Printed Photos for DVLA Postal Applications: The D1 Photo Rules
Apply for or renew a driving licence by post and DVLA wants a printed passport-type photo in the envelope. What size and quality it must be, when someone has to sign the back, and how to attach it so it survives the post.
By Helal · Last updated
Rules last checked against official guidance on
Do you need a printed photo for a DVLA application by post?
Yes. Online applications use a digital photo (or reuse your passport photo), but a postal application needs a printed photo in the envelope. For renewing the photo on your licence by post, GOV.UK asks for "a recent printed passport type photo" sent with the forms from the D1 pack, which you can get from most Post Offices.
The postal route also costs more. At the time of checking, a first provisional licence was £34 online and £43 by post, and renewing the photo on a licence was £14 online and £17 by post, payable by cheque or postal order. Photo renewal is free if you are over 70 or have a medical short-period licence.
When post is still the right route
Most people are better off applying online, where DVLA can often use the photo from your UK passport and you need no printed photo at all. See reusing your passport photo for a driving licence. The postal route makes sense when:
- you don't have a UK passport, or don't want DVLA to use its photo
- you are applying on someone else's behalf, or can't use the online service
- you are making several changes at once that the online service won't take
- you prefer to pay by cheque or postal order
The printed photo rules
DVLA asks for a passport-type photo, so the HM Passport Office standard for printed photos is the one to meet. In short:
Requirement | Rule |
|---|---|
Size | 45mm high by 35mm wide |
Head size | 29mm to 34mm from chin to crown |
Colour | Colour only, on plain photographic paper |
Background | Plain light grey or cream, with no shadows |
Expression | Neutral, mouth closed, looking straight at the camera |
Glasses | Best removed; never tinted or with glare |
Age of photo | Recent, taken in the last month |
Condition | Not creased, cut down or damaged |
Our guides to UK passport photo size and printed passport photo requirements cover each rule in detail. The one that trips people up most on licence photos is the background: pure white fails. See what colour background a passport photo needs.
A strip from a photo booth, prints from a shop, or photos printed at the correct size by a print service all work. A photo printed at home on ordinary paper usually does not, because it is neither photographic quality nor reliably the right size. If you do print at home, follow our guide to printing passport photos at home exactly.
Does the photo need to be signed on the back?
Sometimes. The D1 pack includes guidance notes (INF1D) that explain whether your photo must be countersigned, meaning someone who knows you signs the back to confirm it is a true likeness of you. Whether you need one depends on how you prove your identity: if DVLA can confirm who you are another way, such as from your UK passport, you usually don't. Read the notes in your own pack before you fill in the identity and countersignatory sections, because they are what DVLA will check your form against.
If the notes say you do need a countersignature:
- Ask someone who meets the pack's criteria, typically a person of standing in the community who has known you for the length of time the notes specify and is not a relative.
- They write on the back of one photo only, in pen, keeping inside the edges so nothing shows through on the front.
- Leave the front untouched. Any ink, pressure marks or tape on the front can make the photo unusable.
The rules for who can countersign are similar to the passport ones. See who can countersign a passport photo for the kind of person that qualifies.
Attaching and posting the photo
A photo that arrives creased or stuck to the wrong place can hold up the application.
- Don't staple through the photo. Use the space the form marks for the photo and follow its instructions for fixing it.
- Don't use glue or tape on the front.
- Keep it flat. Post the form in an envelope large enough that the photo is not folded, and consider card-backed packaging.
- Keep a spare. Booths and shops print several photos. Keep the others in case DVLA asks for a replacement.
Common reasons a postal licence photo is sent back
- A white or patterned background, or a shadow behind the head
- Too small or too large a head in the frame, usually from a home print at the wrong scale
- Glare on glasses, or tinted lenses
- An old photo, or one that no longer looks like you
- Damage: creases, staple holes or writing showing through
- A missing countersignature where the notes required one
If DVLA does reject the photo, they will write to you, and you send a new one rather than starting again. The provisional licence photo guide and renewing your licence photo cover what happens next for those applications.
Frequently asked questions
Can I send a digital photo with a paper D1 form?
No. A postal application needs a printed photo. If you have a digital photo, apply online instead, where you can upload it.
Do I have to sign the back of my driving licence photo?
Only if the guidance notes in your D1 pack say a countersignature is needed, and then it is signed by someone else who knows you, not by you.
Can I use the same photos as my passport application?
You can use prints from the same session if they are recent and meet the rules. Check how recent the notes in your pack require the photo to be.
How much does it cost to apply by post?
At the time of checking: £43 for a first provisional licence by post (£34 online) and £17 to renew the photo by post (£14 online). Photo renewal is free for over-70s and people with a medical short-period licence.