| Rule | Requirement | Relaxed for |
|---|---|---|
| Expression | Plain, mouth closed, facing forwards, looking straight at the camera. | Under 6: neither is required. |
| Eyes | Open, clearly visible, no hair across them, no red eye. | Under 1: may be closed. |
| Glasses | Do not wear them unless you have to. Never tinted or sunglasses; no glare, no frame across the eye. | — |
| Head coverings | Not permitted except for religious or medical reasons, and the face must be visible from chin to forehead. | — |
| Background | Plain, light-coloured, with clear contrast against you. No objects and no other people. | Under 1: may lie on a plain light sheet. |
| Shadows | None on the face, none cast on the background behind you. | — |
| Others in shot | Nobody else at all, including a hand supporting a child. | Under 1: support is allowed if the hand is not visible. |
| Objects | Nothing held. Babies must not have toys or dummies. | — |
| Editing | Unaltered by computer software. | — |
| Age of photo | Taken within the last month. | — |
Verified on 2026-08-11 against GOV.UK — Get a passport photo and GOV.UK — Countersigning passport applications .
Glasses: the rule people argue with
The guidance does not ban glasses outright; it says do not wear them unless you have to, and if you do, they must not be tinted or sunglasses and your eyes must be clearly visible with no glare and no frame obscuring them. People who wear glasses constantly tend to read that as permission and keep them on.
The practical problem is that the conditions which make a good passport photograph — even, frontal light — are also the conditions that put a reflection squarely in the middle of each lens. You often cannot see it on a phone screen and it is unmissable at full size. Anti-reflective coating helps and does not solve it. Removing the glasses for one photograph removes an entire category of rejection, which is why it is worth doing even though you are allowed not to.
Head coverings and the chin-to-forehead rule
A head covering is permitted for religious or medical reasons, and the test applied to it is specific: the face must be visible from the bottom of the chin to the forehead. That is a stricter requirement than “the face is visible”, because a covering that sits low at the front, or that casts a shadow across the brow, fails it while still leaving the face perfectly recognisable to a human being.
Who may countersign, and who may not
The countersignatory is the part of the process most likely to send an application back, because the disqualifications are about relationships rather than character. The person must have known you for at least two years, must be able to identify you personally, and must be a person of good standing in their community or work in a recognised profession.
They must not be related to you by birth or marriage, in a relationship with you, or living at the same address. That last one catches housemates and lodgers, who are otherwise exactly the kind of person the rule has in mind. A friend, neighbour or colleague of two years’ standing is the straightforward answer.
On the back of one photograph they write: “I certify that this is a true likeness of [title and full name of the person getting the passport]”, then sign and date it. For a child under 16 the two-year acquaintance is measured against the adult who signed the form rather than the child, which is what makes a baby’s first passport possible at all.
The rules a tool cannot help with
Almost everything on this page is about the moment the photograph is taken, and nothing done to the file afterwards can repair it. Software can put your head at the right size in the frame; it cannot remove a reflection from your lenses, uncast a shadow, or reopen your eyes. That division is worth keeping in mind when a site offers to make any photograph compliant — the geometry is arithmetic, and the rest is not.
What can be measured, we measure: our photo checker reads the background brightness, its evenness and its plainness, the focus, the exposure and the published pixel and file-size limits, and it separates the numbers the Passport Office publishes from the thresholds we chose ourselves.
Frequently asked questions
Can you wear glasses in a passport photo?
GOV.UK tells you not to wear glasses unless you have to. If you must, they cannot be sunglasses or tinted, and your eyes have to be clearly visible with no glare on the lenses and no frame across the eye. Since glare is one of the commonest reasons a photo comes back and glasses can be removed for the length of one photograph, taking them off is the safer answer even when you wear them every day.
Can you smile in a passport photo?
No. The requirement is a plain expression with your mouth closed, looking straight at the camera. The exception is age: a child under six does not need a plain expression and does not have to look at the camera, and a baby under one may also have their eyes closed.
Can you wear a hat or head covering?
Only for religious or medical reasons, and even then your face has to be fully visible from the bottom of your chin to your forehead, with nothing casting a shadow across it. There is no general permission for hats, hoods or headbands.
Who can sign the back of a passport photo?
A countersignatory: somebody who has known you for at least two years, who can identify you personally, and who is either a person of good standing in their community or works in a recognised profession. They must not be related to you by birth or marriage, in a relationship with you, or living at your address.
Can a friend sign a passport photo?
Yes — a friend, neighbour or colleague is exactly the sort of person meant, provided they have known you two years or more and are not family, a partner, or living at the same address as you. The two-year rule and the relationship rules are what disqualify people, not friendship.
What do they have to write on the photo?
On the back of one photo: "I certify that this is a true likeness of [title and full name of the person getting the passport]", then their signature and the date. For a child under 16 the two-year acquaintance is with the adult who signed the form, not with the child.
Can the photo be a scan or a reprint?
No. It must be an original photograph, unaltered by computer software, printed on plain white photographic paper with no border and to a professional standard. A photograph of a photograph, a screenshot, or a print that has been scanned back in will be refused, and this is usually obvious in the file even when it is not obvious on screen.
A disclaimer that is not boilerplate
This site is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to HM Passport Office. Rules change and this page is a summary; the linked official pages are the authority, and you should read them before you submit.