UK Passport Photo Size — 35×45mm Print, 600×750px Online

The UK has two different requirements and mixing them up is the usual mistake. A printed photo is 35×45mm. An online application wants something quite different: a larger image showing your head, shoulders and upper body — and HM Passport Office asks you not to crop it yourself.

United Kingdom passport photo specifications

Printed size

35 × 45 mm · 413 × 531 px

Head height (chin to crown)

29 – 34 mm

Background

Background: plain light colour (cream or light grey)

Photo age limit

Taken within 1 month

Glasses

Only with a medical certificate

Prints to submit

2 identical prints

Rules specific to United Kingdom

• Printed photos: 35×45mm, with the head measuring 29–34mm from chin to crown.
• Digital photos: at least 600×750 pixels, between 50KB and 10MB, JPEG.
• Background must be plain and light-coloured — cream or light grey. Pure white is specifically not advised, which catches out people used to the US standard.
• The photo must have been taken within the last month. This is far stricter than most countries, which allow six.
• No smiling, mouth closed, head straight, eyes open and clearly visible.
• Photos must not be altered by any software, filter or AI tool.
• Two identical prints are needed for a paper application.

Why passport photos get rejected

• Head too large or too small. This is the single most common reason, and the one people notice least — the canvas size can be perfect while the head is out of range.
• Shadow behind the head, usually from standing too close to a wall. Step a metre away from the background.
• Smiling, or mouth slightly open. Neutral expression means neutral.
• Hair covering an eye, or a fringe casting a shadow across the eyes.
• Uneven lighting that leaves one side of the face darker than the other.
• A photo that has been retouched, filtered, or run through an AI beauty tool. Most authorities now check for this and reject it outright.

Other countries