The UK passport photo is 45 mm high × 35 mm wide — the ICAO-shaped portrait — with one of the most explicit digital specs anywhere: a file window that floors at 50 KB as well as capping at 10 MB, and a one-month recency rule for online applications. These are the GOV.UK (HM Passport Office) requirements people mean when they search “UK passport photo size”, “British passport photo dimensions” or “gov uk photos for passports”.

The spec

Field	UK passport
Print size	45×35 mm (45 high × 35 wide)
Digital pixels	≥600×750 px (online application)
Head size (crown→chin)	29–34 mm (64–76%)
File limit	50 KB – 10 MB JPEG
Background	plain light grey or cream
Photo age	<1 month (online applications)
Glasses	allowed — no glare, eyes visible
Expression	neutral, mouth closed

Online application vs paper form

The UK runs two channels and each wants a different photo object — this is where most of the confusion lives.

Applying online, you need a digital photo. Two ways in:

• Upload a file — ≥600×750 px, JPEG, 50 KB–10 MB. The portal measures it at upload; outside the window it never reaches a human.
• Enter a photo code — many UK photo booths and shops shoot to spec and hand you a digital code instead of a file. Type it into the application and the photo transfers directly. No file window to trip over, and the booth’s framing is usually compliant.

Either way the photo must be taken within the last month and meet the same face rules as a print. GOV.UK’s online photo check screens uploads before submission — it’s advisory rather than a guarantee, but it catches the mechanical failures (size, file, face detection) early.

Applying on a paper form, you need two identical printed photos, 45×35 mm, on photo-quality paper — no creases, tears or writing on them. There’s no pixel or file rule because nothing is uploaded; the counter measures the print itself. UK visa photos follow the same underlying spec.

Where UK applications fail

HMPO publishes the same rejection triggers photo counters check for. In rough order of how often they bite:

• Head outside the 29–34 mm band — the single most common framing failure. A crop done to the Schengen 32–36 mm band can overshoot the UK ceiling, so a “European-size” photo is not automatically a UK photo (see the Schengen size breakdown).
• File under 50 KB — re-saved and messaged photos shrink fast; export from the original.
• Photo older than a month — or a recent photo that no longer looks like you (new facial hair, major weight change).
• Glare on glasses — allowed in theory, the top trigger in practice; removing them is the safe move.
• Shadows and background tone — no shadow across the face or behind the head; the background is light grey or cream, and a coloured or patterned wall fails even when well lit.
• Hair across the eyes, tilted head, smiling or open mouth — face square to camera, eyes open, mouth closed.
• Edited or filtered images — no retouching; the photo has to look like a photograph, not a screenshot.
• Damaged prints (paper forms) — creased, torn or marked photos are refused at the counter.

How it differs from the neighbours

Glasses. The UK allows them — no glare, frames off the eyes, nothing tinted. The US bans them outright and India’s e-Visa wants a photo without spectacles; Schengen guidance discourages them. If you wear glasses daily and can’t see without them, the UK is one of the few specs that explicitly permits keeping them on.

Background. Not white — GOV.UK asks for a plain light grey or cream background. Pure white is acceptable in practice, but grey/cream is what’s published, and it’s why UK photo booths default to a grey backdrop.

Recency. One month for online applications — the strictest clock among the major specs. Renewing online with last year’s photo fails on age even if the file is perfect. How old can a passport photo be compares the recency rules by country.

Head band. 29–34 mm of the 45 mm height is 64–76% — narrower and lower than the ICAO 70–80% family the Schengen spec uses, so a Schengen-tight crop can actually overshoot the UK band.

Sources

SourceGOV.UK — photos for passports and the online renewal portal's photo guidance (verified September 2026). UK visa photos use the same underlying spec.

Related: Schengen visa photo size · the full spec converter table · passport photo for online renewal · why photos get rejected · reading spec sheets · ICAO 9303 explained.

Frequently asked questions

Is the UK photo 35×45 or 45×35 mm?

Same rectangle — GOV.UK phrases it as "45 mm high by 35 mm wide", and most of Europe writes it 35×45 mm. Either way it's the standard ICAO-shaped portrait, not a square and not landscape.

Why did the online portal reject a tiny JPEG?

The UK portal enforces a file floor as well as a ceiling: 50 KB to 10 MB. Aggressively compressed or re-saved thumbnails can land under 50 KB and fail. Export at a reasonable JPEG quality from the full-resolution file.

Can I wear glasses in a UK passport photo?

Yes — the UK is softer than the US here: glasses are allowed if there's no glare, the frames don't cover the eyes, and they're not sunglasses or tinted. In practice, removing them is still the safer move — glare is a top rejection trigger.

How recent must a UK passport photo be?

For online applications, taken within the last month — stricter than the six-month rule most countries use. Paper counter applications accept the usual recent-photo standard, but the one-month rule is what the portal checks against.

Do I need a printed photo or a digital file?

Depends on the channel. An online application takes a digital photo — uploaded as a file or pulled in with a photo code from a booth or shop. A paper application form needs two identical printed photos, 45×35 mm on photo-quality paper. You don't upload a file for paper, and a print doesn't help the online form.

What is a UK digital photo code?

Many UK photo booths and shops shoot to the passport spec and give you a code instead of a file. Enter the code in the online application and the photo is pulled in — no cropping, no file window to trip over. It's the lowest-friction route if you're near a booth.