UK VISA PHOTO

Prepare a digital photo for a UK visa application

Photos are processed in your browser. They are never uploaded to any server.

For the UK digital route covered here, use a vertical JPG or JPEG that is at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall. Its file size must be from 50 kB to 6 MB. The photo must be clear, in colour and unaltered. There is no millimetre size to convert for this route.

Open the UK digital photo preset

The current digital file rules

The UK Visas and Immigration guidance lists four format checks: at least 600 × 750 pixels, 50 kB to 6 MB, JPG or JPEG, and vertical orientation. The image must not be mirrored or flipped.

Visa Photo Prep exports 600 × 750 pixels, the minimum stated dimensions. Its UK preset has no print-sheet option because the cited route does not give a physical size.

What needs to be in the frame?

Show your head, shoulders and upper body against a plain light-coloured background. Face and look straight at the camera. Keep a plain expression, close your mouth and make sure both eyes are open and visible.

No other person or object should appear. The guidance says the image cannot be a scan or a photo of another photo. It also must not be the same photograph used in your passport or identity card.

Take the photo before opening an editor

Use a well-lit room. Stand far enough from the background to avoid a shadow, and ask another person to take the photo if possible. Keep the camera level. A phone or tablet is allowed.

Do you wear glasses? The official page says not to wear them unless you have to. If you do, the lenses cannot be tinted, and the frames, glare, reflections or shadows cannot cover your eyes.

Do not add a filter, replace the face, smooth skin or otherwise alter the image. The guidance specifically says the photo must not be changed by software or other means.

Crop without inventing a head ratio

The UK page does not state a numerical chin-to-crown percentage for this route. Visa Photo Prep therefore does not show a numerical head-height target in the UK preset. It keeps the instruction that the head, shoulders and upper body must be visible.

1. Select United Kingdom, Visa / permission · digital photo.
2. Add the original photo and check that it is upright.
3. Move and zoom it inside the 600 × 750 frame. Keep the head, shoulders and upper body visible.
4. Check the background, focus, expression, eyes, shadows and orientation yourself.
5. Create the JPG, open the downloaded file and confirm its dimensions and appearance.

Common mistakes are visible before upload

A file can be 600 × 750 and still fail as a photograph. Look for soft focus, a dark or patterned wall, another person's shoulder, a tilted camera, red eye, hair covering the eyes, or a crop that removes the shoulders.

Also check that the file is not under 50 kB. Extreme compression can make the face blocky even when the dimensions remain correct. If the image has already been passed through several messaging apps, start again from the camera original.

UK Visas and Immigration guidance published February 12, 2026 and reviewed for this page September 20, 2026. Recheck the linked page before applying.