UK driving licence photo · passport type

Checked and laid out to the standard DVLA points at — HM Passport Office’s photo rules — together with DVLA’s own channel requirements. Sources checked by us on 2026-08-17.

Which document is this photo for?

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Head and shoulders in frame, with clear space above the hair — the head should fill about half the photo, not all of it.

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Official specification

Finished size	35 × 45 mm
Head height (chin to crown)	29 – 34 mm
Eye height	not published by this authority
Background	plain cream or light grey — note this is not white
File formats	not published by this authority
File size	not published by this authority
Taken within	“recent” — no figure published

Full rules

DVLA asks for a passport type photo: online you can use your passport photo or upload a new one; by post you include a recent printed passport type photo with the D1 pack — and do not sign the back of the photo.
A photocard driving licence must be renewed every 10 years to update the photo; renewing online costs £14 (free if you are over 70 or hold a medical short period licence).
Passport type means the HM Passport Office standard: printed size 45 mm high by 35 mm wide.
The image of your head, crown to chin, must be between 29 mm and 34 mm high.
Plain cream or light grey background — note this is not white.
No shadows on your face or behind you.
The photo must be unaltered by computer software, and must not be a cut down version of a larger picture.
Plain expression with your mouth closed, eyes open and visible, and no hair in front of your eyes.
Do not wear glasses unless you have to. If you must, they cannot be sunglasses or tinted, and frames, glare or shadow must not cover your eyes.
No head covering, unless worn for religious or medical reasons.
The online renewal service covers Great Britain residents; Northern Ireland has a separate service (nidirect).

Sources

https://www.gov.uk/renew-photo-driving-licence
GOV.UK — DVLA, Change the photo on your driving licence · page updated 2025-01-01 · we checked it 2026-08-17

You need to renew your full or provisional driving licence if you want to update your photo. You'll get a new licence. You'll be able to use your passport photo or upload a new one. It costs £14 when you apply online. ... Applying by post: Get a 'D1 pack' of forms from a Post Office ... Include these things with your completed forms: a recent printed passport type photo ... If you have a photocard driving licence, you must renew it every 10 years.

https://www.gov.uk/photos-for-passports/photo-requirements
GOV.UK — HM Passport Office photo requirements (the standard DVLA's “passport type photo” refers to) · page updated 2015-03-25 · we checked it 2026-08-16

measure 45 millimetres (mm) high by 35mm wide ... between 29mm and 34mm high [crown to chin] ... plain cream or light grey background ... unaltered by computer software ... not be a cut down version of a larger picture ... not have any shadows on your face or behind you

Questions

What photo does a UK driving licence need?

DVLA asks for a passport type photo. Renewing online, you can use your passport photo or upload a new one; applying by post with the D1 pack, you include a recent printed passport type photo — without signing the back.

What does passport type mean exactly?

The HM Passport Office standard: 45 mm high by 35 mm wide, your head from crown to chin between 29 and 34 mm, against a plain cream or light grey background — not white — with no shadows, a plain expression, and the photo unaltered by computer software.

How often does the photo need renewing?

A photocard licence must be renewed every 10 years, which is when the photo updates. Renewing online costs £14; it is free if you are over 70 or hold a medical short period licence.

How recent must the photo be?

DVLA says a recent photo without publishing a month figure — and it explicitly allows reusing your passport photo, so we do not copy the passport channel's one-month rule onto this page.

Can I use the same photo for my passport and my driving licence?

Yes — we lay out this photo identically to our UK passport line, so one compliant photo passes both. Note the passport's own online channel additionally wants at least 600 x 750 pixels and 50 KB–10 MB, which our output already satisfies.

Does this cover Northern Ireland?

The DVLA online renewal covers Great Britain. Northern Ireland has a separate licensing service (nidirect) — check its instructions if you live there.

Our own assumptions

DVLA's own wording is “passport type photo”, so the geometry and quality standard on this page is HM Passport Office's published photo standard, cited alongside DVLA's channel rules.
DVLA publishes no technical parameters for its online photo upload and no month figure for “recent” — and since it explicitly allows reusing your passport photo, we do not copy the passport channel's one-month rule or its 50 KB–10 MB band.
We lay out identically to our UK passport line (600 × 771 px, head 31.4 mm), so one photo passes both uses.
The chin is measured by 68-point facial landmarks; the crown comes from the top of the cut-out outline. Assumed accuracy ±5%, calibrated only on synthetic fixtures.

Where the authority does not specify something, we say so rather than pretending it does. The points above are our engineering choices, not official requirements.