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Quick Answer

Yes — you can take your own passport photo at home in the UK. HMPO accepts digital photos taken on a phone or camera, as long as they meet the official requirements. Use a tool like EasyPDF Studio to resize and prepare your photo to the correct 35×45mm spec for just £2.99.

UK Passport Photo Requirements in 2026

Before you take your photo, it's important to know exactly what HMPO (His Majesty's Passport Office) requires. Getting this wrong is the most common reason passport photos get rejected.

RequirementWhat You Need
Size35mm wide × 45mm tall
Face coverageYour face must fill 70–80% of the frame
BackgroundPlain white or cream — no patterns, no shadows
ExpressionNeutral, mouth closed
EyesOpen, clearly visible, looking straight at camera
Glasses❌ Not allowed (since 2021)
Head coveringOnly for religious reasons
ResolutionMinimum 600 DPI when printed
Printed sizeStandard 6×4" sheet (print at home or at a shop)
Colour✓ Colour only — no black and white
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Glasses are no longer allowed Since 2021, HMPO no longer accepts passport photos where the applicant is wearing glasses — even if there's no glare. Always remove glasses before taking your passport photo.

How to Take a Good Passport Photo at Home

Taking a passport-quality photo at home is easier than most people think. The key is lighting, background, and positioning. Here's exactly what to do:

1
Find a plain white wall or hang a white sheet Stand about 50cm away from the wall to avoid shadows behind you. A plain white or light cream wall works perfectly. Avoid patterned wallpaper or coloured walls — the background must be plain.
2
Get the lighting right — natural light is best Stand facing a window so natural light falls evenly on your face. Avoid standing with a window behind you (backlighting) as this will create a dark silhouette. If using indoor lighting, use two lights on either side of your face to avoid shadows.
3
Position yourself correctly in the frame Face the camera directly — no tilting or turning your head. Your face should fill roughly 70–80% of the photo. Keep your expression neutral with your mouth closed. Eyes open and looking directly at the lens.
4
Take the photo on your phone — portrait mode off Use your phone's standard camera (not portrait/bokeh mode, as this blurs the background artificially). Ask someone else to take it if possible — selfies can cause slight lens distortion. Take several shots and pick the best one.
5
Upload and resize to passport dimensions This is where most people struggle. Your photo needs to be exactly 35×45mm at 300 DPI with a white background. Use a tool like EasyPDF Studio's Passport Photo Maker to do this automatically — it crops, resizes, and applies the white background for you.
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Print your photo sheet Download your print-ready 6×4" sheet and print it at home on photo paper, or take the file to Boots, Tesco, Snappy Snaps, or any pharmacy that prints photos. Cut out and you're done.
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Pro tip: Take 5–10 shots Take multiple photos and choose the best one. Small things like slightly squinting, a tiny smirk, or your chin being too high can cause a rejection. With a home setup you can retake as many times as you like — unlike at the post office.

Skip the hassle — we'll do it for you

Upload your photo and our tool handles the cropping, resizing and white background automatically. Get 6 print-ready passport photos in under 60 seconds.

£2.99
6 photos · 300 DPI · Instant download · UK compliant
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Lighting Tips for the Perfect Home Passport Photo

Lighting is the single biggest factor that separates an accepted passport photo from a rejected one. Here's what works:

✅ Good lighting setups

  • Facing a large window — the best free option. Stand 1–2 metres from a window on a bright (but not direct sun) day
  • Two desk lamps either side of your face — eliminates shadows and gives even lighting
  • Ring light — if you have one, perfect for passport photos. Position it at face level
  • Overcast outdoor daylight — stand outside on a cloudy day for perfect, shadow-free light

❌ Lighting setups to avoid

  • Window or bright light behind you — creates dark silhouette, your face will be too dark
  • Single overhead light — creates shadows under eyes and chin
  • Flash directly at face — creates harsh shadows and red-eye
  • Low light / evening indoors — photos will be grainy and too dark

Getting the Background Right

HMPO requires a plain white or cream background with no shadows, patterns or objects visible. Here are the easiest ways to get this at home:

  • White wall — stand 50cm away from it to prevent your shadow falling on it
  • White bedsheet — tape it flat on a wall. Works brilliantly
  • White door — many interior doors are white and large enough
  • Online background removal — if your background isn't perfect, tools like EasyPDF Studio automatically remove and replace the background with white
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Don't worry too much about your background at home If you use EasyPDF Studio's Passport Photo Maker, it automatically removes your background and replaces it with a perfect plain white. So even if your wall isn't perfectly white or has a slight shadow, the tool handles it for you.

Taking a Passport Photo for a Baby or Child

Children's passport photos are notoriously difficult to take at the post office — getting a baby to look at the camera with a neutral expression while sitting up straight is a challenge at the best of times.

At home, you have unlimited attempts. Here are a few tricks that work well:

  • Babies — lay them on a white sheet and photograph from above. HMPO allows babies to have their eyes slightly closed and mouth slightly open
  • Toddlers — bribe with their favourite snack just off-camera, take rapid-fire shots and pick the best one
  • Older children — treat it as a game, ask them to make a "statue face" or show them the screen so they can see themselves
  • For babies — you don't need them to have a neutral expression — slight smiles are accepted for children under 6
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Babies don't need to support their own head For babies under 1, you can lay them flat on a plain white sheet and photograph from directly above. Ears don't need to be visible for very young children. HMPO guidance is more relaxed for babies and young children.

Where to Print Your Passport Photo in the UK

Once you've created your print sheet (a 6×4" image with 6 passport photos), you have several options for printing:

  • At home — any inkjet printer with 6×4" photo paper. Available at Tesco, Asda or Amazon for about £6 for 50 sheets. Print on glossy or satin finish
  • Boots Photo — upload in-store or online, collect same day. Usually around £1–2 for a 6×4" print
  • Tesco Photo — in-store kiosks in most large Tesco stores, same-day printing
  • Snappy Snaps — high street photo printers, good quality
  • Asda Photo — cheap and cheerful, usually 50p–£1 for a 6×4" print
  • Morrisons Photo — in-store kiosks available in most large stores

The file you get from EasyPDF Studio is a standard 6×4" JPEG at 300 DPI — it works with all of the above options without any extra resizing or editing.

How Much Does a UK Passport Photo Cost?

Here's a quick breakdown of your options and the real cost:

OptionCostNumber of PhotosTime
Post Office£13.992Travel + queue
Boots£9.994Travel + wait
Snappy Snaps£9.994Travel + wait
EasyPDF Studio£2.99660 seconds

By doing it at home with the right tool, most people save between £7 and £11 per application. If you're doing photos for a family of four, that's potentially £30–£40 saved.

Ready to get your passport photo?

Upload your photo now and get a print-ready sheet of 6 UK-compliant passport photos in under 60 seconds. Print at home or at any high street photo shop.

📸 Get My Passport Photo — £2.99 ✅ UK compliant  ·  ⚡ Instant download  ·  🛡 Money-back guarantee

5 Common Mistakes That Get Passport Photos Rejected

HMPO rejects thousands of passport applications each year due to poor photos. Here are the most common reasons — and how to avoid them:

  1. Wearing glasses — no longer allowed since 2021. Always remove them, even if there's no glare
  2. Shadow on the face or background — stand away from the wall and use even lighting from the front
  3. Face too small or too large in the frame — your face should fill 70–80% of the photo height
  4. Background not plain white — avoid patterns, colours or shadows. Use background removal if needed
  5. Smiling or non-neutral expression — keep a completely neutral, relaxed expression. Slight smiles are acceptable for children under 6 only

Can I Submit a Digital Passport Photo Online?

Yes — if you're applying for a UK passport online through the GOV.UK website, you can upload a digital photo rather than sending printed photos. The digital photo requirements are:

  • JPEG or HEIC format
  • Minimum 50KB, maximum 10MB file size
  • At least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall
  • Same face/expression/background rules apply

EasyPDF Studio provides both a print-ready sheet and a standalone digital photo file that meets GOV.UK's online upload requirements.

Summary

Taking your own passport photo at home in the UK is completely legal, easy to do, and can save you up to £12 compared to the post office. The key things to remember are:

  • Plain white or cream background, no shadows
  • Face filling 70–80% of the frame, looking straight at the camera
  • Neutral expression, mouth closed, no glasses
  • Good even lighting — face a window or use two lamps
  • Use a passport photo tool to crop to the correct 35×45mm dimensions

For most people, the easiest route is to take a good selfie at home and then use EasyPDF Studio's Passport Photo Maker to do the resizing, cropping and background removal automatically. For £2.99 you get 6 print-ready photos and a money-back guarantee.