Temporary Injury and Surgery — When You Can Take a Passport Photo
A black eye, a fresh scar, a plaster over a cut, a recent operation: can you take the passport photo now, or must you wait? The official rule is blunt on the temporary: photos of a customer with temporary injuries, for example black eyes, must not be accepted. The dividing line is time — a temporary injury means waiting until you have healed, while a permanent or long-term condition may be exempt. Verified against the UK HMPO examiner standards, September 2026.
The 15-second answer: temporary vs permanent
- Temporary injuries are not accepted — the standard names black eyes as the example. Wait until you have healed, then take the photo.
- Permanent or long-term eye patches may be accepted; temporary eye patches may not.
- Visual impairment: if a visually impaired or blind person has their eyes shut, the photo may be accepted.
- Disability that prevents meeting the standards may bring an exemption, with evidence.
- The test is duration: something that will heal is temporary; something ongoing is not.
Temporary injuries: wait, do not shoot
The standard is explicit: you must not accept photos of the customer with temporary injuries, for example black eyes. So a bruise, a swollen eye, a visible cut or a plaster covering part of the face is a reason to wait and retake the photo later, not to submit it now. The reasoning tracks the true-likeness test used everywhere else in the standards: a temporary mark is not how you normally look, and the photograph has to represent you as you are. Trying to edit the bruise out is not the answer either — changing the facial image is itself a rejection.
Eye patches: permanent yes, temporary no
The standards address patches directly. Where a person is visually impaired or blind, the office may accept the photo if their eyes are shut. It may also accept permanent or long-term eye patches, but not temporary eye patches. That single sentence is the clearest statement of the dividing line: the same object is acceptable or not depending on whether it is a lasting condition or a short-term one. Anyone with a temporary patch after a minor procedure should plan to retake the photo once it is off.
Tinted glasses must come off
In the same section, the standard adds that customers must remove tinted glasses. So a photo that hides the eyes behind tinted lenses is out even where there is a medical need — unlike a permanent eye patch, which may be accepted. The general glasses rules are covered elsewhere; the point here is that "medical" does not automatically mean "tinted lenses are fine".
Disability and exemption
A different track applies where a physical or mental disability prevents someone from meeting the photo standards. They may be exempt if either it is clear from the photo or the application that they have such a disability, or their application is supported by a written statement from the customer, a parent, a carer or a doctor. Note the shape of this: it is about a lasting condition that makes the standard unmeetable, evidenced in writing — not about a short-term injury that will heal. The two do not overlap.
How the timeline works in practice
Because the rule turns on duration, the practical question is simple: will this be gone soon? If yes, it is a temporary injury and the photo waits. If the condition is permanent or long-term, it may fall under an allowed exception or the disability exemption, in which case take the photo and, where needed, attach the written statement. If you are unsure which side a condition falls on, do not guess — ask the passport office, because submitting a photo that is later rejected costs more time than waiting a week or two to heal.
What this does not cover
This page is about the time dimension — temporary versus permanent. It does not list the full set of permanent medical allowances, which is a separate subject, and it does not cover how to replace a photo after a rejection. If a photo has already been refused, work through the steps for after a rejection.
60-second check
- ☐ No temporary injury visible (bruise, black eye, swelling, plaster, fresh scar)
- ☐ If you wear an eye patch, is it permanent or long-term? Temporary patches are not accepted
- ☐ Tinted glasses removed for the photo
- ☐ If a lasting disability prevents meeting the standards, is there a written statement?
- ☐ Honest photo — not a bruise edited out
Frequently asked questions
Can I take a passport photo with a black eye?
No. Photos of a customer with temporary injuries, for example black eyes, must not be accepted. Wait until you have healed and retake the photo.
What counts as temporary?
Anything that will heal or pass — a bruise, swelling, a plaster over a cut or a recent procedure. The rule is about duration: temporary things are not accepted, lasting ones may be.
Can I wear an eye patch in a passport photo?
Permanent or long-term eye patches may be accepted; temporary eye patches may not. If you are visually impaired or blind and your eyes are shut, the photo may be accepted.
Can I wear tinted glasses for medical reasons?
No. Customers must remove tinted glasses for the photo.
Can I edit out a bruise or a plaster?
No. Changing the facial image is itself a reason for rejection, so editing is not a way around the temporary-injury rule.
What if a lasting condition prevents me meeting the standards?
A physical or mental disability that prevents meeting the photo standards may bring an exemption, where it is clear from the photo or application, or supported by a written statement from the customer, a parent, a carer or a doctor.
Related: lasting conditions and allowances are on the medical exceptions page; the reasons a photo fails are in top rejection reasons, and the recency window is explained in photo validity. Validate a healed photo with the passport photo checker.