The requirements
Verified on 2026-08-10 against GOV.UK — Get a passport photo . Always check the official page before you submit — requirements change, and this is your application, not ours.
| Requirement | Value |
|---|---|
| Printed size | 35 × 45 mm |
| Head height (chin to crown) | 29–34 mm |
| Head as share of photo | 64–76% |
| Digital minimum | 600 × 750 px |
| File size | 50 KB to 10 MB |
| What this tool produces | 601 × 772 px |
Rules the tool cannot check for you
| Rule | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Background | Plain light grey or cream. Not white, not patterned, no objects behind you |
| Expression | Neutral, mouth closed, eyes open and clearly visible |
| Head position | Facing forward, looking straight at the camera |
| Glasses | Best removed. If worn, eyes must be clearly visible with no glare or tinted lenses |
| Head coverings | Only for religious or medical reasons, and the face must be fully visible from chin to forehead |
| Lighting | Even, with no shadows on the face or behind the head, and no red eye |
| Age of photo | Taken within the last month |
| Children under 6 | Do not need a neutral expression or to look straight at the camera |
| Babies under 1 | May have their eyes closed and their mouth open |
Why the head height matters more than the photo size
A UK passport photo is 35 mm wide by 45 mm tall, and within that frame your head — measured from the bottom of your chin to the crown of your head, not to the top of your hair — must be between 29 mm and 34 mm.
That second number is the one that matters, and it is the one people get wrong. It means the head occupies between about 64% and 76% of the photo's height. Too small and the application is rejected; too large and it is also rejected. There is no leeway either side, and no way to tell by eye whether a photo you cropped yourself falls inside the range.
This tool works in that proportion rather than in millimetres, which is why the same alignment produces both a correct printed photo and a correct digital file. You position the crown and chin guides on your photo, and the crop is computed to land the head at the middle of the permitted range — around 70% — so that small errors in placement stay inside the tolerance rather than falling off the edge of it.
If you are applying online, the digital file is what you need: at least 600 × 750 pixels, JPEG, between 50 KB and 10 MB. Note the minimum file size as well as the maximum — an over-compressed image can be rejected for being too small, which is unusual and catches people out.
If you are applying by post, or you need photos for something else, you need prints. The 6 × 4 inch sheet this tool produces holds several copies at exactly the right physical size, which any photo printing service or home printer will reproduce correctly as long as you print at 100% and do not let the printer "fit to page".
What no tool can fix is the photograph itself. Geometry is arithmetic; lighting, background and expression are not. The rejection reasons below come from the Passport Office's own guidance, and most of them are about the moment the picture was taken rather than what happened to it afterwards.
Why photos get rejected
- The head is too large or too small in the frame — the single most common geometric failure
- Shadows on the face, or a shadow cast on the background behind the head
- A background that is not plain and light, or that has objects or other people in it
- Glare on glasses, tinted lenses, or frames that obscure the eyes
- Eyes closed, mouth open, or a visible expression
- The photo is a scan of a print, or a photo of a photo, rather than an original
- Hair or a head covering obscuring any part of the face from chin to forehead
- Poor focus, low resolution, or heavy compression artefacts
Printing
The printable sheet is 6 × 4 inches at 300 DPI and carries 6 photos in a 3 × 2 grid, each exactly 35 × 45 mm with faint corner marks to cut along.
One thing matters when you print it: choose 100% scale, or “actual size”, and turn off “fit to page” or “scale to fit”. Those options shrink the image by a few percent to clear the printer’s margins, which would put the head outside the permitted range even though everything looked right on screen. Any high-street photo counter that prints 6 × 4 will reproduce the sheet correctly.
Frequently asked questions
What size is a UK passport photo?
35 mm wide by 45 mm tall for a printed photo. Within that, your head must measure between 29 mm and 34 mm from the bottom of your chin to the crown of your head — roughly 64% to 76% of the photo's height. For an online application you need a digital file of at least 600 × 750 pixels instead.
Can I take a passport photo at home?
Yes. HM Passport Office accepts photos taken at home provided they meet the requirements. Stand about a metre from a plain light grey or cream wall, face a window so the light is even and in front of you rather than behind, and have someone else take the picture from roughly eye level — a selfie at arm's length distorts facial proportions and is a common cause of rejection.
Why does the file size minimum matter?
Because the online application rejects files under 50 KB as well as over 10 MB. A heavily compressed photo can fall below the floor even though it looks acceptable on screen. This tool keeps the output inside both bounds automatically.
Can I wear glasses?
HM Passport Office advises removing them. If you must wear them, your eyes have to be clearly visible with no glare on the lenses, no tinting, and no frames covering your eyes. Given that glare is one of the most common rejection reasons and glasses can simply be taken off for one photograph, removing them is the safer choice.
What background colour should I use?
Plain light grey or cream. Pure white is explicitly not recommended, because it makes it hard to distinguish the edge of your head from the background, and a white wall photographs with shadows more visibly than a light grey one.
Do the rules differ for babies and young children?
Yes. Children under six do not need a neutral expression and do not have to look directly at the camera. Babies under one may have their eyes closed and their mouth open. Nothing and nobody else may appear in the photo, which is why the usual advice is to lay the baby on a plain light sheet and photograph from directly above.
A disclaimer that is not boilerplate
This site is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to any government or passport authority. The tool sets the geometry to the published specification, and the geometry is verified by an automated test on every change. It cannot judge your lighting, your background, your expression or whether your glasses reflect — and those account for most rejections. We cannot guarantee that any photo will be accepted. Read the official guidance linked above before you submit.