The two rule sets, side by side
GOV.UK splits its photo guidance into "Digital photos" and "Printed photos". Most of the requirements are shared — a current likeness taken within the last month, facing forward, plain expression, mouth closed, eyes open and unobscured. The differences are the ones below, quoted exactly as GOV.UK words them:
| Background — digital | "be taken against a plain light-coloured background" |
|---|---|
| Background — printed | "be taken against a plain cream or light grey background" |
| Cropping — digital | "Do not crop your photo - it will be done for you" |
| Editing — digital | The photo must be "unaltered by computer software" |
| Contrast — both | "be in clear contrast to the background" |
| Recency — both | Taken within the last month, and a current likeness |
The practical consequence is small but real: a plain white wall is inside the digital rule and outside the printed one. A plain light grey background is inside both, which is why it is the safe choice if you have not yet decided how you will apply.
The background rule, and why white causes so much confusion
White is a light colour. That single fact is why the digital rule and the printed rule pull apart, and why so much advice about UK passport photos is wrong for whichever reader is on the other route.
If you applied online and uploaded a photo, the wording that applies to you asks for "a plain light-coloured background". Nothing in that sentence excludes white, and nothing in it requires grey or cream. If you were told your white background was the reason for rejection on this route, that is worth querying rather than simply retaking.
If you posted printed photos, the wording is narrower: "a plain cream or light grey background". Here a white wall genuinely is outside the published spec, and it is one of the more common reasons printed photos come back.
- Uploaded your photo during an online application → any plain light colour, white included.
- Sent printed photos by post → plain cream or light grey specifically.
- Not sure yet, or want one photo that works for either → light grey satisfies both.
- In every case the background must be plain and evenly lit: a shadow falling across the wall fails the "clear contrast" rule regardless of colour.
One practical note that matters more than the colour: stand far enough forward that your own shadow does not fall on the wall behind you. A correctly coloured background with a shadow across it fails, and it is a far more common cause of rejection than the shade of the paint.
"Unaltered by computer software" — what it rules out
The digital rule set contains a requirement the printed one does not: the photo must be "unaltered by computer software". GOV.UK also tells online applicants "Do not crop your photo - it will be done for you".
Read plainly, that rules out editing a photo before uploading it — including replacing the background, and including cropping it yourself to a particular size. This is the rule that quietly disqualifies most photo apps and background-removal tools on the fully-online route, and very few of them mention it.
We will be direct about our own position, because a guide that hides its conflict of interest is not worth citing: this service replaces the background and crops the photo. That makes our output suitable for the printed route, and suitable as a reference for framing, background and expression — but we do not claim it for the fully-online upload, and you should be sceptical of any tool that does.
If you are applying online, the route GOV.UK actually recommends is a photo code from a booth or shop: you get a code with your photos, enter it during the application, and the photo is attached without you uploading a file at all. GOV.UK states that photos from a booth or shop are more likely to be approved than one taken on your own device.
The measurements, which are the same either way
Background and cropping differ by route. The measurements do not — these apply whichever way you apply, and they are where most genuine rejections happen:
| Photo size | 35 × 45 mm (about 827 × 1063 pixels at 600 dpi)† (derived from official print specification) |
|---|---|
| File size | 50 KB – 10 MB |
| Format | JPEG† (derived from official print specification) |
| Head height | 64–76% of the photo's height (29–34 mm, crown to chin) |
| Eye height | 50–68% up from the bottom of the photo† (derived from official print specification) |
| Background | Printed: plain cream or light grey. Digital upload: any plain light colour, including white. |
† Derived from the official print specification — the source publishes no digital value for this item.
Head size is the one that fails silently. The crown-to-chin measurement has to land inside 64–76% of the photo's height (29–34 mm, crown to chin), it cannot be judged by eye, and a photo that looks perfectly reasonable is routinely outside the band. Eye position is the second: your eyes must sit inside 50–68% up from the bottom of the photo, and it is usually caused by camera height rather than posture — a photo taken from slightly above or below moves the eye line out of range while everything else stays correct.
The physical size for the printed route is 35 × 45 mm (about 827 × 1063 pixels at 600 dpi). For the digital route the file itself has to be JPEG and inside 50 KB – 10 MB, on top of the pixel floor GOV.UK publishes for uploads.
Check a photo you already have
If you have a photo and want to know which rules it meets before you commit it to an application, it can be measured now. These are the checks a UK passport photo is held to here:
- Exactly one face, looking straight ahead
- Head sized 64–76% of frame
- Eyes at the required height (50–68% from the bottom)
- No head tilt
- Background replaced with the plain light grey printed photos need
- Even, uniform background
- Sharp focus — no blur
- Natural exposure — not too dark or bright
The check is free and needs no account. It reports what passed and what failed against the published rules — including which background rule your photo satisfies, so you know which route it is usable on.