UK Passport Photo: 35x45 mm, Made Free
A UK passport photo is 35 x 45 mm with the head, chin to crown, between 29 and 34 mm, against a plain cream or light grey background. For the online renewal service the digital photo must be at least 600 x 750 pixels. This tool takes a normal front-on photo, replaces the background, scales your head into the 29 to 34 mm band and outputs a 900 x 1157 pixel file that clears the size requirement comfortably, plus a printable sheet for the paper route. Free, private, in your browser.
The first run loads the AI model into your browser, a one-time download of about 209 MB, and stashes it away like an acorn. One-time setup: every later visit starts instantly.
How to use it
Drop in a front-facing photo
Stand facing the camera against any background, with your head and shoulders in frame and some space above your hair. A phone photo taken by someone else, at eye level, in daylight, is ideal. The photo is processed on your device and never uploaded.
The layout is measured, not guessed
The tool finds your eyes and chin, estimates the top of your hair, swaps the background for the required colour, and scales and crops so the head size and position land inside the official ranges. A checklist shows each measurement and whether it passes.
Download the photo or a print sheet
You get the single digital photo at the required pixel size, and a 4 x 6 inch sheet with several copies and cut guides, which any photo kiosk or drugstore prints for well under a dollar. That is the part photo booths charge fifteen dollars for.
How this runs without a server
Every other tool in this category works the same way: you upload your image, a GPU in a data centre somewhere runs the model, and the result comes back. That architecture is why they all have credits, watermarks and sign-up walls. Someone has to pay for that GPU, and it is metered by the second.
This page does it differently. When you drop in an image, your browser loads the AI model itself and runs it locally. If your browser supports WebGPU, the model runs on your own graphics hardware, which is typically five to sixty times faster than the CPU fallback. If it does not, we fall back to WebAssembly, which is slower but works everywhere.
Two things follow from that, and they are the entire reason this site exists. First, your photo never goes anywhere: it is read into a canvas in your tab and stays in your device's memory until you close it. There is no upload endpoint on this domain to send it to. Second, our cost per image is zero, so the free tier is not a loss-leader with a trapdoor in it. It is just what the thing costs to run, which is nothing.
The model file is cached by your browser after the first download. That is the one wait you have to sit through, and it only happens once per browser. After that the tool works with your network disconnected, which is a decent way to prove to yourself that nothing is being sent.
Checking that for yourself
You do not have to take our word for it, and you should not. Open your browser's developer tools, go to the Network tab, and use the tool. You will see the model coming down. You will not see your image going up, because it never does. Then turn your wifi off: once the model is loaded, the tool keeps working with no network at all, which is not something we could fake. We walk you through both checks here.
Your photo stays on your device.
Not "deleted after 24 hours". Not "encrypted in transit". Never sent. Here is how we prove it.
The official UK requirements at a glance
| Photo size | 35 x 45 mm |
|---|---|
| Head height (chin to crown) | 29 to 34 mm |
| Background | Plain cream or light grey |
| Digital size | 900 x 1157 pixels (what this tool outputs) |
| Print resolution | 300 DPI |
Digital photos must be at least 600x750 pixels. The head (chin to crown) must be 29 to 34 mm of the 45 mm height.
Frequently asked questions
What are the UK passport photo rules?
35 x 45 mm, head height 29 to 34 mm from chin to crown, plain cream or light grey background, neutral expression with your mouth closed, eyes open and visible, no hair across your eyes, nothing behind you. HMPO's online service also runs automated checks on the digital file, which is why the framing numbers matter and not just the look.
Does the UK accept white backgrounds?
The guidance says plain cream or light grey. Pure white often passes in practice but grey is the safer choice, so that is what this tool composites for the UK format. It is one fewer reason for the automated check to hesitate.
Can I use a phone photo for the online renewal?
Yes, gov.uk explicitly supports photos taken at home. Someone else should take it, from about a metre and a half, at eye level, in daylight, no flash shadows. This tool then handles the crop, the head size and the background, and the file it produces is above the 600 x 750 pixel minimum the service requires.
Is my photo uploaded to make this?
No. Both models involved, the one that removes the background and the one that finds your facial features, are downloaded into your browser and run there. For a photo of your face destined for an official document, that is not a small point: nothing about your face ever reaches us or anyone else.
Will my photo definitely be accepted?
No tool can promise that, and you should distrust any that does. This produces a photo with the correct dimensions, head size, eye position and background, which covers the reasons photos usually bounce. Acceptance is still the issuing authority's call, and rules like expression, glasses and head coverings are yours to meet when the photo is taken.