WinPhoto

Passport, visa and ID photos · United Kingdom

UK passport photo size: check and make yours

Your UK passport photo, checked against the official rules, framed and sized, ready to print. Official size: 35 x 45 mm. Background: plain cream or light grey, in clear contrast to the face. Rules read on gov.uk on 4 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 UK passport 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 with no tint and no glare on them.
  • A neutral face, mouth closed, 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 4 November 2026. WinPhoto is not affiliated with any government.

For a baby or young child: UK baby passport photo

GOV.UK asks for photos printed to a professional standard and not a cut-down version of a larger picture: print the sheet at a photo lab, not at home, and cut only along its lines. The background must be cream or light grey, and the photo taken in the last month.

The rules at a glance

For the UK passport, paper application (printed photos), as the official rules state them.

Size
35 x 45 mm
The file we make
413 x 531 pixels
Background
Plain cream or light grey, in clear contrast to the face.
Head size
64% to 76% of the photo's height, chin to top of head
Glasses
Allowed only with no tint and no glare, your eyes clearly visible
Expression
A neutral face, mouth closed, eyes open, looking straight at the camera.
Taken
In the last 1 month
Edits
None: the official rules don't allow edited photos, so we only frame and resize.
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
Background
plain cream or light grey, in clear contrast to the face
Glasses
Allowed only with no tint and no glare, your eyes clearly visible
Expression
plain expression, mouth closed, eyes open and visible, facing forwards and looking straight at the camera
Head covering
not allowed unless for religious or medical reasons
Taken
In the last 1 month
Colour
Colour only
  • close-up of full head and upper shoulders; no other objects or people; no red eye
  • printed to a professional standard, in colour on plain white photographic paper, no border
  • no creases or tears; unmarked on both sides unless countersigned
  • must not be a cut-down version of a larger picture
  • unaltered by computer software
  • no shadows on face or behind; no hair in front of eyes; nothing covering the face
  • 2 identical photos, separated, loose, not attached to the form

For: paper UK passport application form (2 identical printed photos).

Official source: www.gov.uk, checked on 4 November 2026.

You need 2 identical printed photos if you are applying for a passport using a paper form.
Your photo must have been taken in the last month.
measure 45 millimetres (mm) high by 35mm wide (the standard size used in photo booths in the UK)
not be a cut down version of a larger picture
The image of you - from the crown of your head to your chin - must be between 29mm and 34mm high.
printed to a professional standard
in colour on plain white photographic paper with no border
unmarked on both sides (unless a photo needs to be countersigned)
be a close-up of your full head and upper shoulders
be taken against a plain cream or light grey background
have a plain expression and your mouth closed
Do not wear glasses in your photo unless you have to do so. If you must wear glasses, they cannot be sunglasses or tinted glasses, and you must make sure your eyes are not covered by the frames or any glare, reflection or shadow.
left loose and not attached to your application form

Meets the published spec as checked on 4 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 UK passport 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 4 November 2026. This page makes a 413 x 531 pixel JPEG file (the printed size at 300 dpi).
What background does the UK passport photo need?
Plain cream or light grey, in clear contrast to the face.
Can I wear glasses in my UK passport photo?
Yes, but only with no tint and no glare, and with your eyes clearly visible.
Can I smile in my UK passport photo?
Plain expression, mouth closed, eyes open and visible, facing forwards and looking straight at the camera.
Can I wear a head covering in my UK passport photo?
Not allowed unless for religious or medical reasons.
How recent must my UK passport photo be?
Taken in the last 1 month. These are the official rules as checked on 4 November 2026.
Can I take my UK passport photo at home?
The official rules, as checked on 4 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 4 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 UK passport photo add?
Your UK passport 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.