UK Driving Licence Photo Online, Free & Print-Ready

Driving Licence Picture UK: Common Questions

1. Who can sign a driving licence photo?

   If you decide to use another image for your new document but don’t have a biometric residence permit and aren’t a resident of an EEA country, you’ll need to have your photo signed. You can print it and ask another citizen of the United Kingdom with enough authority to sign the back of your printout and thus verify it and your identity.
    
   This signature certifies that he or she has known you at least for two years and ensures that it is really you shown in that photo. Sadly, you can’t just ask your friend to do it. Here’s the list of people who can sign the photo for your UK driving licence:
    

   1. Lay magistrate or Justice of the Peace, a local councillor
   2. A minister of religion
   3. A lawyer, teacher, librarian, or engineer
   4. Local business person or shopkeeper
   5. A bank or building society officer
   6. An established civil servant, a police officer

    
   The person who signs your photo must fill in section 8 of your DL1 application form.

2. How to renew photo on driving licence?

   You can change your picture when you:
    

   1. Replace your expired document with a new permit
   2. Apply for a provisional version of the document
   3. Replace your UK driving licence with a new one in case it was lost, damaged, or stolen

    
   Whatever the reason, any citizen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland should be able to update their photo online via the DVLA website or a postal services office (provided that they’ve passed the driving test, of course).
    
   Should you choose the former option the total price will amount to £14, while renewal via a post branch will cost you at least £17. The first option will be most efficient for you: by taking your shot at home, you’ll save money and time.

3. How to change driving licence photo?

   The first way is to do it online right at the government licensing agency’s website. Once you’re there, go through the list of online submission rules (e.g. you must have a valid UK passport and your National insurance number, be a resident, etc.). When you’ve looked through all the important information and made sure you meet the UK driving licence photo requirements, you need to send your new headshot in. All in all, the website’s instructions are pretty clear, so you shouldn’t have any trouble there.
    
   This same page also has information on the other, more traditional way. Basically, you just need to fill out the submission form, attach your printed photo, a copy of your current driving permit and a cheque for £17 to it and head to the nearest post office to have it sent.
    
   No matter what option you choose, PhotoBooth Online can help you with either one. You can use practically any photograph to make it into a compliant headshot (just make sure it’s taken within the last month, it’s one of those requirements each photo must follow).

4. How much is a photo driving licence?

   The total cost can be broken down into two. First, there’s the processing fee. Offline application renewal via a postal service costs £17, but the online application for a driving permit is a little cheaper (£14). Here, you can’t possibly reduce the price (although it’s still worth it: once you get the document it can be used as a European driving licence as well!).
    
   However, when it comes to taking a headshot for your document, there’s this money-saving trick: you don’t have to take your photo in a store, studio or a special machine, just make it online! The available options are numerous, although some are paid and others are non-compliant (and still others are both). By contrast, PhotoBooth Online will make you a biometric photo in seconds!
    
   Whether you need to renew your UK driving licence online or offline (or get a new one), this option is very much worth considering. If you use our website to get a printable image, you won’t have to pay anything. However, please mind the above-mentioned fee for the update procedure.

5. Where can I get a photo for my driving licence?

   No matter what part of England you live in, there should always be several places where you can get a photo:
    

   • Use a local photo booth (say, a Max Spielmann one). Your nearby store will most likely have one of those on their premises. Although these machines can give you a set of compliant pictures in a couple of minutes, they are fairly outdated and not too comfortable to use. For instance, they won’t retake your full or provisional driving licence photo if you don’t like it for some reason (at least, not for free).
      
     Also, this option is far from perfect in terms of control—say, if you don’t manage to keep a plain expression when the countdown ends, you’ll have to pay and take a photo again (and it’ll be the full price of at almost thirteen pounds).
      
   • Go to a local shop. In this case, an employee will take and print UK driving licence picture, which makes the whole process more user-friendly (after all, nobody will take a picture of you if you’re not even looking at the camera). Don’t expect a premium service though: for most store employees, taking photos is only a side duty. So they’ll likely want to get it done as quickly as possible, no matter the quality.
      
     Also, this isn’t your best bet if you feel a bit uncomfortable when photographed by a stranger, and the same goes for the next option.
      
   • Visit a dedicated photo studio like Snappy Snaps. They’ll take an image in full compliance with the UK driving licence photo requirements, but you’ll need to pay around £10 or more for two images in print. Should you choose this variant, you’ll have a lot more room for mistakes. In most places, you should be able to retake your picture if it turns out downright bad (and some businesses even offer a money-back guarantee).
      
     However, there is a major drawback here as well—the prices in such places can go far higher than in photo booths. So, paying that much for a couple of UK driving licence photos may not seem too reasonable.
      
   • Use an online service. There are a lot of options on the web: most of them are paid and only a couple is free. Interestingly, a paid driving licence photo isn’t necessarily better than a free one. Some driving licence photo websites ask you for money but, being hopelessly outdated, don’t give you the respective quality.
      
     As for free options, only a few will offer you good pictures without any hidden costs or watermarks. One of these few is PhotoBooth Online–you can use it to get a valid photo instantly. All you need to get a picture for your UK driving licence is Internet access and a camera or smartphone. Simply take a usual snapshot with your face fully visible, go to this page, hit the photo upload button and add your newly-made shot. Next thing you know, we turn it into a compliant picture: you’ll be able to download one JPEG for online submission or a template with two digital printable photos.
      

6. How to take a driving licence photo?

   Here’s how to take a picture at home with a digital camera or mobile device:
    

   1. Wear casual clothes. Obviously, it’s the upper body garment that matters most here. Your head and face should be fully visible, so no head coverings or other headwear (but religious attire is allowed)
   2. If you wear glasses for medical reasons, you can keep them on. Please note that any tinted glasses (like sunglasses) are strictly forbidden in the UK driving licence photo requirements. Make sure there’s no reflection that’s too clear
   3. Set up a plain light grey or cream background (same as with the passport photo background colour)
   4. If possible, use even natural sunlight (if it’s too bright or insufficient, turn on an artificial light source). Thus you will avoid shadows on your face and won’t get a wrong background
   5. Stand still, keep a straight pose
   6. Keep eyes open, mouth closed, neutral face expression (don’t smile)
   7. Take your own shot for your UK driving licence

    
   If you’ve taken a bad-quality headshot (with a red-eye effect, for instance), just retake it. Don’t use retouch or any selfie editing apps, or photo editing computer software like PhotoShop.

7. What are driving licence photo requirements?

   They are quite straightforward and easy to follow. In fact, the government provides us with pretty much the same rules as for the other types of official document pictures. Here’s the information helpful for those who have just finished their driving lessons and want to take their headshot:
    

   • Your photo must be coloured
   • It must include your whole head, shoulders and a part of the upper body
   • Headwear is allowed for religious purposes only (but it can’t hide or obscure your facial features anyway)
   • Make sure you’re not wearing any accessories (like head covering, decorative glasses and so on). Facial piercings are generally allowed to keep but there shouldn’t be any glare whatsoever. So, if a facial piercing shines, remove it if possible or adjust the lighting.
   • The driving licence photo size for printed shots is 35×45, with your head taking up no less than 29 and no more than 34 mm in the frame. The proportions for digital shots stay the same
   • Your photograph must be taken within the last 30 days to be valid (one of the most commonly made mistakes is to use your old shot)
   • Use a uniform background of light colour: it can’t be textured or patterned and it can’t include any other objects (otherwise, it’ll make an unsuitable background)
   • Shadows are strictly forbidden: the requirements clearly state that lighting must be soft and even
   • Keep your facial expression neutral—no smiling, mouth closed, eyes open, no heavy make-up
   • Make sure your hair doesn’t cover your face. If it normally obscures your facial features, try tucking it behind your ears or use an invisible (transparent) hair clip
   • Glasses can be left on only if you can’t see properly without them
   • As for clothes, try to wear something that won’t match the background colour

    
   Following these not-so-strict requirements, you shouldn’t have any trouble submitting your photocard driving licence application form.