UK passport photo 35×45 mm, free
Upload any straight-on photo and PassportNinja sizes it to the UK's exact 35×45 mm passport format, checks your head height and replaces the background: free, with a printable 10×15 cm sheet.
HM Passport Office sets the underlying rule: head 29-34 mm from chin to crown, plain light background, taken in the last month.
By Sam Ridder · Last updated: September 2026
You don't pay to find out if your photo is valid. The compliance check and the printable sheet are both free. No card, no account.
What we actually see on this page
UK is the single template people reach for most on PassportNinja: in the 40-day sample we measured from 13 July to 21 August 2026, it was opened 12 times out of 28 tool runs across the whole site, the most of any single country template we offer. That's a small sample, so treat it as a signal, not a statistic, but it's the number, not a guess.
Across every template, not just UK, the uploads people actually send in cluster tightly by size: the most common band by far is 1.0-2.0 MB (107 of 354 uploads measured), then 2.0-4.0 MB (57 uploads). A modern phone photo lands in that range without any compression on your part, which is one reason we don't ask you to resize anything before uploading: the tool handles a normal phone photo as-is, whatever the UK's own head-height band ends up doing to the crop.
HM Passport Office keeps the full current rules, the exact head-size band, the background wording, all of it, on GOV.UK, and that's the page to trust over any summary, ours included. Read the official photo requirements before you apply.
What our checker actually does
Here's the mechanical part PassportNinja runs: it scales your photo until the chin-to-crown distance lands inside the 29-34 mm band, then centres the crop with 42% of the leftover space above the crown and the remaining 58% below the chin, a little more room under the chin than over the head, which is how a passport portrait is framed. Once the crop is made, we re-measure the head on the finished 35×45 mm image itself, not on the photo you uploaded, and allow 1.5 mm of slack either side of the band. Land outside that and you'll see the exact warning the tool produces: "Head height ≈ X mm; requirement is 29-34 mm. Try a photo taken from further away.": X is your own measured number, not a placeholder.
One limitation worth knowing: our background fill is always plain white, even if you're printing for the paper route that mentions cream or light grey. What comes out is a 600 dpi digital file at 35×45 mm plus a printable 10×15 cm sheet with cut lines around each copy. We do the cropping for you, so your original photo stays on your device and the digital file is a cropped 600 dpi copy. What we don't check: your expression, whether your eyes are open, shadows on your face, or glasses. That part is still on you before you upload.
A note on the background colour
Read this before you print. UK printed-photo guidance asks for a plain cream or light-grey background, while the online "apply or renew" digital-photo check wants a plain, evenly-lit, light background. PassportNinja always outputs a clean, even white background. White is widely accepted for the digital upload route and reads as a plain light background; if you're specifically printing for a paper application that insists on cream/light-grey, keep that wording in mind. When in doubt, use the digital route.
PassportNinja handles the mechanical part: it crops to the exact size, scales your head to the required height and replaces the background with plain white, then gives you a digital file at 600 dpi plus a printable 10×15 cm sheet. It does not judge lighting, expression or glasses, and it can't guarantee acceptance: that's always the issuing office's call. Follow the checklist for the things a tool can't see.
It also does not sharpen a soft source photo: a slightly out-of-focus shot stays out of focus after the crop. If that's the problem, run it through PicReviver's photo enhancer first: it sharpens and doubles the resolution before you upload here.
The tool doesn't check a few things: a beard, eyebrows or a UK passport photo fringe aren't measured, and neither are ears or earrings, so keep the expression neutral and hair away from your eyes yourself. The official photo is in colour, and the tool only outputs colour. Children and babies get the same 35×45 mm size and 29-34 mm head band as adults; the expression rules for babies and young children are a little looser, and GOV.UK lists them.
Digital upload or printed photo?
Renewing online is usually the easiest path: you upload one digital photo and never touch a printer. If you need physical prints for a paper form or for a child's first application, use the 10×15 cm sheet.
- Choose "United Kingdom: passport (35×45 mm)" in the tool.
- Upload a straight-on photo taken from about 1.5 m away.
- Download the digital photo for the online service, or the print sheet for paper forms.
- Check the head lands inside the 29-34 mm band shown in the result.
Need something other than a passport? The ID photo maker covers ID cards and driving licences, and the passport photo size checker lists the exact dimensions for every country we support.
Only have a phone photo of a foreign-language supporting document, not a scan? ScanReviver's translate text from photo reads the words off the image with OCR, then translates them.
Can I use a white background for a UK passport?
PassportNinja outputs a plain white background. That's accepted for the online digital-photo route and reads as a plain light background. UK printed-photo guidance mentions cream or light grey, so for a paper application keep that wording in mind. The full guidelines for passport photos UK publishes are on GOV.UK; this tool applies the size and background part automatically, so you don't need a background of your own.
What are the UK digital passport photo requirements?
For the online service: a colour photo of at least 600×750 pixels, taken in the last month, with a plain light background and nobody else in it. The tool outputs 827×1063 px at 600 dpi, above that minimum, so the same file covers the passport digital photo requirements and a print.
Common questions
What size is a UK passport photo?
35 mm wide by 45 mm high, with your head measuring 29-34 mm from chin to crown, on a plain light background. That is the whole answer to what size is a passport photo UK applicants need, and what size passport photo the Passport Office expects on paper: the United Kingdom passport size is the same 35×45 mm figure PassportNinja crops to automatically. What size is passport photo UK in inches? Roughly 1.4×1.8. The passport photo size UK uses never changes between routes.
Can I use a white background for a UK passport?
PassportNinja outputs a plain white background. That's accepted for the online digital-photo route and reads as a plain light background. UK printed-photo guidance mentions cream or light-grey, so for a paper application keep that wording in mind. The full guidelines for passport photos UK publishes are on GOV.UK; this tool just applies the size and background part of them automatically.
Can I smile or wear glasses?
Keep a neutral expression with your mouth closed. Glasses are best avoided; if you must wear them, your eyes have to be clearly visible with no glare or heavy frames.
How do I take a digital passport photo at home?
To take a digital passport photo, stand about 1.5 m from a plain wall in even light, face the camera with a neutral expression and ask someone else to shoot at head height. Your digital photo for UK passport applications must be in colour and taken within the last month. A normal phone photo uploads as it is, because the tool handles the resizing.
Does passport size mean the booklet or the photo?
On a photo tool, UK passport size means the size of the photo, not the booklet. If you are unsure what size passport photo UK applications need, it is 35 mm wide by 45 mm high, with the head 29-34 mm from chin to crown. Those UK passport size dimensions are the same for adults, children and babies.
Passport photo black and white: is it accepted?
No. The official photo is in colour, and this tool only outputs colour.
What are the rules for taking passport photo at home?
Four things count: face a plain wall in even light, stand about 1.5 m away, keep a neutral expression with your mouth closed, and have someone else press the shutter. Then upload the shot and the tool takes care of size, head height and background.
Is it really free?
Yes: no account, no watermark, no pay-to-download. Ads keep the server running. See also our Schengen visa photo guide if you're applying for an EU visa instead.
Is there a UK passport photo checker to see if it's valid before I apply?
Yes. The tool crops your photo to 35×45 mm, then re-measures the head on the finished image and warns you with your actual measurement if it's outside the 29-34 mm band, so you find out before you apply rather than after. That makes it a British passport photo checker. A passport photo checker UK applicants can rerun costs nothing: to check UK passport photo validity online, just upload again. The passport photo check UK applicants need covers size, head height and background only; expression, glare and lighting are still yours to judge. A UK passport photo check costs nothing, and it works as a UK passport photo checker online free of charge, with no limit on re-checks.
Can I make a UK passport photo online for free?
Yes. Upload a straight-on photo and PassportNinja crops it to 35×45 mm, checks the head height and gives you a background that's accepted for the online digital-photo route: a UK passport photo online free, with no account and no watermark. Every passport photo online UK result comes without hidden costs. There is no UK passport photo cost for the crop or the background check, so a UK passport photo free online download is the whole thing. UK passport photo free is accurate on every part of it, and there is no UK passport photo app to install either.
Where do I get a digital UK passport photo, and what are the digital requirements?
Every upload gives you a digital file sized for the online application as well as a printable sheet. The UK passport photo dimensions in pixels are 827×1063 at 600 dpi, and the UK passport photo size on paper is the same 35×45 mm crop with the same 29-34 mm head height, so the digital and print requirements don't differ. The aspect ratio works out to 7:9, and the format is a JPG at 600 dpi.
Is there a caa free passport photo tool for pilot or crew licences?
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) doesn't set its own photo spec on this page, but CAA licence and permit photos are typically the same standard passport-style photo as a UK passport application. This tool's 35×45 mm UK output, with the 29-34 mm head height and a plain light background, covers that common case: check your specific CAA form to confirm before you submit.
Can I get a UK passport photo near me, or with a code?
You don't need to be in the UK: upload from a phone or laptop anywhere, including the US or Australia, and download the digital file. So there is no need to look for a UK passport photo near me; the same goes for passport photos near me in London or any other city, because the same template applies everywhere. If your application asks for a photo code, that reference code only comes from an in-person shop booth (Boots and the Post Office both offer it); this tool gives you the plain digital file and print sheet instead. Compared to a site like PhotoAiD, the core job is the same: crop, size, light background.
Related: Passport photo API, Australia passport photo, Canada passport photo.
Where's the full list of UK passport photo requirements?
The requirements of a passport photo for the UK: 35×45 mm, head 29-34 mm chin to crown, plain light background, taken within the last month. The UK passport photo rules add the head-height detail. Those rules for passport photos, and the passport picture rules for the head height, are covered on this page, and the full passport photo guidance is on GOV.UK; this tool applies the size and background part automatically. The passport photo qualifications are the same for a renewal as for a first application, which also needs a current photo. For anything this page does not cover, the passport photo instructions on GOV.UK are the final word; this page only automates the size, head height and background.
Can I do this at home, without a booth?
Yes. A UK passport photo at home is exactly what this tool is built for: face a plain wall in even light and upload the result. You don't need a UK passport photo booth: a passport photo at home gives you the same crop and light background a booth would. The passport photo application only needs the size, head height and background covered above. Families can upload several photos one after another; each result gets the same 35×45 mm crop.
Is there a free editor for an existing photo?
The passport photo editor is this page itself. As a passport photo editor free of charge, and a photo editor online free of sign-ups, it does one passport photo edit: crop, head height and background. It is not a free editor for retouching, because filters are not allowed on passport photos. A photo editor free of watermarks is still a photo editor online that knows the rules; for a different pose, upload another shot.
Can I preview my UK passport image, and is there an example?
Yes. The tool shows a live preview of your cropped UK passport image before you download anything. That preview of your own passport image is the most useful UK passport photo example you can get, more useful than generic UK passport photo examples of someone else's face.
Is a passport photo for a newborn or infant different?
No. An infant passport photo uses the same 35×45 mm size and 29-34 mm head height; a steady, open-eyed shot is the harder part, not the measurement. The UK does not require children under one to have their eyes open. Lay the baby on a plain white sheet in daylight and shoot from directly above, as the baby passport photo guide explains.
Is there a passport photo app UK residents can use instead?
No separate app is needed: it runs as a website, so passport photos for UK passport applications go through the same browser tool on a phone or a desktop.
What are the passport size photo dimensions UK uses?
35×45 mm, with the head 29-34 mm from chin to crown: the same passport size photo dimensions quoted throughout this page. If you get passport photos for London or anywhere else, the passport pictures come out the same.