UK visa photo (35 × 45 mm)

UK visa photo requirements

Official source: GOV.UK: visas and immigration. Rules can change, so check it before you apply.

If your application lets you upload a photo, follow the same rules as a UK passport photo: plain light background, neutral expression, nothing covering the face, and a head size of 29–34 mm.

At a visa application centre, staff usually take a digital photo with your fingerprints, so you may not need to bring one. Check your appointment letter.

How to take the photo

1. Find a plain, light wall

   Stand about half a metre in front of it so your shadow falls behind you, not on the wall around your head.

2. Face the light

   Daylight from a window in front of you works best. Avoid overhead lights that cast shadows under the eyes.

3. Have someone take it at eye level

   The camera should be about 1.2 m (4 ft) away, level with your eyes. Leave space above your head and include your shoulders.

4. Crop it here

   Add the photo above, check that the top of your head and your chin sit on the red lines, and download.

Tips for this document

• Remove glasses if you can.
• Avoid patterned clothing that blends into the background.

Common reasons photos are rejected

• Correct
• Head too small
• Head too large
• Head tilted
• Shadow behind
• Busy background

Printing your photos

Download the print sheet and print it at a photo shop, a pharmacy photo counter or at home on photo paper. Choose actual size or 100% in the print settings; “fit to page” shrinks the photos and they will be the wrong size. Cut along the small corner marks so each photo measures exactly 35 × 45 mm.