UK Passport Photo Requirements 2026 – Size, Background & Rules

The UK uses a 45 mm (height) × 35 mm (width) format for passport photos. This is different from the ICAO standard used across most of Europe and elsewhere, which is 35 mm × 45 mm (width × height). In practice the dimensions are the same size — 35 by 45 mm — but the UK specifies height first.

What this means in practice: make sure the service or lab you use explicitly states it produces HMPO-compliant UK passport photos. The same 35×45 mm dimensions apply whether you print at home, at a pharmacy, or submit digitally.

The head must occupy between 29 mm and 34 mm of the total 45 mm height — so between 64% and 76% of the image is your face and head.

This is the most frequent cause of rejection. The UK requires a plain cream or light grey background — not white. Many applicants submit photos with a pure white background (as used for US passports) and are rejected.

HMPO describes the colour as “light grey or cream” — a soft, off-white tone with no patterns, shadows, or gradients. The background must be uniform across the entire photo.

If you are taking the photo at home, you can use an off-white or light grey wall. AI-based photo services like ID Wizard automatically replace the background with the correct colour when you select United Kingdom as your country.

Expression: Neutral expression with your mouth closed. HMPO does not accept smiling photos. Your eyes must be open and looking directly at the camera.

Glasses: HMPO guidance states glasses are “not recommended” and may be rejected if frames obscure the eyes, or if there is glare from the lenses. In practice, many photo services advise removing glasses entirely to avoid rejection risk.

Head position: Face straight-on, no tilting left or right. Your face must be centred in the frame, with both ears visible where possible.

Hair: Must not cover your eyes or face. The full face including forehead must be clearly visible.

Head coverings: Not permitted unless worn daily for religious or medical reasons. If worn for religious reasons, the face must still be fully visible.

UK passport photos must have been taken within the last month. This is stricter than the 6-month rule used in the US and Australia. The photo should be a good likeness of you as you look now — if your appearance has changed significantly, a fresh photo is required even if the existing one is less than a month old.

Children's photos should be updated frequently as children's appearances change quickly. HMPO may reject a child's photo if it does not look like them at the time of application.

UK passport renewals can be submitted online through the HMPO online portal. When renewing online, you upload a digital photo rather than printing one. The digital photo must meet the same requirements as a printed photo, plus:

• JPEG or PNG format
• File size: between 50 KB and 10 MB
• Minimum resolution: 600 pixels × 750 pixels (to match the 35×45 mm proportions)
• No filters, no editing to the face
• Taken within the last month

ID Wizard delivers a 300 DPI JPEG file at the correct dimensions for the UK — suitable for both digital upload to HMPO and printing at home or at a pharmacy.