Digital passport photos

cherry76

Passport is due for renewal in August. Pl can somebody advise me how to take an acceptable digital passport photos? I remember with my current passport it needed to be certified and was done by post. What about certification if applying online? Thanks

aerostar

Photo guidence

https://www.gov.uk/photos-for-passports

You should not need certification see

https://www.gov.uk/countersigning-passport-applications

spenderdave

Most of the photo booths in supermarkets and elsewhere take photos with a code to be used for digital passport use - you find a code printed on the photo, just type it in the box and the system will find the photo somewhere on line. Very easy to use - except in my case it decided incorrectly that I had my mouth open...

Farway

cherry76 said:

Passport is due for renewal in August. Pl can somebody advise me how to take an acceptable digital passport photos? I remember with my current passport it needed to be certified and was done by post. What about certification if applying online? Thanks

I think the certification is for a first time, once you've done it they can just compare renewals

Indigo_and_Violet

It's pretty straightforward if you've got a digital camera or reasonable camera phone. You can take a selfie but it's easier to get someone else to take it so you don't have any arms etc in the shot. Stand against a white background with a neutral expression in reasonable light. Get someone to take some head shots (I had a selection from pretty close up to quite far away and think it ended up being the quite close ones that were the best fit). Upload them to the website. The website has an automated checker that isn't 100% (my head kept getting turned upside down, or like spenderdave being told there's a problem when there isn't) so it's useful to have a few options. Much easier (and cheaper!) than having to go to a booth. 

moneysavinghero

No need to get it certified if its a renewal. Personally i find the easiest option is the use the photobooths so you dont have to worry about getting the right background and the right light. You will get a code that you can use when you renew your passport online.

pbartlett

I can confirm I did this recently - went to Morrison's photo booth, paid the £7 by debit card, photos were taken then got a message saying photos passed biometric checks.

In the space of a couple of minutes the printed photos were dispensed and also a code which you can just use on the passport site

used google to find my nearest photo booth

Biggus_Dickus

Indigo_and_Violet said:

It's pretty straightforward if you've got a digital camera or reasonable camera phone. You can take a selfie but it's easier to get someone else to take it so you don't have any arms etc in the shot. Stand against a white background with a neutral expression in reasonable light. Get someone to take some head shots (I had a selection from pretty close up to quite far away and think it ended up being the quite close ones that were the best fit). Upload them to the website. The website has an automated checker that isn't 100% (my head kept getting turned upside down, or like spenderdave being told there's a problem when there isn't) so it's useful to have a few options. Much easier (and cheaper!) than having to go to a booth. 

Indeed;...if you’re able to take a digital photo (phone or camera) and are also able to ‘download’ said photo the easiest, quickest and cheapest way is to renew online.

You don’t need to be an expert photographer and the photo doesn’t need to be edited or cropped in any way. If the photographer and the subject have followed the simple rules that are listed on the Passport Office website you shouldn’t have a problem.

I’ve taken/downloaded about 6 passport renewal photos since 2018 and didn’t have a problem with any of them, and I’m certainly no expert photographer.

Once you’ve downloaded the photo the passport office ‘photo system’ will automatically examine/resize the photo and present it back to you along with a few questions. I’m doing this from memory now but the questions are along the lines of “are there any shadows covering the face?”... “are there any objects in the background?” etc. Answer the questions accurately and all should be well. If you have made a mistake with the photo and it’s rejected you can  simply try again.

Failing that it’s a trip to the photo-booth or wherever.

https://www.gov.uk/photos-for-passports

 

 

 

 

 

MalMonroe

Hi, Earlier this year I took my daughter's passport photo with her iphone. I'm not a photographer by any stretch of anyone's imagination! We took a few in different rooms so we could get the background right and to make sure there were no shadows on her face at all. 

She'd already started her online application and sent her expired passport off in the post, recorded delivery, with a special code number on the envelope and then she attached the digital photo to an email and sent that.

The passport office matched up her online form and expired passport and her new passport was issued. I was amazed that our home-taken photos were acceptable but they were and she was able to use the passport for ID purposes (no trips planned until covid's gone). 

Passport office kept her informed every step of the way, i.e. 'we've received your passport, please forward digital photo'. Didn't take more than four weeks for the whole thing to be done and received.

We were very impressed!

Tokmon

I took my last photo myself using the camera on my phone and standing against a white wall with just the natural light coming in through the window and it was accepted without any issues.
So definitely don't pay a photo booth because it's a complete waste of money for nothing you can't do yourself.