UK passport photo requirements

The complete published list from GOV.UK’s “Photos for passports” guidance — the same rules the UK checker measures against. The UK’s digital rules are unusual: they are written about the file — pixels and kilobytes — as much as about the face. Where a rule can be measured, we say so; where it can’t, we say that too.

We measure, we don’t certify. IDPhotoCheck checks your photo against the published measurements — the issuing authority makes the final decision, and no tool can promise approval.

The requirements

GOV.UK states pixel and file-size rules for digital photos rather than a head-height percentage, so this checker measures pixels, file size, background and sharpness for the UK — and does not grade head size against a rule GOV.UK does not publish.

Source: GOV.UK (HM Passport Office) — Photos for passports (gov.uk) (official page). Values checked 2026-11-08. If the official page and this table ever disagree, the official page wins — please tell us.

The rest of the GOV.UK list

GOV.UK also asks for: a clear, in-focus photo in colour; no red-eye; nothing covering the face; no shadows on the face or behind the head; you looking straight at the camera. For printed photos the size is 45 mm tall × 35 mm wide. A tool can measure pixels, file size and backdrop — focus, red-eye and expression are yours to judge before you submit.

“Unaltered by computer software”

That GOV.UK phrase is why this checker refuses background replacement on every document, not just the UK’s: why we refuse to edit your photo. Cropping and resizing into the published dimensions are the accepted operations; repainting the scene is not. If your background fails the measurement, the fix is a plainer wall and a retake — not a swapped backdrop.

What gets UK photos refused

1. A file under 50 KB. Most photo rules only set a maximum. The UK sets a minimum too, and phone exports or chat-app copies often land under it. The export step in the checker can grow a JPEG into the 50 KB–10 MB window without altering the picture content.
2. Too few pixels. Under 600×750 there is nothing any tool can honestly do — pixels cannot be invented. You need a higher-resolution original.
3. An altered photo. A replaced background or a retouched face is, in GOV.UK’s words, a photo altered by computer software.
4. Shadows and red-eye. Shadows on the face or behind the head, and red-eye from a flash, are named refusal reasons — retake with soft, even light.

Questions

What are the UK digital passport photo rules?

GOV.UK: the photo must be at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall, at least 50 KB and at most 10 MB, in colour, unaltered by computer software, against a plain light-coloured background.

Why is there a minimum file size?

The 50 KB floor is a quality guard — very small files are usually over-compressed or too low-resolution. The checker’s export can grow a JPEG into the allowed range without changing the picture.

Does GOV.UK publish a head-size percentage?

Not for digital photos. This checker therefore measures pixels, file size, background and sharpness for the UK — it does not grade your head against a percentage GOV.UK does not publish.

Ready to measure yours? The UK passport photo checker runs this whole list against your photo and shows you every number.