UK passport photo code in Canada: what to do instead

UK photo vs a local photo in Canada

	UK passport (online)	Canada's own passport
Size	At least 600×750 px, 50 KB to 10 MB; prints 45×35 mm	50×70 mm
Background	Plain and light-coloured	white or off-white
Glasses	Only if you have to, no tint, no glare	Allowed if clear
Source	GOV.UK: Get a passport photo	canada.ca

UK passport (online)

Canada's own passport

Size

At least 600×750 px, 50 KB to 10 MB; prints 45×35 mm

50×70 mm

Background

Plain and light-coloured

white or off-white

Glasses

Only if you have to, no tint, no glare

Allowed if clear

Source

GOV.UK: Get a passport photo

canada.ca

So a photo made for Canada's rules has the wrong shape and head size for a UK passport. Take a new one for the UK rules, or have a local shop take one and get the digital file, then check it against the UK rules.

How to add your own photo

Start the online application from GOV.UK's overseas page (GOV.UK: Overseas British passport applications).

When it asks for the photo, take one on your device with someone to help you; it must have been taken in the last month (GOV.UK: Get a passport photo).

Show your head, shoulders and upper body against a plain light wall, and don't crop it: the service does.

Check it against the rules before you add it: how to take a passport photo at home.

Who can confirm your identity in Canada

For a paper application from abroad, your countersignatory can hold a current British, Irish, other EU, US or Commonwealth passport, so someone with a passport from Canada, a Commonwealth country, which GOV.UK accepts. If it isn't British or Irish, include a colour photocopy of its photo page; the application is faster with a British or Irish passport holder (GOV.UK: Countersigning passport applications and photos). For the online check, GOV.UK's page says the person confirming must live in the UK and have a UK or Irish passport (GOV.UK: Confirm someone's identity online).

Where Picproved helps

Picproved makes the UK upload file from a photo taken anywhere, checks it against the GOV.UK rules first, and Upload doctor explains an upload error. 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

Can I get a UK passport photo code in Canada?

Codes come from booths and shops in the UK. From abroad, add a digital photo of your own during the online application instead.

Can I use a passport photo from a shop in Canada for my UK passport?

Only if it meets the UK rules. Shops there make Canada's own 50×70 mm photo by default, which has a different size or rules. Ask for the digital file and check it.

Who can countersign my UK passport application in Canada?

Someone with a current British, Irish, other EU, US or Commonwealth passport who has known you for 2 years and isn't a relative. Include a colour copy of their photo page if it isn't British or Irish.

Do I need a printed photo to renew a UK passport from abroad online?

No. An online application uses a digital photo only.