UK Driving Licence Photo — When You Need One, Who Takes It, and Whether to Sign the Back
Renewing a UK driving licence is not the same as renewing a passport. Online, the DVLA usually takes your passport number instead of a fresh photo; on paper you send a recent printed passport-type photo — and you do not sign the back. This guide covers the 10-year renewal cycle, the three prices, the identity route, and the printed photo size you need when a photo is asked for. Verified against gov.uk, September 2026.
The 15-second answer
- Renew every 10 years — you get a reminder before the licence ends.
- Online renewal uses your identity documents, normally a valid UK passport (type the 9-digit number; do not post the passport).
- Paper / Post Office: send a recent printed passport-type photo — do not sign the back.
- Printed photo: 45 mm high × 35 mm wide; head 29–34 mm crown-to-chin.
- Price: £14 online / £21.50 at a Post Office / £17 by post; replacement £20.
- Name or signature changed? You cannot renew online — apply by post (name change) or by post/Post Office (signature).
Renewal, not a passport: the 10-year cycle
A photocard licence runs in 10-year cycles: gov.uk says you “must renew a photocard licence every 10 years” and you “will receive a reminder before your current licence ends”. To renew you must be a resident of Great Britain and not be disqualified from driving. A useful detail: your new licence is valid from the date your application is approved, not from your old licence’s expiry date.
Online renewal: you usually do not send a photo at all
This is where a driving licence differs most from a passport. On the online route, identity is proven with existing documents rather than a fresh picture: “If you have a valid UK passport, write the 9-digit passport number on the application form. Do not send your physical passport.” The same source rules out a stale document: “You cannot use the passport number of a passport that has expired.” If you do not hold a UK passport, you use a share code from the “view and prove your immigration status” service, again without posting an identity document. For how long a passport must be valid, see the photo validity guide and the UK passport photo page.
When a printed photo is required — and the signing rule
On the paper route, the list of things to include names the photo explicitly: “a recent printed passport type photo (do not sign the back of the photo)”. That instruction is the reverse of what people expect from passport countersignature, so read it literally — the back stays blank. If you are instead applying for a passport on a paper form, the photo rules are the passport rules: gov.uk asks for “2 identical printed photos” that “measure 45 millimetres (mm) high by 35mm wide” — “the standard size used in photo booths in the UK”.
The printed photo, in full
The same specification lists the rest of the requirements, and they are worth checking off one by one:
- Head height: “The image of you — from the crown of your head to your chin — must be between 29mm and 34mm high.”
- Not a crop: it must “not be a cut down version of a larger picture” — so never scale or trim a bigger shot to fit.
- Print quality: “printed to a professional standard”, in colour on plain white photographic paper with no border, without creases or tears.
- Unmarked: unmarked on both sides unless a photo needs to be countersigned, and unaltered by computer software.
- Background: taken against a plain cream or light grey background.
The head-height band is the one people miss; the conversion is explained in the head size and eye line guide. Print to spec with the printing guide, and crop a full-size original rather than shrinking a small one using the image cropper.
Prices, replacement and the Post Office
The three renewal prices are fixed by channel: “Renewing your licence online costs £14”, a Post Office application carries “the £21.50 fee”, and by post you send “a cheque or postal order for £17” payable to DVLA (no fee if you are 70 or over, or hold a medical short-period licence). Replacing a licence is a separate service: “A new licence costs £20” and, if you apply online, “your licence should arrive within a week”; you send the old licence to DVLA, Swansea SA99 1AB. A first provisional licence is £34 online or £43 by post, and you must be at least 15 years and 9 months old, able to read a number plate from 20 metres, and have had permission to live in Great Britain for at least 185 days.
When you cannot renew online
Two changes force you off the online service, and they differ: gov.uk states that if your signature has changed, “you must apply by post or at a Post Office”, while if your name or title has changed, “you can only apply by post”. Plan for the slower route if either applies to you — and note that a photo may be requested on that paper route, which brings the signing rule back into play.
60-second UK driving licence check
- ☐ Renewing on a 10-year cycle; reminder expected
- ☐ Online: UK passport number (9 digits) or immigration share code — no photo, no posted passport
- ☐ Paper/Post Office: recent printed passport-type photo, back left unsigned
- ☐ Printed photo 45 × 35 mm; head 29–34 mm; not a cut-down crop
- ☐ Colour, white photo paper, no border, plain cream or light grey background
- ☐ Name/signature changed? Use post (name) or post/Post Office (signature)
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a new photo to renew my UK driving licence online?
Usually not. Online renewal is done with your identity documents — normally a valid UK passport, whose 9-digit number you type in — rather than a new photo. You cannot use the passport number of an expired passport.
What photo do I send if I renew or apply on paper?
A recent printed passport-type photo — and you must not sign the back of it. If you are applying for a passport on a paper form, use two identical printed photos at 45 mm high by 35 mm wide.
How big is a UK driving licence / paper passport photo?
The printed photo is 45 mm high by 35 mm wide — the standard size used in UK photo booths — and must not be a cut-down version of a larger picture. Your head, from the crown to the chin, must be 29 mm to 34 mm high.
Can I renew my driving licence online if my name or signature has changed?
No. If your signature has changed you must apply by post or at a Post Office. If your name or title has changed you can only apply by post.
How often do I renew a photocard licence, and what does it cost?
You renew a photocard licence every 10 years. Online it costs £14, at a Post Office £21.50, and by post £17 (no fee if you are 70 or over, or on a medical short-period licence). A replacement licence costs £20.
What background and paper must the photo have?
It must be taken against a plain cream or light grey background, and printed in colour on plain white photographic paper with no border, without creases or tears, and unaltered by computer software.
Official source: gov.uk — renew-driving-licence, replace-a-driving-licence, apply-first-provisional-driving-licence, id-for-driving-licence, and photos-for-passports/photo-requirements (all retrieved 2026-09-27). Confidence A (official text, quoted verbatim). The DVLA, not HM Passport Office, runs driving licences; the photo specification quoted is the passport photo page that the licence pages link to.
Related: take or print the photo with the how-to-take guide, the printing guide and the app vs professional guide. See why photos are refused in rejection reasons, and validate a finished image with the passport photo checker.