35x45 UK Passport Photo - Size, Requirements & Online Maker
- Size: 35x45 mm / 1.375x1.75 in
- 600 DPI (600x750 pixels)
- Plain light background
- File size: 50KB-10MB
- In colour
- Clear and in focus
How to Take a 100% Correct Passport-Size Photo
1. Get your clothes right
There isn't any strict dress code but it's best to wear something neutral that will make a good contrast with the off-white light-grey background. Note: hats and accessories are strictly forbidden!2. Ensure good lighting
It will be easier to do so in the late morning or early afternoon. Find a well-lit room with a lot of natural light coming in and make sure you're evenly lit—shadows are unacceptable.3. Take your picture
Grab your phone and use its front camera to photograph yourself (or ask someone for help). Note: do not tilt or turn your head! Look straight into the camera with a neutral facial expression.4. Process the photo here
Upload your picture to our website and get UK passport photos online! We'll set up the correct 35x45 size, replace the background with light grey and check your image against the other rules.
British Passport Picture: Guidelines & Examples
Size and Proportions
Read moreCloseThe required UK passport photo size is 35 mm wide by 45 mm high. Your head must measure between 29 and 34 mm from chin to crown. This ensures the correct proportions for biometric recognition.
- Photo dimensions: 35 mm × 45 mm
- Head size: 29–34 mm from chin to crown
- Head must be centred and fill most of the frame
- No borders allowed
- Use high-quality photo paper (300 DPI or higher)
If you're printing the photo yourself, follow these size and quality requirements carefully. If you're using our online tool or a professional printer, the dimensions will be adjusted automatically.
Background and Colour
Read moreCloseThe background of your passport photo must be plain, light-coloured, and provide clear contrast with your clothing. It must not contain people, objects, patterns, or shadows.
- Recommended background colours: light grey or off-white
- No other people or objects in the frame
- No shadows on the background or face
- Clothing should contrast clearly with the background
Our tool automatically removes or adjusts the background to meet UK government photo standards — no manual editing required.
Quality and Resolution
Read moreCloseAccording to the UK passport photo requirements, your picture must be clear, sharp, and in colour. Blurry, pixelated, grainy, or black-and-white images will be rejected. For digital submissions, the photo must meet both resolution and file size requirements.
Requirement Accepted Resolution 600 × 750 pixels or higher File size 50 KB – 10 MB Colour Mandatory (no black-and-white) Image clarity No blur, noise, or defects
If you use our service, all resolution, size, and quality requirements will be applied automatically, ensuring full compliance with UK passport standards.
Facial Expression, Hair and Pose
Read moreCloseIn UK passport photos, your face must be fully visible and clearly recognisable. You must face forward with a neutral expression, eyes open, and no head tilt or smile. Hair must not cover your face or eyes.
- Keep your head straight and shoulders square to the camera
- Maintain a neutral expression — no smiling or frowning
- Lips must be closed and eyes fully open
- Hair must not obscure your face or eyebrows
- Light makeup is allowed
There are no strict rules on hairstyle, but your photo must show your entire face clearly. Always take a new photo if your expression is incorrect — edited photos are not accepted.
Glasses and Accessories
Read moreCloseYou can wear prescription glasses in your passport photo if absolutely necessary, but there must be no glare, no reflections, and no tinted lenses. Accessories should be kept minimal, and your face must remain fully visible.
- Prescription glasses are allowed only if:
- No reflection or glare is visible
- Lenses are not tinted
- Frames do not cover your eyes or facial features
- Sunglasses or fashion glasses are not allowed
- Large or face-obstructing frames are rejected
- Small jewellery and facial piercings are permitted if they don’t block the face
- Face masks, hair clips, or large accessories are not allowed
To avoid rejection, it’s safest to remove glasses and all non-essential accessories unless medically necessary. The photo must clearly show your full face without obstruction.
- Prescription glasses are allowed only if:
Clothing and Headwear
Read moreCloseThere is no strict dress code in the passport photo guidelines, but neutral clothing that contrasts with the background is recommended. Headwear is not allowed unless worn for religious or medical reasons, and your full face must remain clearly visible.
- Avoid uniforms or camouflage-style clothing — they are not permitted
- Choose plain or business-style clothing for a professional appearance
- Head coverings are allowed only for:
- Religious purposes
- Medical needs (e.g. hearing aids)
- Religious or medical headwear requires a signed statement
- Face must not be covered or obscured under any condition
While you're free to choose what to wear, sticking to simple, non-distracting clothes ensures your photo meets UK passport photo requirements without risk of rejection.
Lighting and Shadows
Read moreCloseUK passport photo rules strictly prohibit shadows, glare, and uneven lighting. Your face must be fully visible, with clear and even brightness across the image. Photos taken in dark or overexposed conditions will be rejected.
- No shadows on the face, background, or shoulders
- No glare or reflections on the skin or glasses
- No dark or underlit areas — face must be fully lit
- Avoid direct flash or sharp light that may cause hotspots
- Use soft, natural lighting (e.g. near a window)
- Don’t use strong backlighting — it can cause silhouette effects
For best results, take your photo in a bright room with even daylight. If using a phone, position yourself facing the light source.
Photo Editing
Read moreCloseEditing your passport photo in any way is not allowed. You must submit a completely unaltered image. Any form of digital retouching, enhancement, or filter use will result in rejection.
- Do not use Photoshop or mobile editing apps
- Do not remove red-eye or blemishes
- Do not apply makeup or face-smoothing filters
- Do not adjust facial features or lighting digitally
If there is an issue with your photo, it’s always better to take a new one than to edit the existing image. Our tool prepares unedited, compliant images that follow UK passport regulations.
Age-Dependent Rules
Read moreCloseWhile most UK passport photo requirements apply to all ages, there are specific exceptions for children under 6 and babies under 1 year old. However, the photo must still meet core requirements like size, lighting, and background.
Age Neutral Expression Eye Contact Eyes Open Children over 6 Yes Yes Yes Children under 6 Not required Not required Yes Babies under 1 Not required Not required Not required
To avoid rejection, ensure your child is the only person in the frame, with no distractions or hands holding them visible. Our tool helps align proportions even for baby and toddler photos.
UK Passport Photo Standards & Dimensions
What are the requirements for a UK passport photo?
HM Passport Office issues up-to-date requirements and regulations – both for digital shots and paper printouts.
As for general UK passport specifications, your photo has to be taken within the last month, i. e. your appearance in it should be as actual as possible. Also, if you’re struggling when taking a headshot by yourself, ask a family member or friend to be your photographer. For the backdrop, use a uniform light-coloured background.
The other (more specific) guidelines and specs for both digital passport photos and their printouts specify major principles of acceptance/denial. These specifications cover digital photo resolution and focus, correct size, right clothing (including that worn for religious or medical reasons), prescription glasses, earrings and other jewellery, hair, beard, lighting, neutral expression, and no tinted glasses.
See the details above and use our free online UK photo checker to confirm your picture against UK passport requirements. In case of doubts, use our free photo maker to submit a picture that meets all the photo guidelines for a British passport application.What are the requirements for a baby passport photo UK?
Although it’s way harder to take a good snapshot of your little one, the official rules for such a UK passport photo happen to be generally less strict. After all, you can’t tell the young British citizen to hold still and keep calm, right? So, the strict rules effective for adults do not apply to infants and their shots to the same extent.
For example, your girl or boy may smile or open their mouth a bit (not too much though). Also, if he or she is under six, it is not necessary to look straight at the camera or keep a strictly neutral expression. But still, no matter the age, holding toys or dummies is not allowed, and there shouldn’t be any other objects in the picture.
In addition to that, the baby passport photo requirements clearly state that parents can’t be present in the photo as well.
As for applicants that are less than 12 months old, the passport photo rules and requirements are even less stringent for them. While all the rules mentioned in the paragraph above still apply, there are some differences. For one, they can have their eyes closed.
There’s also this life hack on the official government website: lay your little one on a light grey or cream bed sheet (to use as your makeshift background) and take a digital photo from above. You can support his or her head with your hand as long as it isn’t visible in the frame.What size is a passport photo UK in cm?
The dimensions for printed photos are very precise: they must be 4.5 cm high and 3.5 cm wide (in line with the requirements). If we measure this in inches, the equivalent dimensions will be 1.375 x 1.75 in.
These specifications are some of the most common ones, as they apply in many states around the world (both for passports and other identity papers). For instance, if you’re off on a business trip to Europe, you can also use a photo of these dimensions for your visa and/or other supporting documents in most cases. As we make 35×45 mm shots exactly, PhotoBooth Online can be your all-in-one cropping tool that’s both time- and cost-effective. Pretty convenient, right?What size is a digital passport photo UK?
If you don’t feel like submitting in person, choose the online application service: in this case, the aspect ratio of the file you upload will remain the same. According to the universal standards, the proportions will still be 35×45 in millimetres (which equals 3.5 by 4.5 in centimetres and 1.375 by 1.75 inches).
If we go into technical details, the resolution of your digital passport photo should be at least 750 by 600 (the height and width measured in pixels, not cm or mm). The reason for this requirement is that your picture must not be too blurry or pixelated–after all, you need to be easily identifiable in your official shot (that’s the whole point, isn’t it). There is no specified maximum dimension in pixels, but it obviously should be within reason, as the image cannot take up more than 10MB of space, with 50KB being the minimum.How to resize a photo to passport size?
It’s easy to change a larger JPEG to the proper proportions for a British passport online. So, instead of spending lots of time and money on a visit to the nearest photo shop, we suggest you try the following (the entire process is super-easy):
- Visit the PhotoBooth Online website
- Select the Upload button
- Provide a new photo taken with your iPhone or Android smartphone within the last 30 days
- The app will automatically run the cropping format program per the applicable requirements for a British passport photo
- Wait a few seconds to get your UK passport-size photo cut to the allowed proportions in pixels
- Proceed to download the resulting file for printing
When you obtain your photo, it should be submitted. In case you want to proceed without leaving home, apply immediately at the UK passport online submission page, following the easy step-by-step process. This is the most efficient way in terms of time and money. Plus, they will have your photo checked against the applicable standards beforehand to see if it’s all okay.
If you don’t want to send in your digital passport photo through the online application page, you can do it in person by mail. Simply take the photo to the nearest post office to submit it to the government and use it for your new British travel document.How to make sure my shot meets the requirements for UK passport photos?
This can pose quite a challenge, since most photo booths (and, frankly speaking, some stores) do not verify your photo once it’s taken. Instead, they leave it to you to check if you have a plain light-coloured background, keep a neutral facial expression and keep your mouth closed (and eyes open) in your brand-new passport photo.
Not too great service, isn’t it? Thankfully, there are some options that make the verification much easier:
- Apply on the official government website. Should a British citizen choose to submit his or her passport application online, their shot will be checked automatically. A special meter will evaluate the quality of your photo compliance-wise and tell you if something is wrong.
- Use the Check and Send service at a post branch. For £16, one of the employees will thoroughly check your passport photo and the supporting documents to make sure you can send it all to HMPO without risking rejection. But please mind that they do not provide the service separately—if you want your photo examined by the staff, you’ll have to take it at their premises first.
- Upload your digital passport photo to an online verification tool (other than the one at the gov.uk page). Why do that if there’s an official option? For instance, this option will be useful for those who just want to ensure their shot meets the specifications before making it into a couple of printed photos (to submit them by post).
Our service helps you do just that! Whether you’ve made your photo with your phone or digital camera, simply upload it here. We’ll run our integrated checker and correct your picture (if it needs adjustment in the first place). For instance, we’ll replace the photo background with the compliant one and crop your shot to the standard size.
- Apply on the official government website. Should a British citizen choose to submit his or her passport application online, their shot will be checked automatically. A special meter will evaluate the quality of your photo compliance-wise and tell you if something is wrong.
Will a picture prepared here meet UK passport photo rules?
Yes, it will—PhotoBooth Online has a number of features implemented to keep your picture compliant:
Correct Photo Size
The full head dimensions must be between 29 and 34 mm. Our tool will help you verify and validate the head proportions to ensure your application will pass with no trouble.
Correct Ratio
The official UK passport photo size in pixels is 600×750—your picture must be 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels high. Get a photo of this size now!
Plain Light Background
When renewing your passport or getting a new one, use our digital passport photo maker. If the background is wrong, we’ll automatically set it to cream or light grey.
High Resolution
We’ll make sure there is no blurry mess or shadow. Your clear HD photo for documents will be ready for printing and attaching to the application form (or submitting online).
No Shadows
Aside from being shadow-free, your photo must have the proper brightness, right size and contrast. We’ll help check if it’s all OK so that you’re ready for submitting.
Any Number of Photos
Want to process 3, 10 or 15 headshots for your UK passport? Not a problem, we don’t set any limits for uploaded photos. It’s a free app with no fee or hidden payments.
Approved = No Delays
Getting your travel document is often an urgent matter, since many countries have certain passport validity requirements. With us, you can avoid non-compliance delays. Run a compliance check against the applying rules–we guarantee that your new passport-size photos will comply with the requirements.
Renew Online
With our photo booth, you can simply take a selfie at home and then download a file of the exact digital passport photo size to apply online. Save time with our crop service!
By the Guidelines
PhotoBooth Online sets JPEG or PNG files to the right size per the standards of HM passport office—print them in colour on white photographic paper.
Right Size
Check a shot against UK passport photo requirements in our free online tool. We’ll make sure its parameters meet the guidelines for British passport pictures.
Pictures for Any Age
We make compliant images for every age. They meet the size standards for a British passport photo and age-dependent requirements.
What do I need to take a correct UK passport photo by myself?
Right equipment
It’s best to use your smartphone camera (however, a tablet or a digital camera will do as well). No selfies though: ask someone else to take your picture.
Correct background
It should be plain light-grey without any patterns. Note: if you’re taking your UK passport photo with us, we’ll create the correct background for you.
Even and natural lighting
Make sure you’re evenly lit and there aren’t any shadows on you or your background. Natural lighting is perfect for compliant passport-size photos.
Suitable clothes
Remove your hat and any accessories (like hair clips or a face mask). Wear business-like clothes—it’ll be perfectly neutral for your passport photo.
Neutral facial expression
Keep a plain expression and look into the camera. If you’ve got a picture with red eyes, retake it: any editing is against UK passport photo requirements.
PhotoBooth Online
To do it all faster, order UK passport photos online: have your pictures prepared and expert-verified, then order prints in any store or service.