logo
en | $ USD

Explore

Settings

Select Your Language

Select Your Currency

  • AED United Arab Emirates Dirham
  • AFN Afghan Afghani
  • ALL Albanian Lek
  • AMD Armenian Dram
  • ANG Netherlands Antillean Guilder
  • AOA Angolan Kwanza
  • ARS Argentine Peso
  • AUD Australian Dollar
  • AWG Aruban Florin
  • AZN Azerbaijani Manat
  • BAM Bosnia-Herzegovina Convertible Mark
  • BBD Barbadian Dollar
  • BDT Bangladeshi Taka
  • BGN Bulgarian Lev
  • BIF Burundian Franc
  • BMD Bermudan Dollar
  • BND Brunei Dollar
  • BOB Bolivian Boliviano
  • BRL Brazilian Real
  • BSD Bahamian Dollar
  • BWP Botswanan Pula
  • BZD Belize Dollar
  • CAD Canadian Dollar
  • CDF Congolese Franc
  • CHF Swiss Franc
  • CLP Chilean Peso
  • CNY Chinese Yuan
  • COP Colombian Peso
  • CRC Costa Rican Colón
  • CVE Cape Verdean Escudo
  • CZK Czech Republic Koruna
  • DJF Djiboutian Franc
  • DKK Danish Krone
  • DOP Dominican Peso
  • DZD Algerian Dinar
  • EGP Egyptian Pound
  • ETB Ethiopian Birr
  • EUR Euro
  • FJD Fijian Dollar
  • FKP Falkland Islands Pound
  • GBP British Pound Sterling
  • GEL Georgian Lari
  • GIP Gibraltar Pound
  • GMD Gambian Dalasi
  • GNF Guinean Franc
  • GTQ Guatemalan Quetzal
  • GYD Guyanaese Dollar
  • HKD Hong Kong Dollar
  • HNL Honduran Lempira
  • HTG Haitian Gourde
  • HUF Hungarian Forint
  • IDR Indonesian Rupiah
  • ILS Israeli New Sheqel
  • INR Indian Rupee
  • ISK Icelandic Króna
  • JMD Jamaican Dollar
  • JPY Japanese Yen
  • KES Kenyan Shilling
  • KGS Kyrgystani Som
  • KHR Cambodian Riel
  • KMF Comorian Franc
  • KRW South Korean Won
  • KYD Cayman Islands Dollar
  • KZT Kazakhstani Tenge
  • LAK Laotian Kip
  • LBP Lebanese Pound
  • LKR Sri Lankan Rupee
  • LRD Liberian Dollar
  • LSL Lesotho Loti
  • MAD Moroccan Dirham
  • MDL Moldovan Leu
  • MGA Malagasy Ariary
  • MKD Macedonian Denar
  • MNT Mongolian Tugrik
  • MOP Macanese Pataca
  • MUR Mauritian Rupee
  • MVR Maldivian Rufiyaa
  • MWK Malawian Kwacha
  • MXN Mexican Peso
  • MYR Malaysian Ringgit
  • MZN Mozambican Metical
  • NAD Namibian Dollar
  • NGN Nigerian Naira
  • NIO Nicaraguan Córdoba
  • NOK Norwegian Krone
  • NPR Nepalese Rupee
  • NZD New Zealand Dollar
  • OMR Omani Rial
  • PAB Panamanian Balboa
  • PEN Peruvian Nuevo Sol
  • PGK Papua New Guinean Kina
  • PHP Philippine Peso
  • PKR Pakistani Rupee
  • PLN Polish Zloty
  • PYG Paraguayan Guarani
  • QAR Qatari Rial
  • RON Romanian Leu
  • RSD Serbian Dinar
  • RUB Russian Ruble
  • RWF Rwandan Franc
  • SAR Saudi Riyal
  • SBD Solomon Islands Dollar
  • SCR Seychellois Rupee
  • SEK Swedish Krona
  • SGD Singapore Dollar
  • SHP Saint Helena Pound
  • SLL Sierra Leonean Leone
  • SOS Somali Shilling
  • SRD Surinamese Dollar
  • SVC Salvadoran Colón
  • SZL Swazi Lilangeni
  • THB Thai Baht
  • TJS Tajikistani Somoni
  • TOP Tongan Pa anga
  • TRY Turkish Lira
  • TTD Trinidad and Tobago Dollar
  • TWD New Taiwan Dollar
  • TZS Tanzanian Shilling
  • UAH Ukrainian Hryvnia
  • UGX Ugandan Shilling
  • USD United States Dollar
  • UYU Uruguayan Peso
  • UZS Uzbekistan Som
  • VND Vietnamese Dong
  • VUV Vanuatu Vatu
  • WST Samoan Tala
  • XAF CFA Franc BEAC
  • XCD East Caribbean Dollar
  • XOF CFA Franc BCEAO
  • XPF CFP Franc
  • YER Yemeni Rial
  • ZAR South African Rand
  • ZMW Zambian Kwacha
UK passport & visa photo requirements
iVisa
4 min read
Updated on Mar 25, 2024

Taking the perfect passport photo can make or break your UK visa or passport application.

The success of your passport or visa application heavily relies on the photo you submit, as the UK government has strict guidelines for it. A photo that fails to meet these standards can lead to unwanted delays or rejection of your application.

Fill me in

We've compiled a guide with all the passport photo guidance you’ll ever need for UK travel documents so that you get your photo right the first time. Continue reading to ensure your photo meets every requirement.

Guidelines for UK passport and visa photos

Whether you need a UK passport or a visa, make sure that your photo meets the following specifications.

  • Recent photo: Your photo must have been taken in the last month to show how you currently look.

  • Photo dimensions: The photo should be 35mm x 45mm. Your face should measure between 29-34mm from the top of your head to the bottom of your chin. The image must not be trimmed down from a larger photograph to the size of a standard passport photo.

  • Quality: The photo must be in color, clear, in focus, and printed on high-quality photographic paper. For digital photos, it needs to be at least 600 x 750 pixels. The size should be no more than 10MB and at least 50KB. The image should accurately show your natural skin tone.

  • Background: Use a plain cream or light-gray background with no patterns or shadows. There should be a clear contrast between the background and your face.

  • Head position: Look straight at the camera without tilting your head. Your head should be level and centered in the frame. Both sides of your face must be visible. There should be no shadows on your face or behind you.

  • Facial expression: You should have a neutral expression with your eyes open and clearly visible and your mouth closed.

  • Lighting: Make sure the light is even and doesn’t cast shadows or create glare on your face or in the background.

  • Glasses: These are only allowed for medical reasons. The frames should not cover your eyes, and the lenses should be free from reflection and have no glare. Tinted lenses and sunglasses are not permitted.

  • Head coverings: Hats and head coverings are only allowed for religious or medical reasons as long as they don’t create shadows on your face. Your face should still be visible from the bottom of the chin to the top of your head.

  • Hair and clothing: Wear regular clothes that stand out against the background. Religious clothing is permitted only for those who wear it daily. Your hair should not cover your eyes.

Passport & visa photos for infants and children

Passport photos for children aged six and over must meet the same standards as for adults. Most of the requirements are the same for younger children, but there is some flexibility in certain areas.

  • Eyes visibility: The child's eyes should be open and visible. However, babies under the age of one don’t need to have their eyes open. Glasses should be avoided unless medically necessary. They should not cover the eyes, and there must be no glare on the lenses.

  • Facial expression: Children 5 years old and younger don't need to have a neutral expression or look directly at the camera but they must face forward.

  • Clothing: Dress your child in simple, everyday outfits that don’t hide their face. Accessories like hats and pacifiers are not allowed, but religious head coverings are acceptable as long as they reveal the child’s entire face.

  • No visible support: When photographing infants or young children who need support, make sure no hands or supporting objects are visible in the photo. ​

  • Focus on the child: The photo should only feature the child, without other people or props.

For infants unable to sit or stand, a photo can be taken from above while they lie on a plain light-colored background or placed in a car seat covered with a plain light-colored cloth.

Learn what every traveler should know before visiting the UK via our trip guide.

Get support for your UK Visa application

If you’d like to apply for a UK ETA or Standard Visitor Visa and need more information, you can get in touch with our customer support team. Contact them any time via WhatsApp or through the iVisa chat.

Disclaimer
  • iVisa is NOT affiliated with any government agency. This site does not provide legal advice and we are not a law firm. None of our customer service representatives are lawyers and they also do not provide legal advice. We are a private, internet-based travel and immigration consultancy provider dedicated to helping individuals travel around the world. You may apply by yourself directly on the various government websites. For government source information, please visit our product pages.
Intercom Chat