UK Passport Photo Rules and Maker

Passport photo rules (UK, 2026) in short: 35 x 45 mm, a plain cream or light grey background, your head 29 to 34 mm from chin to crown, and a photo taken in the last month. Make one that meets them, ready for a printed form, and check your own photo before you apply online.

35 x 45 mm600 x 771 px digitalLight grey background Runs on your device

UK Passport · Step 1 of 4 · Add your photo

Drag your photo here

or paste with Ctrl+V · JPG PNG WebP HEIC GIF · max 25 MB

Passport · United Kingdom · 3.5 x 4.5 cm · Light grey

Processed on this device. Nothing is uploaded.

Example

Before and after

We ran this sample through the uk passport tool above. The numbers under each image are measured from the real files.

Sample input: 4000 x 6000 px · 4.2 MB · JPG — **Before**4000 x 6000 px · 4.2 MB · JPG

Result from this tool: 600 x 771 px · 57.9 KB · JPG · 300 DPI — **After**600 x 771 px · 57.9 KB · JPG · 300 DPIThe actual file the tool made

How to

How to make a UK passport photo

1
Add a recent photo
Taken in the last month, facing the camera, in even light against a plain wall.
2
Check the crop
The tool frames your head, chin to crown, at 29 to 34 mm of the 45 mm height. Drag the frame if it needs a nudge.
3
Set a light grey background
One tap replaces the wall behind you with plain light grey.
4
Download
A 600 x 771 pixel JPG for printed forms and other uses, or a 4x6 sheet with eight 35 x 45 mm photos. For the online application, upload your uncropped original instead.

Why this size

Passport photo rules (UK): what HM Passport Office checks

HM Passport Office wants a photo taken in the last month, 45 mm high and 35 mm wide, with your head 29 to 34 mm from chin to crown. The background must be plain cream or light grey and in clear contrast to you, with no shadows, objects or other people. Face forward with a plain expression, mouth closed and eyes open and visible.

Glasses are allowed only if you need them: no sunglasses or tinted lenses, and your eyes must not be covered by the frames or glare. Head coverings are allowed only for religious or medical reasons.

For the online application the photo is a file: at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall, between 50 KB and 10 MB. This tool makes a 600 x 771 pixel JPG of at least 50 KB, the exact 35:45 shape.

Applying online? GOV.UK crops the photo itself and asks for the uncropped original, showing your head, shoulders and upper body, so upload the camera's photo there, not a cropped one. Run it through the free UK passport photo checker first: it measures your head against the 29 to 34 mm rule in seconds. If the wall behind you is not plain, the passport photo background editor turns it light grey without touching your face. Shops and photo booths, such as the Post Office, Boots and Snappy Snaps, can also take the photo and give you a digital photo code to type into the online form.

Rule	Value
Printed size	35 x 45 mm
Head, chin to crown	29 to 34 mm
Background	Plain cream or light grey
Digital size	At least 600 x 750 px
File size	50 KB to 10 MB
Taken within	The last month
Glasses	Only if needed, no tint or glare
Expression	Plain, mouth closed

Avoid

Common mistakes that get photos rejected

Head too smallThe face should fill 70-80% of the height. Crop closer if there is a lot of wall above you.
Shadows on the wallStand a step away from the wall and face a window so the light falls on you, not behind you.
Wrong size for the countryA US 2 x 2 in photo is not valid for a 3.5 x 4.5 cm passport. Pick your country first.
Glasses or a tilted headMost offices want no glasses and a straight, neutral face looking at the camera.

FAQ

UK Passport: questions

A photo taken in the last month, 35 x 45 mm, with your head 29 to 34 mm tall, on a plain cream or light grey background, facing forward with a plain expression and eyes open. Digital photos must be at least 600 x 750 pixels and 50 KB to 10 MB.

45 mm high by 35 mm wide, the same as most countries, including the standard passport size used in India and Pakistan. Your head should measure 29 to 34 mm from chin to crown.

The photo rules are the same: plain cream or light grey background, plain expression, eyes open, taken in the last month. Only the format differs. Online you upload the uncropped digital photo (at least 600 x 750 pixels, 50 KB to 10 MB) and GOV.UK crops it; on paper you send two identical 35 x 45 mm prints, and one must be signed on the back by a countersignatory when the form asks for it.

Plain cream or light grey. The tool uses light grey, with no shadows or texture.

Only if you need them. No sunglasses or tinted lenses, and the frames, glare or reflections must not cover your eyes.

Yes. Take it at home against a plain light wall and upload the camera's original when you apply online: GOV.UK crops it for you, so do not crop it first. The free passport photo checker tells you before you upload whether your head size and position pass. A digital photo code is only needed when a shop or photo booth takes the photo for you.

Children under 6 do not have to look straight at the camera or have a plain expression, and babies under 1 do not need their eyes open. See the baby passport photo page for tips.

No. Cropping, the background and resizing all run in your browser.

Checked

How we checked this page

Checked by the SizePort team on 3 October 2026.

We compare every size and rule on this page with the official sources below, and test the tool with sample photos before it goes live. Rules and platforms change, so if something here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.

How the tool works

A small face detection model (YuNet, about 230 KB) runs in your browser, finds your eyes and chin, and places the frame so the head fills the share of the height the country asks for. You can move the frame. The tool then crops to the country's shape, can replace the background with the on-device AI model, and resizes to the official size at 300 DPI. Where the country sets a file size range, it keeps the JPG inside it. Everything happens in your browser; your images are never uploaded.