UK passport photo · 35×45 mm
Checked and laid out to the current GOV.UK (HM Passport Office) specification. Rules quoted from gov.uk, checked by us on 2026-08-16.
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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 | JPG / JPEG |
| File size | 50 KB – 10 MB |
| Taken within | the last 1 month |
Full rules
- The photo must have been taken in the last month.
- 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.
- It 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.
- Online application upload: at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall.
- Online application upload: at least 50 KB and no more than 10 MB.
Sources
https://www.gov.uk/photos-for-passports/photo-requirements
GOV.UK – HM Passport Office · page updated 2015-03-25 · we checked it 2026-08-16
GOV.UK – HM Passport Office · 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 youhttps://www.gov.uk/photos-for-passports
GOV.UK – HM Passport Office · page updated 2015-03-25 · we checked it 2026-08-16
GOV.UK – HM Passport Office · page updated 2015-03-25 · we checked it 2026-08-16
at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall ... at least 50KB and no more than 10MB ... plain light-coloured background ... unaltered by computer software ... Your photo must have been taken in the last month.Questions
What size is a UK passport photo?
45 mm high by 35 mm wide, with the image of your head measuring between 29 mm and 34 mm from crown to chin.
Does a UK passport photo need a white background?
No, and this catches a lot of people out. GOV.UK asks for a plain cream or light grey background. A pure white background is not what the specification says.
Can I change the background with software?
No. GOV.UK requires the photo to be unaltered by computer software, and separately requires that it is not a cut down version of a larger picture. If the background is wrong, retake the photo.
How recent must a UK passport photo be?
It must have been taken in the last month — far stricter than the six months the United States allows, and the easiest rule to trip over.
What are the requirements for the online application upload?
At least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall, and between 50 KB and 10 MB.
Can I wear glasses in a UK passport photo?
Not unless you have to. If you must, they cannot be sunglasses or tinted, and frames, glare or shadow must not cover your eyes.
Our own assumptions
- HM Passport Office does not publish where the head should sit vertically, so we place the crown 8% down from the top.
- The official “at least 600×750 pixels” is a floor, not a ratio. We output 600×771 px, which keeps the 35:45 physical proportion and clears both floors.
- The official 29–34 mm head range allows only ±7.9%, roughly half the tolerance the United States allows.
- With the chin measured by landmarks we assume ±5% accuracy, giving a finished head of 29.9–33.1 mm — inside the official range. If no face is detected and we fall back to an outline estimate (±15%), the range becomes 27.3–37.0 mm and the head-size check reports a warning rather than a pass.
- ⚠️ The ±5% figure has only been calibrated on synthetic fixtures (measured −0.64%, scripts/verify-geometry.mts), never on real passport photos. The UK tolerance is tight, so this should be re-measured on a batch of real photos before selling.
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.