WinPhoto

Passport, visa and ID photos · United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)

Northern Ireland driving licence photo: check and make yours

Your Northern Ireland driving licence photo, checked against the official rules, framed and sized, ready to print. Official size: 35 x 45 mm. Background: light grey or cream for printed photos (digital photos: plain light-coloured, no patterns or textures, no objects behind you); no shadows. Rules read on nidirect.gov.uk on 5 November 2026.

  1. Take or choose a photo
  2. We check it against the official rules and frame it
  3. Download the exact file and a print sheet

Free check. Your Northern Ireland driving licence photo, €6.99, only once it passes: the ready file and print sheet, unlimited retakes for 30 days. Refund if the authority rejects it.

Your photo: 413 x 531 px

Your photo stays on your device: nothing is uploaded, and no face is recognised.

Before you take it

  • Stand a step in front of a plain cream or light grey wall, with nothing behind you.
  • Face a window or soft light: even light on the face, no shadows on it or behind.
  • Phone at eye level, about 1.5 m away: ask someone, or hold it at arm's length.
  • Glasses only if you must wear them, with no tint or glare.
  • No big smile, eyes open, looking straight at the camera.

Check and make your photo

The first photo loads the face finder and the background outline from this site, about 15 MB, once.

The face finder and the background outline run in this page from files served by this site (sources and licences). They find where a face is in the photo; they never recognise who it is.

Meets the published spec as checked on 5 November 2026. WinPhoto is not affiliated with any government.

nidirect asks for printed photos of high quality, such as from a booth or studio (home prints are unlikely to be good enough), and says not to trim photos to reach 45 x 35 mm: print the sheet at a photo lab and cut only along its lines. The background must be light grey or cream, and the photo taken in the last month. Applying online instead? Upload your own uncropped photo: nidirect says the crop is done for you.

The rules at a glance

For the Northern Ireland photocard driving licence (DVA), printed photo for postal applications, as the official rules state them.

Size
35 x 45 mm
The file we make
413 x 531 pixels
Background
Light grey or cream for printed photos (digital photos: plain light-coloured, no patterns or textures, no objects behind you); no shadows.
Head size
64% to 76% of the photo's height, chin to top of head
Glasses
Only if you have to wear them
Expression
No big smile, eyes open, looking straight at the camera.
Taken
In the last 1 month
Edits
Background and light only: we never change your face. The official pages quoted don't forbid editing; we limit ourselves to the background and overall light.
All the official rules and sources
Printed size
35 mm wide, 45 mm tall (35 mm wide x 45 mm high)
This page makes
A 413 x 531 pixel JPEG file (the printed size at 300 dpi)
Head height
64% to 76% of the photo's height, from the chin to the top of the head
Eye line
35% to 70% of the photo's height, measured up from its bottom edge
Background
light grey or cream for printed photos (digital photos: plain light-coloured, no patterns or textures, no objects behind you); no shadows
Glasses
Only if you have to wear them
Expression
natural, no facial expression (no smiling, grinning or frowning), facing forward and looking straight into the camera, eyes open, nothing covering the face or eyes
Head covering
no hat or head covering unless for medical or religious reasons
Taken
In the last 1 month
Colour
Colour only
  • 45 mm high x 35 mm wide; do not trim photographs to reach this size
  • printed to a high quality, such as by a booth or studio; home prints are unlikely to be of a high enough quality
  • taken within the last month, a true likeness, full head shown
  • colour, not black and white
  • eyes in the shaded band of the official diagram; head about 29-34 mm per the diagram
  • clear, sharp focus, no red eye, no shadow
  • glasses: remove where possible; no reflection or glare; frames must not cover the eyes; no sunglasses or tinted glasses
  • only you in the photo; in good condition, not damaged, creased, torn or marked
  • postal applications using identity documents other than an up-to-date UK or EEA passport, an eVisa or UK travel document: the back of the photo must be signed by an authorised person

For: first provisional driving licence application by post (DL1): printed colour photo; driving licence renewal or optional renewal by post: printed colour photo; exchange of a licence from another country (post only): printed colour photo; licence upgrade when the provisional licence photo is more than five years old.

Official source: www.nidirect.gov.uk, checked on 5 November 2026.

You must provide a recent passport type photograph that's in colour if you're
that you need to fill in and post together with a printed photo
Digital photos and printed photos have different guidelines.
printed to a high quality, such as photos printed by a booth or studio (photographs printed at home are unlikely to be of a high enough quality)
taken within the last month, a true likeness of you and of your full head
in colour, not black and white, against a light grey or cream background
45mm high x 35mm wide (however, don't trim your photographs to meet this condition)
taken so that your eyes can be positioned in the area marked by the shaded band (see diagram below)
Diagram showing the dimensions needed for a driving licence photograph
clear, in sharp focus, free from ‘red eye’ and with no shadow in it
free of any reflection or glare from glasses (where possible,
remove your glasses to avoid the possibility of rejection
in good condition, not damaged, creased, torn or marked
face forward and look straight into the camera with your eyes open and nothing covering your face
look natural with no facial expressions, for example, smiling, grinning or frowning
have nothing covering your eyes, for example, hair or glasses frame
not wear sunglasses or tinted glasses
not wear a hat or cover your head unless for medical or religious reasons
get a friend to take a digital photo of you
your photo must look like you and must have been taken in the last month
use a plain light-coloured background with no patterns or textures and don't have
include your head, shoulders and upper body in the photo and look straight at
take your glasses off if you can - if you need to keep your glasses on, your eyes must be visible without any glare or reflections
no headwear unless it's for religious or medical reasons
don't crop your photo - it will be done for you

Official source: www.nidirect.gov.uk, checked on 5 November 2026.

If you’re renewing your driving licence online, you don’t need to get your photo signed.
hold a NI driving licence (issued after 1 April 1999)

Official source: www.nidirect.gov.uk, checked on 5 November 2026.

You will need to enclose original documents confirming your identity, a passport style colour photograph and the fee of £62.50.

Meets the published spec as checked on 5 November 2026. WinPhoto is not affiliated with any government. Rules change: check the official page before you apply.

How to use it

  1. Stand facing the camera in front of a plain, light wall, with even light on your face.
  2. Tap Take the photo and follow the outline and the tips on screen, or choose a photo you have. The page finds your face and frames it to the rules.
  3. Fix anything the page lists, each with its own tip. Adjust the framing if you need to, and move Top of head if the dashed line is not at the top of your head.
  4. Tick what only you can confirm.
  5. Save the file, or the print sheet to print at 100% on 4 x 6 inch photo paper.

Questions

What size is the Northern Ireland driving licence photo?
Printed, 35 x 45 mm. The head takes 64% to 76% of the photo's height, from the chin to the top of the head. These are the official rules as checked on 5 November 2026. This page makes a 413 x 531 pixel JPEG file (the printed size at 300 dpi).
What background does the Northern Ireland driving licence photo need?
Light grey or cream for printed photos (digital photos: plain light-coloured, no patterns or textures, no objects behind you); no shadows.
Can I wear glasses in my Northern Ireland driving licence photo?
Only if you have to wear them, with no tint and no glare over your eyes.
Can I smile in my Northern Ireland driving licence photo?
Natural, no facial expression (no smiling, grinning or frowning), facing forward and looking straight into the camera, eyes open, nothing covering the face or eyes.
Can I wear a head covering in my Northern Ireland driving licence photo?
No hat or head covering unless for medical or religious reasons.
How recent must my Northern Ireland driving licence photo be?
Taken in the last 1 month. These are the official rules as checked on 5 November 2026.
Can I take my Northern Ireland driving licence photo at home?
The official rules, as checked on 5 November 2026, ask for no photographer or studio, so a photo taken at home can meet them if it meets every rule on this page.
Is my photo uploaded?
No. The photo is read and checked in your browser, and any file is saved on your device. The page tells our server only that a photo was checked, that it passed, or that a file was saved; never the photo, your face or any measurement. It finds where your face is in the photo; it never recognises who you are.
How is the head measured?
The page finds your chin and eyes in the photo and estimates the top of your head from your forehead, since hair hides it: the dashed line shows the estimate. If it is not at the top of your head, move it with Top of head and the checks follow.
Will my photo be accepted?
Only the issuing authority decides. A photo that passes every check here meets the published size, head and background rules as checked on 5 November 2026; you confirm the rest, such as glasses, expression and how recent the photo is.
How do I print it?
Save the print sheet: a 4 x 6 inch (10 x 15 cm) photo at 300 dpi with as many copies as fit and thin lines to cut along. Have it printed at 100% (actual size) on 4 x 6 inch photo paper at a photo lab or shop, then cut out the copies you need.
What does buying your Northern Ireland driving licence photo add?
Your Northern Ireland driving licence photo, €6.99: the exact 413 x 531 px file, the 4 x 6 in print sheet, the acceptance report, the Detail check, unlimited retakes and the whole family's photos for this document for 30 days. Pay only once your photo passes. Refund if the authority rejects it. Paid once, with no subscription. In the Detail check our AI model, run in the EU, checks glasses, expression, shadows and more if you choose to send it the photo. Without buying you can check any photo and save a small preview with a watermark.