UK Passport Photo Size and Requirements
The UK prints at 45 x 35 mm, but the online upload wants pixels, not millimetres, and both must be under a month old. The full spec from GOV.UK, and where it trips people.
A UK passport photo must be 45 mm high by 35 mm wide if you send printed photos, or a digital photo at least 600 pixels wide by 750 pixels tall (between 50 KB and 10 MB) if you apply online. Both routes need a photo taken within the last month, in colour, against a plain light background, with a neutral expression and no head covering, and left unaltered by editing software. Those figures come from GOV.UK, which sets and enforces them for every UK passport application.
Two things catch people out here that don't apply elsewhere: the UK has separate specs for printed and digital photos, and its "taken within the last month" window is far shorter than the six months the US and Canada allow. This guide covers the UK only; for the rules every country shares see passport photo requirements explained, and for how the sizes differ country to country, passport photo size by country.
The exact UK passport photo spec
Every value below is published by GOV.UK. The printed size is a 45 x 35 mm rectangle, the same shape used across much of Europe and Australia, and not the 2 x 2 inch square the United States uses.
| Printed size | 45 mm high x 35 mm wide, no border |
| Face height (chin to crown) | Between 29 mm and 34 mm high |
| Digital size | At least 600 px wide x 750 px tall; 50 KB to 10 MB (no mm size given) |
| Number of photos | Two identical printed photos for a paper application; one file for an online one |
| Background | Plain cream or light grey (printed); plain light-coloured (digital), in clear contrast to you |
| Colour and recency | Colour only, taken within the last month |
| Editing | Unaltered by computer software; no red-eye |
Print and digital are two different specs
This is the part most third-party guides flatten into a single "35 x 45 mm" line, and it is where the UK genuinely differs. If you fill in a paper form, you send two identical prints measured in millimetres: 45 mm high by 35 mm wide. If you apply through the online service, GOV.UK gives no millimetre size at all — it asks for a digital file at least 600 pixels wide by 750 pixels tall, between 50 KB and 10 MB.
The two are not interchangeable. A 45 x 35 mm print at the usual 300 DPI works out to about 413 x 531 pixels, which is smaller than the 600 x 750 pixel floor the online upload requires. So a file sized perfectly for printing is too small to upload, and a photo that clears the online minimum is larger than a print export. Decide which route you are using before you size anything — getting the millimetres right for an online application, or the pixels right for a paper one, still fails. For the relationship between millimetres, pixels and DPI, see what DPI means.
The one-month rule is the quiet rejection trap
GOV.UK requires a UK passport photo to have been taken within the last month. That window is much shorter than the six months the United States and Canada allow, and it catches people who reuse a recent-looking photo. A photo that is perfectly acceptable for a US or Canadian application can be five months too old for a UK one, which is one of the more avoidable reasons passport photos get rejected. If you are also renewing a US passport with the same shoot, note that the UK is the tighter deadline of the two.
Background, glasses, expression, and head coverings
The UK's visual rules line up with the international biometric norm, with a couple of specifics worth pinning down:
- Background. For printed photos GOV.UK names a plain cream or light grey background; for digital it says plain light-coloured. Either way you must be in clear contrast to it, with no shadows on your face or behind you.
- Glasses. GOV.UK's instruction is not to wear glasses unless you have to. If you must, they cannot be sunglasses or tinted, your eyes must stay visible, and there must be no glare or shadow from the frames.
- Expression. Face forwards and look straight at the camera, with a plain expression, mouth closed, eyes open and visible, and no hair across your eyes. This is the same standard behind what makes a passport photo biometric.
- Head coverings. Not allowed unless worn for religious or medical reasons, and your full face must stay visible with nothing else covering it.
- Red-eye and marks. The photo must have no red-eye, and a printed one must be unmarked on both sides and free of creases or tears.
Paper applications: the back of the photo
If your application needs a countersignature — first adult or child passports, and replacements for lost, stolen or damaged ones — the person countersigning writes on the back of one printed photo: "I certify that this is a true likeness of" followed by your title and full name, then signs and dates it. This only applies to the printed route; the online service handles identity confirmation differently, so there is nothing to write on a digital file.
Where a sizing tool actually fits
Unlike Canada, which requires a commercial photographer and forbids editing, the UK accepts a photo you take yourself — GOV.UK only notes that one from a booth or shop is more likely to be approved than one taken on your own device. That makes a browser sizing tool genuinely useful here, within limits. The UK Passport Photo Maker gives you a crop box locked to the 35:45 ratio and outputs 413 x 531 pixels, which is exactly 45 x 35 mm at 300 DPI — the right file for the printed paper route.
Two honest caveats. First, that 413 x 531 output is below the 600 x 750 pixel minimum for the online upload, so for an online application use it to frame and check your photo, then submit a higher-resolution version. Second, "unaltered by computer software" targets retouching — changing your appearance, swapping the background, or applying filters; the tool only crops and resizes to the required size and does none of that. It runs entirely in your browser, so a sensitive photo is never uploaded. A UK visa photo follows its own specification, so don't assume the passport rules carry across, and for other countries start from the Passport Photo Maker hub.
FAQ
What size is a UK passport photo?
For a paper application, two printed photos measuring 45 mm high by 35 mm wide, with your face 29 to 34 mm from chin to crown. For an online application, a digital photo at least 600 pixels wide by 750 pixels tall and between 50 KB and 10 MB. GOV.UK gives no millimetre size for the digital route.
How recent does the photo have to be?
Taken within the last month. This is stricter than the six-month window the US and Canada use, so a photo that is fine for those countries may be too old for a UK application.
Can I take and use my own UK passport photo?
Yes. The UK accepts a self-taken photo, though GOV.UK notes a booth or shop photo is more likely to be approved. It must not be altered by editing software beyond cropping and resizing to the correct dimensions.
Can I wear glasses in a UK passport photo?
GOV.UK says not to wear glasses unless you have to. If you must, they cannot be sunglasses or tinted, your eyes must be clearly visible, and there must be no glare or shadow.
Why is the online photo size given in pixels, not millimetres?
The UK's online service is built around a digital file, so it specifies a pixel minimum (600 x 750) and a file-size range (50 KB to 10 MB) instead of a print size. A 45 x 35 mm print at 300 DPI is only about 413 x 531 pixels, which is too small to upload, so the two specs are not interchangeable.