UK Immigration ID Check App Photo

The ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app and the ‘EU Exit: ID Document Check’ app both ask you to photograph documents and yourself as part of identity verification. This guide lists exactly what the app captures, in what order, and flags what the guidance does not publish. Based on GOV.UK guidance last updated 20 March 2026 and 29 April 2026.

What the app does

The ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app completes the identity verification stage of your application. GOV.UK says it will “check that your identity document is genuine” and “verify that the document belongs to you”. You only use it after you start your application online at GOV.UK, and it is available in English only.

Which document you scan

For the immigration app you must use one of the following:

• your biometric passport from an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland;
• your biometric British National (Overseas) (BNO), Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) or European Economic Area (EEA) passport if you are applying for the BNO visa;
• your expired biometric residence permit (BRP) if your application route allows it — usable for 18 months after the expiry date printed on the card.

The EU Settlement Scheme has its own app. If you are applying to the EU Settlement Scheme you cannot use the immigration app; you use the ‘EU Exit: ID Document Check’ app instead, and that app takes a biometric passport from an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, or a UK residence card or residence permit with a biometric chip if you are the non-EU family member of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen.

Phones the app supports

Whichever phone you use, the app needs access to the camera; if it does not request access, you enable it in your settings. Your document must carry a biometric chip, and GOV.UK shows the e-passport symbol — a white circle with a horizontal line coming out of two sides, on a black background — as the sign the app can read it.

Step 1 — photograph your passport photo page

You “take a picture of the photo page of your passport using your phone’s camera”. Two conditions matter: the full page must be inside the frame, including the 2 lines of numbers and letters at the bottom of the page (the machine-readable zone), and the camera must be focused on the text. The EU Exit app words the same requirement as “the 2 lines of numbers at the bottom”. If you are having problems, GOV.UK suggests taking the photo at arm’s length. The app prompts you to adjust the phone, with the prompts in a text box at the top of the screen.

Step 2 — photograph your BRP, back then front

For a BRP the order is explicit: you “take a picture of the back of the card” first, with the full card inside the frame including the 3 lines of numbers and letters at the bottom of the card. Only then are you asked to take a picture of the front of the card.

Step 3 — read the biometric chip

You remove any cases or covers from your document and phone, select ‘check now’, and place the phone on top of your document. With the volume up you will hear a beep when the document is recognised. On a BRP the chip is on the back of the card: place the card chip-side up, and on newer BRPs the chip is not visible, so the top of the phone should cover the card without overlapping it. For HKSAR passports you place the phone on the back of the document. When the read succeeds the screen says ‘information checked’ and you must not move the phone until the check is complete. If the app does not recognise the document the check times out with ‘information not found’; move the phone slowly until it is recognised, or for a passport place the phone on the reverse cover or the photo page.

If the chip cannot be read

You can choose to confirm your identity another way. On the immigration app that means booking an appointment at a Visa Application Centre (VAC) or a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point. On the EU Exit app the response is different: GOV.UK says “we’ll ask you to send your passport to us”, returned by recorded delivery once your identity is checked.

Step 4 — scan your face

The screen flashes as it scans your face, and you hold the camera in front of your face until the scan is complete. If a flashing light may cause you difficulties you can skip this step and provide different evidence — go to the ‘Find out more’ menu and select ‘Skip this step’. If you are 9 or younger you will not be asked to scan your face.

Step 5 — take a photo of yourself

This is the app’s portrait photo, and it has its own wording. In the immigration app you must: be in even lighting against a plain, light-coloured background; keep your head straight and look directly at the camera; have a neutral expression with your eyes open and visible; and include your head, shoulders and upper body, extending your arms or asking someone to take the photo. You must not have anything covering your face or eyes, must not wear a head covering unless for religious or medical reasons, and must not have any shadows, objects or people behind you.

The EU Exit app states it more briefly: look straight into the camera; have a neutral expression and do not smile or frown; remove tinted glasses such as sunglasses; be well lit in neutral lighting; and have no other faces in the background.

What the app does not publish

Neither GOV.UK page gives a pixel dimension, DPI or file-size figure for the selfie or face scan taken inside the app. That specification is not published, so not asserted here. The in-app capture is its own step, distinct from the digital photo you upload for a passport application.

How this differs from a passport photo

These in-app captures are identity-verification actions, not the passport photo itself. The digital passport photo is governed by the separate GOV.UK photo rules, which require at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall, 50KB to 10MB, colour, unaltered by computer software, and a plain light-coloured background. Our digital file requirements and image metadata guides cover that file, and the passport photo at home guide covers the practical setup if you are photographing yourself for a passport.

Related guides

If a UK photo has already been turned down, start with rejected — next steps; if you are asked to override an online check, see online check override. Run any finished image through the passport photo checker, and compare the UK rules on the UK passport photo page.

Frequently asked questions

What do I photograph inside the ID Check app?
Your passport photo page, a BRP if that is your document, the biometric chip, your face and a photo of yourself.

Must the passport photo page include the two lines at the bottom?
Yes — the full page must be inside the frame, including the 2 lines of numbers and letters at the bottom of the page.

Which side of the BRP do I photograph first?
The back of the card first, including the 3 lines of numbers and letters at the bottom, then the front.

Does my phone need NFC?
Yes on Android — GOV.UK lists NFC so the app can scan your document; if you can pay contactless, your phone has it.

What happens if the chip cannot be read?
You can confirm your identity another way — the immigration app books a VAC or UKVCAS appointment; the EU Exit app asks you to post your passport.

Do children have to scan their face?
No — if you are 9 or younger you will not be asked to scan your face.

Sources: GOV.UK, “Using the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app” (gov.uk/guidance/using-the-uk-immigration-id-check-app), last updated 20 March 2026; GOV.UK, “Using the ‘EU Exit: ID Document Check’ app” (gov.uk/guidance/using-the-eu-exit-id-document-check-app), last updated 29 April 2026; retrieved 2026-09-28. Rules change, so confirm the current guidance before you apply.