Passport photo rejected for shadows? How to fix it
Passport photo rejected for shadows: how to fix it
What the rules say
GOV.UK asks for no shadows on your face or behind you, and says to stand about 50 cm from the background to avoid them (GOV.UK: Rules for digital passport photos). The U.S. State Department rejects photos where one side of the face is lit and the other is in shadow (travel.state.gov: Passport photos).
How to fix it
Face a window in daylight, so light falls evenly on both sides of your face.
Step about half a metre away from the wall, so your shadow falls behind you and out of the photo.
Turn off the flash and overhead spotlights; they make hard shadows under the nose and chin.
What Picproved checks
Picproved warns when one side of the face is darker than the other, and can replace the background with a clean one so a wall shadow doesn't show. Your photo stays on your device.
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
See it in the app
Checked before you save
Plain background in one tap
Questions
Why was my passport photo rejected for shadows?
GOV.UK asks for no shadows on your face or behind you, and says to stand about 50 cm from the background to avoid them (GOV.UK: Rules for digital passport photos). The U.S. State Department rejects photos where one side of the face is lit and the other is in shadow (travel.state.gov: Passport photos).
How do I fix a photo rejected for shadows?
Face a window in daylight, so light falls evenly on both sides of your face. Step about half a metre away from the wall, so your shadow falls behind you and out of the photo. Turn off the flash and overhead spotlights; they make hard shadows under the nose and chin.
