UK Passport Photo Guidelines

Feb 15, 2014

UK Passport Photo Guidelines

Paper and Size

Photos must:

measure 45mm by 35mm
be printed on high quality, medium / low gloss or matt photographic paper (photos printed at home are not usually clear enough to measure facial biometrics)
not be printed on heavy weight paper, like cardboard
not be printed on corrugated paper
have a backing that allows the countersignatory to certify one of the photos and sign in ink, without smearing

Photos can have trademarks or other printing on the reverse, if this printing doesn’t show through when the photo is scanned onto system. This happens when bold back print is used, and where the image is very pale; in these cases proper lighting and exposure are even more important than usual.

Glasses

Customers who wear glasses should remove them to ensure that an accurate bio-metric can be obtained. Glasses can often show reflection or glare from flash, and the frames can obscure facial features. While this may mean that their passport photo does not show them as they usually appear, their photo will still be a good likeness.

Customers with a visual impairment should also follow this guidance. Dark, tinted or mirrored glasses must be removed - otherwise a biometric cannot be captured.

General photo requirements

Photos must be clear, sharp and in focus. They must be a true likeness of the subject.

Photos must be colour; black and white photos are not acceptable.

Photos must not be manipulated, for example, by removing spots or softening lines or shadows. Mirror images (that is where the picture is flipped from one side to another, left to right or right to left) cannot be used.

Where very young children are being supported, you must ensure that no hands are visible. We recommend that infants who are unable to support themselves are laid on a light grey sheet and photographed from above.

Face

For passport photos:

eyes must be open and clearly visible, with no flash reflections and no ‘red eye’
facial expression must be neutral (neither frowning nor smiling), with the mouth closed
photos must show both edges of the face clearly
photos must show a full front view of face and shoulders, squared to the camera
the face and shoulder image must be centred in the photo; the subject must not be looking over one shoulder (portrait style), or tilting their head to one side or backwards or forwards
there must be no hair across the eyes
hats or head coverings are not permitted except when worn for religious reasons and only if the full facial features are clearly visible
photos with shadows on the face are unacceptable
photos must reflect/represent natural skin tone

Background

Photos must have a background which:

has no shadows
has uniform lighting, with no shadows or flash reflection on the face and head
shows a plain, uniform, light grey or cream background (5% to 10% grey is recommended)

Exceptions

Photographic rules are relaxed in the following cases:

where children are over 1 and under 6 years old, we don’t need their mouths closed and eyes looking at the camera
infants less than 12 months old must have an image that is a good likeness: we don’t need their eyes open and mouth closed, and have also waived the template check requirement for babies
applicants with either physical or mental disabilities may find it difficult to meet our requirements, so we will accept as good an image as possible, with by a statement that they cannot meet the requirement because of a disability