Passport photo code UK: do you need one?

Code or your own photo?

	Photo code from a booth or shop	Your own photo
How it gets in	You type the code and GOV.UK adds their photo to your application	You add the photo from your device during the application
Cost	About £10 in a self-service booth, from about £13 in a shop with staff	Nothing extra, or £5.99 (free while we launch) with Picproved to check and size it first
Who checks it	Staff in a shop; nobody in a booth	The online service checks it when you add it; you can check it first
Babies	Hard in a booth: a child has to sit alone on the stool	Lay a baby on a plain light sheet and take it from above

Photo code from a booth or shop

Your own photo

How it gets in

You type the code and GOV.UK adds their photo to your application

You add the photo from your device during the application

Cost

About £10 in a self-service booth, from about £13 in a shop with staff

Nothing extra, or £5.99 (free while we launch) with Picproved to check and size it first

Who checks it

Staff in a shop; nobody in a booth

The online service checks it when you add it; you can check it first

Babies

Hard in a booth: a child has to sit alone on the stool

Lay a baby on a plain light sheet and take it from above

When a code is the better choice

You'd like someone else to take it. GOV.UK says photos from a booth or shop are more likely to be approved than one taken on your own device (GOV.UK: Get a passport photo).

Nobody can help you. GOV.UK says you'll need someone to help you take a photo during the application.

You need prints too. A paper form, or another document, needs printed photos; booths and shops give you prints with the code.

Not every booth gives a code, so check the screen before you pay. Find a booth or shop near you.

The rules your own photo must meet

At least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall, between 50 KB and 10 MB, in colour and in focus (GOV.UK: Get a passport photo).

A plain light-coloured background, with no shadows on your face or behind you (GOV.UK: Rules for digital passport photos).

Taken in the last month, even if you look the same as in your old passport (GOV.UK: Get a passport photo).

Facing forwards with a plain expression, mouth closed and eyes open (GOV.UK: Rules for digital passport photos).

No filters and no edits: you can't "correct" a passport photo (GOV.UK: Rules for digital passport photos).

Your head, shoulders and upper body in the photo: GOV.UK crops a photo from your own device for you (GOV.UK: Get a passport photo).

An AI-made example of a UK passport photo of a woman on a plain light background

An example made with AI, not a real person: plain light background, head straight, plain expression, eyes open.

A child's passport

The same choice applies. GOV.UK relaxes the rules for young children: under 6 they don't have to look straight at the camera or keep a plain expression, and under 1 their eyes can be closed. A baby under one should lie on a plain light-coloured sheet, photographed from above; you can support their head, as long as your hand doesn't show (GOV.UK: Get a passport photo). See how to take a baby passport photo at home.

Where Picproved helps

Picproved checks the size, background, head size, eyes, expression, glasses and light before you save, and Baby mode relaxes the checks the way GOV.UK does for babies. You then add the file in the GOV.UK application, with no code. HM Passport Office still makes the final decision.

Or make it at home. Picproved costs £5.99 (free while we launch) for one person's photo in every size you need, and it checks the size, background, head size and face rules before you save. The office still makes the final decision. Make your United Kingdom Passport (online) photo

Questions

Do I need a photo code to renew my UK passport online?

No. A code from a booth or shop is one way to add your photo. GOV.UK also lets you take a photo using your own device during the application, with someone to help you.

What is a UK passport photo code?

A code printed with your photos by a booth or shop. You enter it during the online application, and GOV.UK adds the digital photo they took.

Is a photo with a code more likely to be accepted?

GOV.UK says photos from a booth or shop are more likely to be approved than one taken on your own device. Both must meet the same rules, and HM Passport Office decides.

Do I need a photo code for a child's passport?

No. The same choice applies: a code from a booth or shop, or a photo taken on your own device. A baby under one can lie on a plain light sheet, photographed from above.

Can I get a code for a photo I took myself?

No. Codes come from the booth or shop that took the photo. You don't need one: add your own photo during the online application.

Does a paper passport form need a photo code?

No. A paper form needs 2 identical printed photos, 45 mm high by 35 mm wide. The code is only for online applications.