How to take a UK passport photo at home

How to take a passport photo at home, step by step

To take a passport photo at home you need a phone or camera, a plain light-coloured wall or sheet, good daylight and a helper. Allow about 15 minutes so you can take several shots and pick the best one.

1. Find a plain light-coloured background. Stand in front of a plain light wall or hang a plain light sheet. Remove anything else from the frame.
2. Get even, soft light. Face a window in daylight or use two lamps either side. Avoid overhead light and flash, which cause shadows and glare. Stand a little away from the wall so your shadow does not fall on it.
3. Ask someone to take the photo. GOV.UK says you will need someone to help you. They should hold the phone at your eye level, about 1 to 1.5 metres away, using the main (rear) camera.
4. Pose the way GOV.UK requires. Face forwards and look straight at the camera, plain expression, mouth closed, eyes open, no hair over your eyes. Take off glasses unless you have to wear them.
5. Frame your head, shoulders and upper body. Hold the phone in portrait and include your head, shoulders and upper body. Do not crop the photo afterwards — GOV.UK crops it for you.
6. Run a free pre-check. Open the free checker and choose the original photo. It confirms at least 600×750 pixels, 50KB–10MB and a plain light background in your browser, without uploading the photo.

The GOV.UK rules your home photo must meet

• Taken in the last month
• Clear and in focus, in colour, unaltered by computer software
• At least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall
• File size at least 50KB and no more than 10MB
• Plain light-coloured background, in clear contrast to you, no other objects or people
• No red eye and no shadows on your face or behind you
• No head covering unless for religious or medical reasons, and nothing covering your face

Selfie or helper?

An arm-length selfie with the front camera tends to tilt your head, widen your face and cut off your shoulders, and you can't see whether the light is even. GOV.UK expects someone to help you, and a helper standing at eye level with the rear camera gets a straighter, sharper photo. If you are on your own, a tripod and the camera timer are a better choice than holding the phone yourself.

Photo code from a booth or shop

If you would rather not take the photo yourself, GOV.UK lets you get a digital photo with a code from a photo booth or shop before you apply. You enter the code in the online application and the photo is added for you. GOV.UK says these photos are more likely to be approved.

Before you upload

Run the original photo through the free UK passport photo checker. It checks pixel size, file size and background in your browser and never uploads the photo. Then read why passport photos get rejected for the problems it can't see. Photographing a child? See child and baby passport photos.