What are the requirements for a UK passport photo?
When applying for a UK passport renewal online, HM Passport Office seem strangely reluctant to tell you what the requirements are for the photo until after you've paid. After you've paid, you have a limited time to send everything off, so I prefer to get all of the required documents lined up before paying. What requirements must my passport photo fulfil?
Best Answer
I recently renewed my UK passport, and couldn't find this information anywhere. Hopefully if it changes someone will let me know...
This information is from the PDF which I received after paying.
Photo style
The photo must be of the applicant:
- facing forward and looking straight at the camera
- in close-up of their face, head and shoulders with a recommended head height (the distance between the bottom of the chin and the crown of the head) of between 29 and 34 millimetres
- with a neutral expression and with the mouth closed (no smiling, frowning or raised eyebrows)
- with their eyes open and clearly visible (no sunglasses or tinted glasses and no hair across the eyes)
- free from reflection or glare on glasses, and frames must not cover eyes (we recommend that, if possible, glasses are removed for the photo)
- showing their full head, without any head covering, unless they wear one for religious beliefs or medical reasons
- with no other objects or people in the photo (this also applies to a photo of a baby or a young child and babies should not have toys or a dummy in the photo)
- without shadows on the picture
- without anything covering the face – nothing should cover the outline of the eyes, nose or mouth, and
- not showing any 'red-eye'.
Photo size must
- be 45 millimetres high x 35 millimetres wide, the standard size used in photo booths in the UK (if you are outside the UK not all photo booths use this standard size), and
- not be trimmed or cut down from a larger photograph to the size of a standard passport photograph.
Photo quality must
- be taken against a plain cream or plain light-grey background
- be printed to a high quality, such as photos printed by a booth or studio (photographs printed at home are unlikely to be of high enough quality)
- be clear and in sharp focus
- be taken within the last month
- be in colour on plain white photographic paper
- not be torn, creased, or marked, and
- not have any writing on the front or back – except when one of the photos needs to be certified.
Children
Children aged five and under do not need to have a neutral expression or look directly at the camera. Babies under one don’t need to have their eyes open. If the baby’s head needs to be supported, the supporting hand must not be seen. All other photograph standards must be met.
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Answer 2
HM Passport Office is very specific in documents they check documents very carefully and the points below must be kept in mind before submitting your photographs.
Photograph size must be 35mm wide by 45mm high, also remember your photo should be an individual photo.
Recent photograph is required.
It must be a coloured photograph with plain expressions and closed mouth is required.
You can watch this video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MDEmjdD73Y&t=43s
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