United Kingdom · passport
UK passport photo, digital and print rules
For online UK passport applications you upload a digital photo of at least 600×750 pixels against a plain light background, with your head (crown to chin) filling roughly 64–76% of the frame. Printed photos are 35×45 mm on a cream or light grey background.
- Size
- 35×45 mm
- Digital file
- 600×750 px JPEG
- Background
- light
- Head height
- 64.4–75.6%
- Price
- £4.99 · once
Select country and document
Step 1/3
Popular: · ·
- Head size62.4% · 50–69%
- Eye line61.2% · 56–69%
- Backgroundwhite · σ 6
- Lightingeven
- Resolution1832px
MEETS SPEC · ESTIMATED
Checked against the official specification, with the source cited on every document.
Worth knowing: For digital applications HM Passport Office crops your photo itself, so do not pre-crop a digital submission tightly. Our digital file keeps the required framing; the print sheet is exactly 35×45 mm.
How our UK Passport photo tool works
Add a photo you already have and we measure it against the official UK Passport specification (35×45 mm, 600×750 px, light background), then produce the exact files you need. Checking is free; you pay £4.99 only if you want the files.
Add your photo
A selfie or any recent photo of yourself, straight from your phone.
See every measurement
Ten checks run against the official spec and show you the numbers.
Fix what's off
Drag to reposition and zoom to resize, or retake the photo if something can't be fixed.
Download your files
Exact digital file, print-ready sheet and compliance report.
What is a UK Passport photo?
A UK passport photo is a colour photograph against a plain light background, cream or light grey. In print it is 35×45 mm; for online applications it is a digital image of at least 600×750 pixels. The crown-to-chin measurement must fall between 29 mm and 34 mm in print terms, roughly 64–76% of the frame height.
HM Passport Office accepts either a photo code from an approved shop or booth, or your own digital photo uploaded during the online application. Digital submissions should not be tightly pre-cropped, because HMPO's own system crops them. That is how PassportClerk frames the digital file it delivers.
Check your photo against those measurements here for free. If it passes, one purchase gets you the correctly-sized digital file plus a 35×45 mm print sheet.
UK Passport photo requirements
| Size | 35×45 mm · 600×750 px @300 DPI |
|---|---|
| Digital file | 600×750px JPEG · max 10240 KB |
| Background | light |
| Head height | 64.4–75.6% of frame height |
| Digital upload | accepted |
| Background editing | not permitted, so we leave yours as it is |
- Crown-to-chin must measure 29–34 mm in print (64–76% of frame height).
- For digital applications, do NOT pre-crop your photo. HM Passport Office crops it. You get a photo code from approved providers, or upload your own.
- Digital photos must be at least 600×750 px, 50 KB–10 MB.
- Printed photos: plain cream or light grey background.
Source: official requirements · verified 2026-07
UK Passport photos that pass the checks
Thin frames, no glare, eyes fully visible 
Even light, plain background, neutral expression 
Infant alone in frame, eyes open, plain sheet 
Religious head covering with the full face visible 
Hair back, forehead and both ears clear
UK Passport photos that don't pass
Head tilted, hard shadow on the background 
Taken too far away, head too small in the frame 
Someone else's hand in the frame 
Patterned wall and furniture behind
Illustrative examples created for this guide. They are not customer photos, and not decisions by any authority.
What you get for £4.99
- High-resolution file in the exact spec (600×750px, under 10240 KB)
- Printable compliance report with everything we measured
- Print-ready 10×15 cm sheet with 4 copies and cut lines
one-time payment, no subscription
Photos that pass
- Exact dimensions: 600×750px
- Plain light background, evenly lit
- Head filling 64.4–75.6% of the frame
- Taken in the last 6 months, neutral expression
Photos that get rejected
- Edited, filtered or AI-retouched photos
- Shadows on the face or background
- Busy walls, gradients or the wrong background colour
- Head too large, too small, or off-centre
- Glare on glasses or tinted lenses
- Old photos, or photos of printed photos
Why use PassportClerk for your UK Passport photo
- Convenience
- Make it at home from a photo you already have, without booking a studio or queueing for a booth. You get a file sized for the official upload and a print sheet for the times you need paper.
- Built from the official specification
- Every measurement on this page comes from the official UK Passport requirements, and the source is linked, dated and re-checked.
- Works from any phone
- Nothing to install. A recent phone camera and a plain wall are enough.
- You see the numbers
- Head height, eye line, background and resolution are all measured and shown to you before you pay.
- Private, then deleted
- We only receive your photo if you buy, and everything is deleted within 48 hours.
If the files we produce don't match the specification on this page, we'll fix them or refund you. The decision on any application always rests with the issuing authority.
Frequently asked questions
What is a UK passport photo code?
A photo code is a reference issued by approved photo booths and shops that lets HMPO fetch your photo digitally. It is one way to submit. You can equally upload your own compliant digital photo, which is what this tool produces.
What background colour does a UK passport photo need?
A plain light background for digital uploads; printed photos should be cream or light grey. Pure white is accepted digitally if it is even and free of shadows, and we measure that uniformity for you.
What size must the head be?
Crown to chin must measure 29–34 mm on the 45 mm print, about 64–76% of the frame height. The checker shows your measured percentage as you adjust.
Can I smile in a UK passport photo?
No. Keep a plain expression, mouth closed, eyes open and looking at the camera. Glasses are allowed only without glare and with your eyes fully visible; no sunglasses or tinted lenses.
How we handle compliance
- We check your photo against the official rules. We never retouch your face, and we only normalize the background where the destination country permits it.
- Every requirement is cited from official government sources, with the verification date shown on the page.
- What you get is a report of measurements, not a guarantee. Final acceptance always rests with the issuing authority.
official requirements · verified 2026-07