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Digital Passport Photo Services: UK F.A.Q.

1. How to look good in British passport photo?

   As with all official documents, overdressing isn’t allowed here. So, if you need to have a truly perfect biometric photo, comply with the formal dress code and wear appropriate clothes. For example, don’t wear a uniform, don’t cover your head and face or your British passport photo application will be rejected. In certain cases, you can wear glasses for medical reasons (but no tinted glasses, or big eyeglasses frames), provided there are clear contrast and fully visible eyes. Besides, the HM passport office allows you to wear religious attire which covers your head and does not cover your face. In a word, most exceptions in dress codes are made for medical or religious reasons.
    
   All in all, we’d recommend keeping to business style—otherwise, you might grow unhappy with your shot in a few years (sure, you can change photo on passport later, but why not make it right the first time?).
    
   It’s a lot to bear in mind, isn’t it? Thankfully, our quick online application lets you preview your snapshot to decide whether you look great and compliant or if something may be improved. If your headshot looks bad for some reason, you can retake it as many times as you like.

   What top to wear for passport photo?

   Pay attention to your upper body clothing as well as your neck and head covering – these will (obviously) get in the frame when you take digital passport photos, and the result must show your face, neck and shoulders. The UK passport office’s laws and official information guidelines recommend wearing simple clothing such as a shirt, tank top, or blouse. However, you can wear religious attire when you use a photo booth. But in either case, your clothes should not hide your face.

   How to wear your hair in a passport photo?

   Your hair must not hide your face. Some of the safest suitable hairstyles include a bun or braid. Hat, head covering, and sunglasses are forbidden, but headwear that does not obscure your clear facial features can be worn to reflect religious beliefs.

   What colour to wear in UK passport photo?

   Put on clothing that makes a perfect contrast against the light-coloured background. For example, acceptable colours are blue, green, brown, or purple.

   What makeup can you wear for a passport photo?

   Plain makeup without huge jewellery is okay. If you feel more confident submitting your personal picture with makeup, feel free to do it – it’s not against the photo requirements or country rules. It’s also OK to apply lipstick to your mouth. However, an application where your appearance is changed too much is likely to be declined because of the official specifications.

2. How to take a UK digital passport photo at home from mobile?

   If you have a digital camera, iPhone or an Android smartphone with a good camera, things have just become far easier! If you need detailed instructions, please refer to our short guide on how to take a passport photo with your smartphone.
    
   According to the information guide issued by the authorities, you are allowed to take your own picture and process it yourself. As a matter of fact, our passport photo online cropping tool can help you do exactly that. Whether you’re on iPhone, Android or PC, you can use it to resize your snapshots to the correct format.
    
   To put it simply, our editor can crop and cut your digital image to the accepted dimensions. Once you’re ready to make digital photos for your UK passport online, send your snapshot to the app. We’ll take care of the rest and make sure you get fully compliant headshots in the end.

   Let’s learn taking passport photos without leaving your home:

   1. Dress as required (see above)
   2. Find a plain light-coloured background
   3. Add more lighting to your photo scenery. Eliminate shadows on your face or plain light-coloured background
   4. Look upfront, no bending or turning
   5. Keep eyes open, mouth closed, neutral facial expression (grinning isn’t allowed in UK pictures)
   6. Take an approved picture in JPEG or PNG format

    
   Please also note that to be verified, digital images must not have any filter, effects or retouch.

3. How to take your own passport photo at home without shadow?

   If you don’t want any shadows in the resulting headshot, good lighting is vital. As troublesome as this condition may be, there is a way to ensure it properly.
    

   Here are 9 useful tips to help you get a digital photo for your British passport online at home:

    

   1. Turn on all the lighting in the room
   2. Stand straight facing forward behind a suitable plain coloured wall
   3. Never stand close to a window. The natural daylight from the street will distort your brightness and contrast—this is unacceptable when you take professional passport photos
   4. If you have a selfie ring light, use it
   5. Check the lighting direction. Ensure you have enough light from the right, left and top of you to avoid shadows on your face (can’t have them in your picture for UK travel credentials)
   6. Place your photo camera and some extra light on a tripod at your eyes level so that the light shines on your face
   7. Be careful with the inbuilt flashlight in your phone camera. It might spoil the picture contrast (this parameter is important for the HM Passport Office, too)
   8. When you take biometric photos in glasses at the comfort of your own home in London or in the other part of the country, check the focus and visible glare
   9. Get rid of the shadowed wall effect. Move at least 3 feet away from the wall

    
   That’s all—now, you can use your new picture for online submission or have it printed for under a pound and apply by post. Should you prefer the latter, check if you need a signature on your application form and one of the shots (if in doubt, check out our post on who can sign passport photos).

4. How big is a passport photo UK?

   Unfortunately, following the recommendations on proportions and appearance isn’t enough, there are also dimensions to bear in mind. A compliant passport size photo must be 45 mm high and 35 mm wide. If you simply take a headshot per the relevant requirements and order prints and delivery in one of the shop chains, remember the UK government regulations and check the details of the printing order you received. The right size of printed colour headshot must be within 29 – 34 millimetres from the bottom of the chin to the crown of the head.
    
   And when it comes to the digital photo size (in terms of kilobytes and megabytes), it may vary depending on the format (JPEG or PNG). However, the main rule is the same for both: your biometric digital passport photo must be at least 50 KB and no more than 10 MB. Anything below or above this range will be rejected.
    
   There’s also an explicit specification on the proportions of a biometric passport photo: if you want your digital picture to be accepted, it has to measure at least 600 x 750 pixels. So, before submitting it, make sure that your shot meets these parameters.

5. Where to get a passport photo online in the United Kingdom?

   Getting your compliant headshot right is one of the most important steps in the British passport online application process. Of course, there are plenty of local options in any city or town. But if you don’t feel like going anywhere and you don’t want to have any bureaucratic delays whatsoever, go for web services. So, first of all, select the best nearby places for taking passport-size photographs:
    
   1. At Home. In this modern world, things have become quite easy. You can send in your file to our photo booth online and create a UK digital passport photo quickly and effortlessly right here. There is no need to waste your precious time or obsess over small (and often boring) details. You can simply access our website at any time it’s convenient to you, as it’s open all day and night, over weekends and holidays.
    
   If you choose our free UK passport online tool, you’ll be able to take a snapshot straight away in the comfort of your room! What’s more, this way you can cut payment fees and pay only the price for prints.
    
   2. In Max Spielmann Centres, Kiosks, Offline Photo Booths. There are over 250 brands locations in Great Britain with professional instant-print kiosks where you can take passport photos. But in terms of convenience for the end customer, these options leave much to be desired and do not guarantee a satisfactory result at the same time. The thing is, a customer has to go directly to one of the locations and wait in line to get a digital photo.
    
   3. In Tesco Shops. There are more than 150 shops in the Tesco Extra shop chain. It’s one of the most popular spots in the UK, and quite a few of these offer passport photo printing services. However, it’s Tesco shops – they may well be crowded with people, and the staff may not have the time for you.
    
   4. At Post Office. Find a closeby Royal Mail Delivery Office in your area of the United Kingdom. But their passport photos service can be slow, so visiting a mail office to make snapshots for documents can take a bit longer than expected.

6. What happens if digital passport photo is rejected UK?

   The British government is fairly stringent when it comes to official documents, and the same can be said about digital or printed photos.
    
   If HMPO refuses to take your pic, you will have a chance to replace the rejected passport photos with a new picture. (Please note that it has to be done within the specified time frame if you don’t want to pay any additional fees.) In order to avoid family travel delays, check if your new image complies with the important UK passport photo requirements before your second offline or online passport application.
    

   Use our photo booth online app to generate any number of images and compare them. Please note that we don’t have any limits for uploading—this means you get any number of shots in our compliant passport-size photo converter and then use it in a new application for your documents.

   See this government regulations check list for approved passport photos UK:

   • First and foremost, you can only submit a new picture or one taken within the last month prior to your visit to the passport application facility
   • Off-white plain background
   • Face: head centred, eyes open, no lens, mouth closed, no smiling (even if it’s a natural smile), neutral facial expression
   • Digital camera: at your eyes level (use a tripod if you have one)
   • Resolution: HD or ultra HD
   • Passport photo prints: professional quality photo paper

7. How to print passport size photo?

   To do that, you don’t have to go anywhere. The easiest and most time-efficient option is to make correct-size headshots with our digital UK passport photo maker. At absolutely no charge and in a matter of seconds, our picture checker will create a digital passport photo online. The resulting file will be ready for printing at your own home photo printer to save time. And there’s no need for any other special equipment: you can print your photos from any gadget (Windows or Mac computer or laptop, iPhone or Android smartphone or iPad).

   How to print passport photos on Windows 10?

   When used together, our editor and Windows 10 provide an efficient plug-and-play interface to print images. So, once you’ve processed your snapshot in our digital photo booth, do the following:
    

   1. Click the Download for print button
   2. Right-click on the file with two 35 x 45 mm images (our British passport picture converter gives you exactly this template)
   3. Click the Print option in the menu
   4. Choose your printer name
   5. Select 10x15cm (4″x6″) colourful matte or glossy photo paper
   6. Use this setup: portrait orientation, no borders
   7. Click the print button and get your images
   8. Cut out your pics

    
   If you want to print passport photos on Mac PC/Laptop, the process is different, but not too much. Small details aside, you’ll be able to print them almost the same way you would do it on a computer with Windows OS.

   How to print passport photos on Android, iPhone, iPad?

   Link your Android or iOS device to a wireless printer. Open your ready document template in your gallery or camera roll, tap the Share icon, find the sharing options and tap the Print icon. Send a picture for print on 10x15cm (4″ x 6″) photo paper on your wireless printer. Remember that you need to keep your original proportions without borders—otherwise, your UK passport photos will be rejected.