British Passport Photo

Your British Passport Photograph and Digital Submission

A British passport photo needs to be newly taken, even if you feel that your appearance has barely changed. GOV.UK specifies a photograph taken within one month. For a digital image, the minimum dimensions are 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels high, with a file size from 50 KB to 10 MB. Choose the original colour file rather than a screenshot of a preview.

If someone photographs you using your own device during the application, include the head, shoulders and upper body. The government guidance says not to crop that image yourself because the service will do it. Leaving the required composition intact gives the application a better starting image than a tightly cut square portrait.

A booth or shop may supply a photo code, which retrieves the digital image during the online passport application. That code is a delivery method, not an exemption from HM Passport Office’s checks. If you instead use your own device, have someone help take the photograph during the application and review the image shown by the service.

For a photo supplied with a code, check that the correct image appears when the code is entered. Review the facial expression and the whole frame before continuing, not just whether the upload succeeded. Keep the source photograph available until you have completed the submission in case you need to investigate an image-quality issue.

For applicants connected with the United Kingdom, the embassy and consulate directory provides overseas consular contacts when further assistance is needed. Explore destination permissions with the visa finder separately from preparing the digital passport image.