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United Kingdom driving licence photo requirements

The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (GOV.UK) for the United Kingdom driving licence, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 10 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the United Kingdom driving licence photo?

Applying to DVLA online, you can often reuse the photo from your valid UK passport or upload a new one. Postal applications on form D1 need one recent printed passport-type photo, which GOV.UK ties to the passport print rules: 35 x 45 mm, head 29 to 34 mm from chin to crown, plain cream or light grey background, in colour. A photocard has to be renewed every 10 years. Northern Ireland licences come from the DVA and need a photo taken within the last month.

In Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales), driving licences are issued by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). Northern Ireland has its own licensing body, the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA), with its own photo guidance.

You need to supply a photo when you apply for your first provisional licence, when your photocard comes up for its 10-year renewal, when you want to change the photo, when you exchange an old paper licence for a photocard, and in some replacement and name-change applications made by post. Updating your photo always means renewing the licence: DVLA issues a new card.

Most applications can be made online after signing in. DVLA's photo service says that if you hold a valid UK passport it may be able to use your passport photo on the licence; otherwise, or if you want a new picture, you upload one. Postal applications use the D1 pack of forms from a Post Office, and GOV.UK links its request for a "passport type photo" straight to HM Passport Office's rules for printed photos, so those are the standard to follow.

United Kingdom driving licence photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (GOV.UK):[1]

Print size35 x 45 mm passport-type print for postal applications
Head height29 to 34 mm from chin to crown (the passport print rules GOV.UK links to)
BackgroundPlain cream or light grey for postal prints (passport print rules)
ColourColour
Photo ageRecent; the passport rules DVLA links to, and the NI DVA, both say the last month
Print qualityProfessional standard on plain white photo paper, no border, creases or tears
Pixels when printed413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
35 mm45 mm29–34 mm
35 × 45 mm photo drawn to scale, with the 29–34 mm head height from chin to crown. Background: plain cream or light grey for postal prints.

In the official words

Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:

Your photos must be: ... unaltered by computer software

Get a passport photo: Printed photos[5]

don't crop your photo - it will be done for you

The photo for your driving licence[6]

not be a cut down version of a larger picture

Get a passport photo: Printed photos[5]

Key requirements

  • Passport photo or upload

    Online, DVLA may be able to put the photo from your valid UK passport on your licence. If you want a different picture, or the photo on your licence has expired, you upload a new one; on a computer you may first need to move the picture across from your phone.

  • Postal photos follow the passport print rules

    For the D1 form, GOV.UK asks for a recent printed passport-type photo and links that phrase to HM Passport Office's printed photo rules: 45 mm high by 35 mm wide, a head of 29 to 34 mm, a plain cream or light grey background, colour and a professional-quality print.

  • New photo every 10 years

    A photocard licence has to be renewed every 10 years, and DVLA sends a reminder before it ends. The same renewal is how you change your photo at any other time, whether the licence is full or provisional.

  • When the photo must be signed

    A first application by post needs someone to sign both the form and the photo, unless you proved your identity with a valid UK passport number or a UKVI share code, or agreed to DVLA checking with HM Passport Office. Renewing with a new photo needs no signature, and GOV.UK's postal renewal instructions say not to sign the back of the photo.

  • Who can sign it

    The signer must hold a valid GB photocard driving licence, live in the UK, know you personally, and be neither a relative nor someone living at your address. Suitable people include a teacher, lawyer, librarian, shopkeeper, police officer, bank staff member, civil servant or minister of religion. DVLA will contact the person who signs.

  • Northern Ireland follows DVA rules

    DVA asks for a photo taken within the last month, online or printed. Printed photos must be 45 mm high by 35 mm wide on a light grey or cream background, and DVA says not to trim photos to reach that size.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Write your 9-digit UK passport number on form D1 if you hold a valid passport.
  • Let the online service check whether your passport photo can be reused.
  • Use a booth or studio print for a postal application.
  • Get the D1 pack from a Post Office that handles DVLA photocard renewals.
  • Return your old photocard to DVLA when the new licence arrives.

Don't

  • Do not sign the back of the photo on a postal renewal.
  • Do not ask a relative or someone at your address to sign for you.
  • Do not send your physical passport as proof of identity.
  • Do not quote the number of an expired passport.
  • Do not trim a bigger print down to 35 x 45 mm.

Sample photos

How a United Kingdom driving licence photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 35 × 45 mm, head height and background colour.

Correct
Open-mouth smile
Head tilted
Too close: head too big
Too far: head too small
Busy background
Shadows on face or background
Glare on glasses

Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.

Glasses

For a postal DVLA application, the passport print rules apply: wear glasses only if you have to, never sunglasses or tinted lenses, and keep the frames, glare and reflections clear of your eyes.

DVA in Northern Ireland asks you to take your glasses off if you can. If you keep them on for a digital photo, your eyes must be visible without glare or reflections, and a printed photo must have no frame or hair across your eyes.

Headwear and religious dress

Hats and head coverings are out unless you wear them for religious or medical reasons, under both the passport rules DVLA links to and DVA's own guidance. Whatever you wear, nothing may cover your face, and your full head should be shown.

In Great Britain, online applications use either your passport photo or an uploaded image, while postal applications on form D1 take one printed passport-type photo. GOV.UK does not publish a separate DVLA photo standard; for prints it points to the passport rules.

DVA in Northern Ireland sets out both formats. Renewals and provisional licences can be done online with a digital photo or by post with a print, but exchanging a licence from another country is postal only. For a digital photo, use a plain light-coloured background with no pattern or texture and nothing behind you, stand about 0.5 metres (1.5 feet) from the background with the photographer about 1.5 metres (5 feet) away, include your head, shoulders and upper body, and do not crop the picture. You can also buy a photo with a photo code at participating outlets for a fee. Printed photos should come from a booth or studio, because home prints are unlikely to be good enough.

Where to submit the photo

GB applications go through DVLA: online after signing in, where you may be asked to prove your identity with photo ID; at a Post Office that offers photocard renewal, taking your reminder letter or current photocard (not possible if your name has changed); or by post with the D1 pack sent to DVLA in Swansea.

In Northern Ireland, you apply to DVA online or with a paper form. A printed photo must be certified on the back by an authorised person if you prove your identity with documents other than an up-to-date UK or EEA passport, an eVisa or a UK travel document. Digital photos are never certified.

How to get your United Kingdom driving licence photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the United Kingdom driving licence: 35 × 45 mm print, plain cream or light grey for postal prints background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: passport photo or upload; postal photos follow the passport print rules; new photo every 10 years; when the photo must be signed.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. In Great Britain, online applications use either your passport photo or an uploaded image, while postal applications on form D1 take one printed passport-type photo.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. GB applications go through DVLA: online after signing in, where you may be asked to prove your identity with photo ID; at a Post Office that offers photocard renewal, taking your reminder letter or current photocard (not possible if your name has changed)…

Make this photo online

United Kingdom driving licence photo FAQ

A printed photo for a postal DVLA application is passport size: 35 mm wide and 45 mm high, with a head of 29 to 34 mm from chin to crown, as set out in the HM Passport Office print rules GOV.UK links to. Online applications use your passport photo or an uploaded image instead.

Often, yes. DVLA's online photo service says it may be able to use your passport photo if you have a valid UK passport. If you want to change your photo, or the one on your licence has expired, you upload a new picture during the application.

Only for some postal applications. A first application needs the form and photo signed by a suitable person unless you proved your identity with a UK passport number or a share code. Renewing your licence with a new photo needs no signature, and you should not sign the back of a renewal photo yourself.

You renew the licence, full or provisional, and DVLA sends a new card with the new photo. Online you can reuse your passport photo or upload one; by post you include a recent printed passport-type photo with the D1 forms. Online renewal is not possible if your name or title has changed.

Every 10 years. A photocard driving licence must be renewed every 10 years, and DVLA sends a reminder before your current licence ends. You can renew sooner if you want to update the picture.

Northern Ireland licences are issued by DVA, which publishes its own rules. Photos must be taken within the last month. Digital photos need a plain light-coloured background and should not be cropped; printed photos are 45 mm high by 35 mm wide on light grey or cream and must not be trimmed to size.

For an online application you can upload a photo you took, and DVA in Northern Ireland suggests getting a friend to take it. For a postal application, the passport print rules ask for a professional-standard print, and DVA warns that photos printed at home are unlikely to be good enough.

Related photo specifications

Other United Kingdom documents

Driving licences nearby

Also 35 × 45 mm

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Official sources

  1. Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (GOV.UK). Change the photo on your driving licence gov.uk. Checked 1 November 2026.
  2. Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (GOV.UK). Renew your driving licence gov.uk. Checked 1 November 2026.
  3. Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (GOV.UK). Identity documents needed for a driving licence application gov.uk. Checked 1 November 2026.
  4. Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (GOV.UK). Apply for your first provisional driving licence gov.uk. Checked 1 November 2026.
  5. HM Passport Office (GOV.UK). Get a passport photo: Printed photos gov.uk. Checked 1 November 2026.
  6. Driver and Vehicle Agency (nidirect). The photo for your driving licence nidirect.gov.uk. Checked 1 November 2026.
  7. Driver and Vehicle Agency (nidirect). Having your photo certified for a driving licence nidirect.gov.uk. Checked 1 November 2026.
  8. Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (GOV.UK). Driving licence fees gov.uk. Checked 1 November 2026.
  9. Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (GOV.UK). Renew your driving licence if you're 70 or over gov.uk. Checked 1 November 2026.
  10. Driver and Vehicle Agency (nidirect). Renew your driving licence (Northern Ireland) nidirect.gov.uk. Checked 1 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (GOV.UK) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"United Kingdom driving licence photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/united-kingdom/driving-licence-photo

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