UK passport photo size: printed (35×45 mm) vs digital
The UK is unusual: the rules for printed photos (paper forms) and digital photos (online applications) are different, and mixing them up is a common reason for delays. Everything below is summarised from HM Passport Office's GOV.UK digital photo page and printed photo page. Check them before you apply.
Which one do you need?
| Online application | Paper form | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Digital file, uncropped | 2 identical printed photos |
| Size | At least 600 × 750 px, 50 KB–10 MB | 45 mm high × 35 mm wide |
| Head (chin to crown) | Cropped by HMPO | 29–34 mm |
| Background | Plain, light-coloured | Plain cream or light grey |
| Age of photo | Taken in the last month | |
If you apply online
Don't crop. GOV.UK asks for your head, shoulders and upper body, and does the crop itself. You can take the photo during the application with someone helping, or get a photo code from a booth or shop (GOV.UK notes booth and shop photos are more likely to be approved). For this route, PassPhotoSnap is only useful as a pre-check: use the guides to confirm the light and pose, then upload your original, uncropped photo.
If you use a paper form
- Two identical photos, 45 × 35 mm, in colour, on plain white photographic paper with no border.
- GOV.UK says photos must be printed to a professional standard and must not be a cut-down version of a larger picture. Order the 35 × 45 mm size directly from a photo lab or kiosk rather than trimming a bigger print.
- Head 29–34 mm: that's slightly smaller than the 32–36 mm used for Schengen visas, so a Schengen-sized photo can be too tight for a UK passport.
- Background cream or light grey, not bright white. In PassPhotoSnap the UK setting fills with light grey.
- Leave the photos loose; don't attach them to the form.
Pose and glasses
Plain expression, mouth closed, eyes open, no hair over the eyes, no shadows on the face or behind you. Don't wear glasses unless you have to. If you do, no tinted lenses and no glare over your eyes. Head coverings are only for religious or medical reasons. Children under 6 don't need a plain expression; babies under one don't need their eyes open.
PassPhotoSnap is not affiliated with HM Passport Office or GOV.UK.