UK Visa Face Photo

A UK visa or permission application uses its own face-photo rules, separate from the passport photo. This guide sets out the quality, formatting and content requirements, including the rules with no passport equivalent: no mirroring, a 6MB cap, and a ban on reusing your passport photo. Based on GOV.UK guidance published 12 February 2026.

This is not the passport photo

The UK gives its rules for a visa or permission application face photo on a separate official page from the passport photo. They are close cousins, but not identical — and a few rules here have no equivalent in the passport guidance at all. This page covers the visa side. Based on GOV.UK guidance published 12 February 2026.

The three groups of rules

Quality. The photo must be clear and in focus, in colour, and taken in a well-lit room. It must not be altered by computer software or by any other means — the guidance gives adding a filter as the example.

Formatting. These are the hard, checkable numbers:

What the photo must show. No other people or objects; a plain light-coloured background with clear contrast; no red eye; your head, shoulders and upper body. The photo can be from a phone or tablet.

What the photo must not be

• a scan, or a photo of another photo of you;
• containing other objects or people;
• the same photo of you that is in your passport or identity card;
• of your identity document — it must be of you.

In the photo you must face and look straight at the camera, with a plain expression and your mouth closed, eyes open and visible, no hair in front of your eyes, no shadows on your face or behind you, no head covering unless for religious or medical reasons, and your shoulders and torso clothed.

The single most useful tip

The guidance is explicit: You should try to arrange for another person to take your photo. This will help reduce the chance of having your photo rejected. A hand-held selfie is the opposite of that advice — our passport photo at home guide covers the practical setup. Glasses should not be worn unless you have to; if you must, they cannot be sunglasses or tinted, and your eyes must not be covered by frames, glare, reflection or shadow.

Babies and children

The same page sets the child rules: children must be alone in the picture, and babies must not hold toys or use dummies. Children under 6 need not look directly at the camera or hold a plain expression; children under one need not have their eyes open, may have their head supported by a hand kept out of frame, and should lie on a plain light-coloured sheet photographed from above.

Related guides

Compare the two UK tracks in UK passport vs visa photo, see the general digital file requirements and image metadata notes, and read US visa photo requirements for the US equivalent. Check the finished file with the passport photo checker.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use the same photo for my visa and my passport?
No. The visa guidance says the photo must not be the same photo of you that is in your passport or identity card.

Why must a UK visa photo not be mirrored?
The formatting rules require a vertically orientated photo that is not mirrored or flipped; a front-camera selfie often saves a flipped image, so use another person to take it.

Can I take it on a phone?
Yes — the photo can be from a phone or tablet, and the guidance recommends having someone else take it to reduce rejections.

What is the file-size limit?
At least 50KB and no more than 6MB, as a jpg or jpeg, at least 600 x 750 pixels.

Can I upload a photo of my passport instead?
No. The photo must not be of your identity document; it must be of you.

Do children under 6 need a plain expression?
No. Children under 6 do not have to look directly at the camera or hold a plain expression.

Source: GOV.UK, “Take a photo of your face for a visa application or permission” (gov.uk/guidance/how-to-take-a-photo-for-a-visa-application-or-permission), published 12 February 2026; retrieved 2026-09-28. Rules change, so confirm the current guidance before you apply.