Free · No sign-up · Runs in your browser

Check your passport photo before you upload it.

Applying for a UK passport online? Drop in your photo and see straight away whether it meets the rules: at least 600 × 750 pixels, 50KB to 10MB, in colour, a plain light background and no editing apps — plus whether your head is straight, your eyes are open, your expression is plain and your face is evenly lit and in focus. Your photo isn’t changed or uploaded.

Not uploaded — nobody sees it Follows GOV.UK’s rules Photo never edited Clear pass, fix or check

Drop your passport photo here, or click to browse The photo you plan to upload · checked on your device, never changed

Your photo is never uploaded — it’s checked right here in this browser tab, on your device. We never see it, copy it or keep it, and it isn’t changed in any way.

At a glance

Passport photo checker: quick facts

A free checker for UK online passport photos that tells you what to fix before you upload.

Updated 11 October 2026

Price: Free, no sign-up.
What it checks: Pixel size (at least 600 × 750), file size (50KB to 10MB), colour, background, signs of editing, and your face: one person only, head straight, eyes open, plain expression, head and shoulders in view, even light and focus.
Photo types: JPG or PNG, from a phone, camera or photo booth download.
Does it edit or crop?: No. GOV.UK says not to crop or edit a photo for an online application, so the checker only checks it. For paper forms you can choose to make a separate printable sheet of 45 × 35 mm photos.
Live camera: Line up your photo with the live camera: a checklist ticks off each rule as you move, then take the photo and save it. Every photo you check is kept on screen so you can see which one is best.
Privacy: Your photo is checked in your browser and never uploaded.
Rules used: GOV.UK’s photo rules for online passport applications (checked 11 October 2026).

How it works

How to check a UK passport photo

Altto reads your photo on your device and measures its size in pixels, its file size, whether it’s in colour, how plain and light the background is, and whether the file was saved by an editing app. A face checker that runs in your browser then looks at your face: one person only, head straight, eyes open, plain expression, head and shoulders in view, even light and focus. You get a clear pass, fix or check for each rule.

Take or choose your photo

Use the original from your phone or camera, not a screenshot or a copy from a messaging app.

Drop it in and press Check

The measurements happen on your device in a second or two.

Fix anything flagged

Retake the photo if needed, then go through the checklist before you upload it to GOV.UK.

Tips

Taking a photo that passes first time

Most rejected photos fail on lighting, background or expression. A few minutes of setting up avoids a delay.

Stand in front of a plain, light wallCream, white or light grey works. Stand about half a metre away from it so your shadow doesn’t fall on it.
Face the lightDaylight from a window in front of you gives even light with no shadows. Avoid overhead lights and the camera flash.
Have someone else take itArm’s-length selfies distort your face and tilt your head. Ask someone to hold the phone at your eye level, about 1.5 metres away.
Turn off beauty and portrait modesMany phones smooth skin or blur the background automatically. Use the plain photo mode so the picture is unaltered.

Step by step: how to take a UK passport photo at home →

Like every Altto tool, this runs on your device — nothing you add is uploaded. How Altto works

600 × 750

pixels is the minimum size for a UK digital passport photo, with a file between 50KB and 10MB. Any modern phone photo is far bigger, so the original file almost always passes.

Checklist

Check these yourself too

Altto checks several of these automatically, but look at your photo as well before you upload — especially for glasses, hair over your eyes and anything on your head. They’re the most common reasons photos are turned down. (From GOV.UK’s passport photo rules, checked 11 October 2026.)

Facing forward, looking at the cameraHead straight, not tilted, with your face and shoulders square to the camera.
Plain expression, mouth closedNo smiling with teeth, no frowning, eyebrows relaxed.
Eyes open and visibleNo hair across your eyes and no red-eye. Glasses only if you need them for medical reasons; never sunglasses or tinted lenses.
Nothing on your headNo hat or head covering unless it’s worn for religious or medical reasons, and nothing covering your face.
Even light, no shadowsNo shadows on your face or behind you. Face a window rather than standing with one behind you.
Just you, on a plain light backgroundNo other people or objects in the photo, and a plain, light-coloured wall behind you.
Clear and uneditedIn focus, in colour, and not changed with filters, beauty modes or editing apps.
Taken in the last monthGOV.UK needs a new photo for every new passport, taken in the last month, even if you look the same.
Babies and childrenChildren must be on their own, with no toys or dummies. Under 6s don’t need a plain expression or to look straight at the camera; under 1s don’t need their eyes open, and should lie on a plain light sheet, photographed from above.

Sizes

Passport photo sizes at a glance

Official sizes for the UK, US, EU, Canada, Australia and India, from GOV.UK and the US State Department (checked 11 October 2026).

Passport photo size rules
Photo	Size	Head size	Other rules
UK digital (online application)	At least 600 × 750 pixels; file 50KB to 10MB	Not stated: don’t crop it, they crop it for you	Colour, unedited, plain light background
UK printed (paper form)	45 mm high × 35 mm wide; 2 identical photos	29–34 mm from chin to crown	Professionally printed, not cut down from a larger picture
US passport (printed)	2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm)	1–1⅜ inches (25–35 mm) chin to top of head	Original, unedited, no glasses
Schengen / EU visa, Australia passport (printed)	35 × 45 mm	About 32–36 mm chin to crown	Plain light background, neutral expression; check the embassy’s own page
Canada passport (printed)	50 × 70 mm	31–36 mm chin to crown	Canada asks for professionally taken photos with a studio stamp
India passport (printed)	2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm)	25–35 mm chin to crown	White background, no glasses

Official sources: GOV.UK: Photos for passports and US State Department: Passport photos. The printable sheet can make 35 × 45 mm, 50 × 70 mm and 2 × 2 inch copies of your photo; always confirm the size and head height with the office or embassy you are applying to, because rules change.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Answers based on GOV.UK’s rules for passport photos. Always check GOV.UK for the latest rules before applying.

What size should a UK digital passport photo be?

For an online application, GOV.UK says the photo must be at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall, and the file must be between 50KB and 10MB. A photo straight from any modern phone is far bigger than 600 × 750, so the usual problems are a photo that’s been shrunk by a messaging app or one that’s been cropped too tightly.

Should I crop my passport photo before uploading it?

No. GOV.UK’s rule for digital photos is “do not crop your photo, it will be done for you”, and the photo should show your head, shoulders and upper body. That’s why this tool checks your photo but deliberately doesn’t crop or edit it.

Can the checker tell if I’m smiling or my eyes are closed?

Yes. A face checker that runs in your browser looks at your expression, eyes, head angle and lighting, and flags anything to check: a smile or open mouth, closed eyes, a tilted or turned head, a shadow on one side of your face, blur, or more than one person. It can’t judge everything, so still look at glasses, hair over your eyes and head coverings yourself, and remember the Passport Office makes the final decision.

Can I see the rules while I’m taking the photo?

Yes. Press “Live camera with checklist” and line up your photo: a checklist ticks off each rule as you move (just you, head and shoulders in view, head straight, eyes open, plain expression, even light, a plain light background and a sharp picture), with a hint for the next thing to fix. When everything is ticked, take the photo; it’s checked again in full and you can save it. GOV.UK now describes own-device photos as taken during your passport application, with someone to help, so this is a good way to practise and get your light, background and pose right first. If the application lets you add a photo file, you can use the one you saved. The camera picture stays on your device and nothing is recorded or uploaded.

Can I print passport photos at home?

For a UK paper form, GOV.UK says printed photos must be 45 mm high by 35 mm wide, printed to a professional standard on plain white photographic paper with no border, and not be a cut-down version of a larger picture. A home printer won’t meet that, and photos cut out of a bigger print may count as “cut down from a larger picture”, so for a UK paper form use a photo booth or a shop that does passport photos. Altto’s photo sheet is handy for other photo ID that accepts it and for practice prints, but check the rules for the document you need. If you’re applying online, you don’t need printed photos at all.

Can I take my own passport photo at home?

Yes, you can take a digital photo yourself for an online application, as long as it meets the rules. GOV.UK notes that photos from photo booths are more likely to be approved than ones taken on your own device, so take care with the lighting, background and expression. GOV.UK says you’ll need someone to help you take it during your application, and the photo must have been taken in the last month.

What does “unaltered by computer software” mean?

The photo mustn’t be edited: no filters, beauty or portrait modes, background replacement, retouching or AI enhancement. If the photo file says it was saved by an editing app such as Photoshop or Facetune, this checker flags it so you can upload the original instead.

How does the background check work?

It looks at the wall all round your head, above it and to each side, leaving out your head and hair. It checks the wall is light, that no part of it is much darker than the rest (a shadow), and that nothing on it stands out, such as a clock, picture, shelf or light switch. The live camera checklist does the same as you line up. It’s a helpful hint, not a guarantee: a plain cream, white or light grey wall with nothing on it is what you want.

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