The UK passport photo rules in detail, and how the photo fits into renewing, replacing and applying for a passport.
Renewing an adult passport online costs £102 and takes one sitting if you have a good photo ready. What to have to hand, how the photo step works, when you need a countersignatory, and what happens to your old passport.
Read moreYou can apply online yourself, apply on paper, or use the Post Office Check and Send service. Here is how they differ on cost, speed and the photo, and how to choose without being upsold.
Read moreTwo urgent passport services, one for renewals, changes, replacements and children, one for adult renewals only. Here is how they differ on timing, fees, who is eligible and what photo you need, and when to pick each.
Read moreReport a lost or stolen passport as soon as you can, then apply for a replacement. Here is the order to do it in, what a replacement application needs (including a countersignature on paper), and how to have the photo ready so it does not slow you down.
Read moreBeards, moustaches and tattoos are accepted. Hair across your eyes and multiple facial piercings are where photos fail. Here is exactly what HM Passport Office's examiner guidance says about your hair, face and body jewellery.
Read moreGOV.UK says a passport photo must be unaltered by computer software, but HM Passport Office's own guidance does accept some filters. Here is where the line falls between a brightness tweak and a rejection.
Read moreA countersignature is one person vouching that your photo is a true likeness. The rules on who qualifies are strict: two years' acquaintance, no relatives, no one at your address. Here is who can sign, what they write and when you need one.
Read moreIf a medical condition or disability means you cannot meet every photo rule, HM Passport Office can waive some of them. Here is what examiners may accept, what they will not, and how to explain your situation so the application is not rejected.
Read moreApplying by paper means two identical prints on plain white photographic paper, 45mm by 35mm, left loose in the envelope. Here is every rule GOV.UK sets for printed photos, and the small mistakes that get them sent back.
Read moreGOV.UK's standard service processed almost all UK applications within three weeks last year, but only where nothing more was needed. Here is what the timing actually depends on, and what to do when your trip is closer than that.
Read moreThere is no dress code in the GOV.UK rules — but three requirements quietly decide what works. Contrast with the background, nothing covering the face, and no objects in frame. Here is what that means for your wardrobe.
Read moreA UK passport photo is 45mm high by 35mm wide, with your head measuring 29mm to 34mm from crown to chin. Here is what each of those numbers actually controls, and why the digital rules are completely different.
Read moreNothing in the GOV.UK rules bans a selfie. Several rules make one very hard to pass. Here is why arm's length fails on geometry, and how to take a compliant phone photo instead.
Read moreA UK passport photo needs a plain expression with your mouth closed. But HM Passport Office's internal guidance is more forgiving than the public rule suggests — a relaxed mouth with teeth showing can pass. Here is the actual line.
Read moreShadows are the most common reason a home passport photo fails, and almost every shadow has the same cause: you are standing too close to the wall. A practical lighting guide with no equipment required.
Read moreA hijab, turban, kippah or medical head covering is permitted in a UK passport photo. A hat is not. The line HM Passport Office draws is about the face, not the head — here is exactly where it falls.
Read moreYou can, but HM Passport Office would rather you did not. The official wording is 'do not wear glasses unless you have to' — here is what that means in practice, and the three failures that catch spectacle wearers.
Read moreAt least 600 x 750 pixels, between 50KB and 10MB, in colour, unaltered by software. The 50KB floor is the one that catches people, and messaging apps are usually to blame.
Read morePrinted UK passport photos need a plain cream or light grey background. Digital ones need a plain light-coloured background. Pure white is riskier than most people assume, and here is why.
Read moreYour photo must have been taken in the last month when you submit it. Once HM Passport Office has it, examiner guidance gives it 12 months for an adult and 6 for a child. Two different clocks, often confused.
Read moreThe passport photo rules change twice in a child's life: at their first birthday and at their sixth. Under 6, they need not look at the camera or hold a plain expression. From 6, the adult standard applies in full.
Read moreBabies under one do not need their eyes open, and GOV.UK officially recommends laying them on a plain light-coloured sheet and shooting from above. Every relaxation, every rule that still applies, and how to actually get the shot.
Read moreEvery rule HM Passport Office applies to a passport photo, in one place: the 45mm by 35mm frame, the 29-34mm head height, the background, the expression, and the digital file specification for online applications.
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