Free tool · Photo ID

United Kingdom Passport Photo Maker

A UK passport photo is 35 × 45 mm with the head measuring 29 to 34 mm from chin to crown. The background must be light-coloured — explicitly NOT pure white; cream or light grey is preferred. Digital submissions for online applications must be at least 600 × 750 pixels, JPEG, between 50 KB and 10 MB, taken within the last month.

£94.50is the current online UK passport fee (adult, 32-page) for 2026 —·gov.uk passport fees

Updated May 22, 2026·Verified against United Kingdom official passport spec · headshot research team

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Passport country

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United Kingdom passport photo at a glance

Physical size	35 × 45 mm
Pixels @ 300 DPI	413 × 531
Head height	29 - 34 mm
Background	Light-coloured (cream / light grey)
Accepted formats	JPG
Passport fee (2026)	£94.50 online / £107.50 by paper
Processing time	Up to 10 weeks standard, 1 week premium (£222), 1 day fast-track (£193.50)
Studio cost	£8 to £15 at Boots, Snappy Snaps, or Tesco
Official source	gov.uk

What the rules actually say

UK passport photo rules are unusual for a Commonwealth country: the explicit rejection of pure white backgrounds is the most common compliance trap. The Home Office uses biometric scanners that read the face against the background as a high-contrast silhouette — a pure white wall doesn't give the scanner enough edge information, so the system flags the photo as ambiguous and your application is held. Light grey (#EFEFEF) and cream (#F4F1E8) both pass cleanly.

The head-height range is also narrower than most countries: 29-34 mm out of a 45 mm frame, so your head should fill about 65-75% of the photo vertically. Crop too tight and the photo is rejected for missing margin above the head; crop too loose and the face fails biometric matching against the printed passport chip.

Photos must be no more than a month old at the time of submission. This is stricter than the US (6 months) and Schengen (6 months). HMPO compares your new photo to the one on your previous passport — if the algorithm sees too much aging or styling change, your application is referred to a human reviewer, adding 2-4 weeks.

The £94.50 online application fee is the cheapest path. Premium (£222) gets you a passport in a week. Fast-track (£193.50) gets you one in a day but requires an in-person appointment at a UK Passport Customer Service Centre. None of these accept the same photo if it doesn't meet the digital spec, so get the photo right first.

Top reasons United Kingdom passport photos get rejected

Photo against a pure white wall (must be light-coloured, not white)
Shadows or strong lighting variation on the face
Mouth open or expression not neutral
Glare on the lenses if wearing glasses (and HMPO recommends removing glasses since 2016)
Head not centred in the frame

Where to apply for your United Kingdom passport

Apply for a UK passport at gov.uk. https://www.gov.uk/apply-renew-passport →

Studio alternative: £8 to £15 at Boots, Snappy Snaps, or Tesco. The photo from this tool meets the same published spec — print on photo paper at home or at a drugstore for the same compliance result.

Related countries

If you also need a passport photo for a neighbouring or related country, the spec usually differs slightly. Here are the closest matches:

Schengen / EU passport photo — 35 × 45 mm, light-coloured
Australia passport photo — 35 × 45 mm, plain light background

Privacy: what we do with your photo

The United Kingdom passport photo maker runs entirely in your browser. Cropping, scaling, and background colour replacement happen on your device using the Canvas API. The background-removal step uses our private worker server, processes the image in memory only, and deletes it immediately after returning the cutout — no logs, no storage, no training data.

Page URL: https://freeheadshot.org/tools/passport-photo/united-kingdom. Spec verified against gov.uk on 2026-05-22.

Questions, answered

United Kingdom Passport Photo Maker — frequently asked questions

Why doesn't the UK accept a pure white background?

HMPO's biometric verification uses edge detection that struggles with high-contrast white-on-skin photos. A light grey or cream background gives the scanner the contrast it needs to find your silhouette. This is one of the most common reasons US applicants get UK photos rejected.

Is the UK passport photo size the same as Schengen?

Same physical size (35 × 45 mm), same head height (32-36 mm for Schengen, 29-34 mm for UK). The background colour is the key difference — Schengen accepts white, the UK doesn't.

Can I wear glasses in a UK passport photo?

The Home Office strongly recommends taking your photo without glasses. If you must wear them (e.g. medical exception), they must not cover any part of your eyes and there must be no glare or reflection on the lenses.

How long is a UK passport photo valid for an application?

Photos must have been taken within the last month. HMPO checks for any visible age difference between the photo and your last passport.

Can I use a digital photo on the online application?

Yes. The online renewal accepts JPEG between 600×750 and 1500×1900 pixels, 50 KB to 10 MB. This tool's export hits the recommended size cleanly.

Will the printer print the photo with a light grey background if my photo is white?

No. The print preserves the background colour of the digital file. Use this tool's background-replace feature or the Background Color Changer to set the file's background to light grey (#EFEFEF) before printing.

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