Passport and visa photo questions
Do I need a photo code for a UK passport?
No. A photo code is one of two ways to add a digital photo to an online UK passport application: a photo booth or shop takes the photo and gives you a code to enter. The other way is a photo taken on your own phone or camera, with someone helping you. You need one or the other, not both. A paper application uses printed photos and no code.
What the official page says
- You can get a digital photo from a photo booth or shop before you apply, or take one on your own device during your application.
- For a code, choose the code option at the booth or shop, then enter the code when the application asks for it.
- gov.uk says photos from a booth or shop are more likely to be approved than photos taken on your own device.
- Either way, the photo must be taken in the last month and meet the digital rules: at least 600 × 750 pixels, 50 KB to 10 MB, and a plain, light-coloured background.
Official pages read: October 2026 · Official source: gov.uk
How to do it with Complyshot
- Open Complyshot and choose “UK passport photo (online)”.
- Take the photo with someone holding the phone, against a plain, light-coloured wall.
- Read the result and fix anything flagged.
- Save the photo and upload it when the application asks for your photo, instead of entering a code.
Related questions
I live outside the UK. Where do I get a photo code?
Codes come only from photo booths and shops that offer them. If you cannot find one where you live, the online application also takes a photo from your own device, under the same rules.
Is a photo code worth paying for?
It can be if you want the best odds, because gov.uk says booth and shop photos are more likely to be approved. A photo from your own device is the other route; in Complyshot, checking it is free and saving the finished photo is a one-time purchase.
Check your photo in Complyshot
Complyshot checks your photo on your iPhone; the photo is not uploaded. Checking is free, and saving the finished photo is a one-time purchase, with no subscription.
Download on the App StoreComplyshot is made by YOTEZIC LTD and is not affiliated with any government. It checks what a phone can measure and cannot promise that your photo will be accepted; the issuing office decides.