When you apply for or renew a UK passport online, you need a digital photo. You can get a photo code from a booth or shop, or take the photo with your own phone during the application. Either way the file has to meet a few technical rules, and the application checks them.
This guide lists the rules from GOV.UK and explains the one thing you may need to fix yourself, the file size, without doing anything that would count as editing your photo.
The official digital photo rules
From the GOV.UK page Get a passport photo (checked on 10 October 2026). Always read the current page before you apply.
- Clear and in focus, in colour, and unaltered by computer software.
- At least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall.
- At least 50 KB and no more than 10 MB.
- Taken against a plain light coloured background, in clear contrast to it, with no shadows on your face or behind you, no red eye and no other objects or people.
- Taken in the last month.
- If you use your own device, include your head, shoulders and upper body, and do not crop the photo: it will be done for you.
Photo code or your own phone?
GOV.UK says photos from a booth or shop are more likely to be approved than photos taken on your own device. If you choose that route, ask for a photo code and enter it in the application; there is no file to handle at all. If you take the photo yourself during the application, GOV.UK says you will need someone to help you.
What you can and cannot change
The rule that the photo must be unaltered by computer software means no retouching, filters, background replacement or face smoothing, and GOV.UK also says not to crop. Saving the same picture in a different format or at a smaller file size does not change how you look, so that is the only adjustment worth making, and only if the file is outside 50 KB to 10 MB.
Step by step if your file is outside the limits
Convert an iPhone photo
If the photo is a HEIC file, convert it with HEIC to JPG and keep the quality high.
Bring a huge file under 10 MB
Open Compress Image, choose Target size and type 9000 KB. Most phone photos are already well under 10 MB, but some high resolution cameras are not; the tool keeps the full picture and only lowers JPEG quality slightly.
A file under 50 KB means retake
A file that small is usually a screenshot or a heavily compressed copy, and it is likely to be under 600 x 750 pixels too. Do not enlarge it; take a new photo with a phone camera in good light.
Common reasons photos are rejected
- Shadows behind the head from a wall that is too close.
- A busy or dark background instead of a plain light one.
- Glare on glasses or hair covering the eyes.
- A photo older than one month.
Frequently asked questions
What size should a UK passport digital photo be?
At least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall, with a file size of at least 50 KB and no more than 10 MB.
Should I crop my UK passport photo?
No. GOV.UK says not to crop a photo taken on your own device; include your head, shoulders and upper body and it will be cropped for you.
Can I make my photo file smaller?
Yes, if it is over 10 MB. Saving it at a smaller file size does not change your appearance. Do not retouch, filter or change the background.
Is my photo uploaded when I use these tools?
No. Compress Image and HEIC to JPG run in your browser, so the photo stays on your device until you upload it to the passport application.
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