A Guide to Passport Photos
Not an exciting type of blog post I know, but the question of passport photos crops up often enough, especially with online applications.
For my part I only started offering passport photos in 2015 when the camera shop closed in Farnham. Up to then I referred people to the shop, but after closing, enquiries to me escalated. So I started to offer passport photos and have covered multiple Nationalities for Passport Photos, VISA Applications, Citizenship, National ID Photos, Blue Badge ID, Firearms and Shotgun Licences.
All Countries lay down tight rules for their official photos and they will reject them if the specifications are not properly met. Some rules are universal such as having your face fully on view, looking directly into camera, even lighting with no shadows across the face or background and very specific face to photo size position and proportions, but there are differences.
For example, EU Member applications are standard 45 x 35 portrait format photos with a grey background but US passport photos are 50mm x 50mm with a white background, the same as a VISA photo for India but Canada require 70mm x 50mm. Spain, whilst in the EU have the anomaly of a 40mm x 30mm photo.
Canada not only requires the largest photo, but also that their citizens must use a commercial photography studio and that the photographer stamps their details on the rear of the photo.
Many countries now accept passport applications and renewals online with digital photos, some still allow paper form by post, and a few still require physical photos after your online application.
Traditionally you get your photo done at a 'photo booth' or at a High Street retail outlet, often a chemist, camera shop or photography studio. Receiving about six photos cut to size you need two for your application, which are stuck to your paperwork. One has to be signed on the back by an 'upstanding member of the community' to verify your identity. Of course, digital is the way forward.
Most places offer a digital version and for the UK, some offer the newish ‘passport photo code’. You don’t need a code if you are supplied with the digital photo itself. If you are given a code the Passport Office will not have checked your photo until you enter it with your online application. I have had people in the studio having had a ‘passport code photo’ rejected. Essentially the photo is stored on a third party server for the Passport Office to access at the time of your application.
If you chose to shoot your own photo, the online photo guide shows a photo from waist up (as opposed to the 'head' in the required specs) but the lighting still has to be even across the body, face and the background. The background needing to be a light grey. Once uploaded the website will crop your photo to the correct dimensions and either give it an immediate pass or fail.
So the specs for a full online photo application, cribbed from the Passport Offices webpage are as follows:
include your full head, shoulders and upper body
have lots of clear space around your head and shoulders
be taken against a plain background (for example, light grey or cream)
not have any shadows on your face or behind you
be facing forward and looking straight at the camera
have a plain expression and your mouth closed
have your eyes open and visible
not have hair covering your eyes
not have any headwear (unless it’s for religious or medical reasons)
in focus without any shadows
in colour without any effects or filters
at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall (this you will need to edit)
at least 50kb and no more than 10mb
The photo you're aiming for to send to the Passport Office should look something like this:
But the final image needs to be cropped like this, something the Passport Office website will do:
Naturally I can sort out your photo for you and prep any to the specs needed for any nationality, print or digital versions. But you might want to give it a go, if you do I'd love to hear from you. Getting a sense of what the Passport Office is accepting would be interesting. Passport VISA ID Photos by Matthew Burch