chin - the head has to be between 29mm and 34mm long. 

How many printed passport photos do I need?

When applying for a British passport in person, you are required to provide 2 (two) photos. Every time you apply for a new passport, you must take a new photo. Even if not much time has passed since the previous application and your appearance has not changed, you must submit a new photo that was taken within the last month.

British passport photo - requirements

The rules for UK passport photos are as follows:

• The frame must contain your entire head, neck, and the top of your shoulders.
• There must be no other people or objects in the photo.
• The photo must be taken against a bright, cream or light gray clean background

There are a few requirements concerning passport photos that must be fulfilled so that the photo is accepted. These are:

• The person in the picture should stand at least 40 cm from the camera and look straight at the camera, with their upper body tilted towards it.
• The person being photographed has a neutral facial expression and keeps their mouth closed.
• The hair is tied back so that it doesn’t cover the face or eyebrows.
• The photograph is taken against a cream or light grey background with no shadows (in the photo, you must be clearly distinguishable from the background and not blend in with it).
• The person in the photo has their eyes open and their mouth closed.
• The facial oval and jawline has to be entirely visible and the eyes not covered by sunglasses, the glasses frames, tinted glasses, or hair - prescription glasses are acceptable (but there can be no glare in the lenses and the frame cannot cover the pupils or irises).
• No headwear is permitted (with the exception being for medical or religious reasons).
• The photo cannot have a ‘red eye’ effect.

Posting in your photos for a British passport

If you send your photos by traditional mail, do not attach the photos to the application form permanently by gluing or stapling them. Only use a paper clip to secure them to the form.

UK passport photos - quality

Your British passport pictures must be printed on high-quality, white photographic paper with no borders. Passport pictures have to be unmarked on both sides, except for the photo that needs to be countersigned. 

Requirements for UK passport photos of a minor

Children must be photographed on their own in the picture. Babies are not allowed to hold anything or suck on a dummy. Children who are younger than 6 (six) years old don’t have to look straight at the camera. Children younger than 1 (one) year old do not have to have their eyes fully open. In the case of a baby, you can support the head with your hand, but your hand must not be visible in the photo.

A photo for a British passport with PhotoAiD

Just take a picture and upload it to the PhotoAiD page or use our app that is available in the Apple Store or on Google Play. The rest is done by the software that analyses whether your picture meets the official guidelines, then crops it to the right size and replaces the background. Within 3 seconds, you will receive a professional quality digital passport photo, ready to be downloaded and printed, or submitted online together with your UK passport application.

Last update: 27/06/2022