UK Home Office (GOV.UK)
UK ETA photo requirements
You can apply for a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) in the UK ETA app, which photographs your face live with the phone camera and tells you if the photo fails, or through the GOV.UK online form, where you upload a photo of your face. Either way the photo must follow GOV.UK's digital photo rules for visa applications: a jpg or jpeg of at least 50 KB and no more than 6 MB, at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall, in portrait orientation.
Do not use the passport photo limits. GOV.UK's passport page allows up to 10 MB, but the ETA application links to the visa rules, which cap uploads at 6 MB, so a large phone photo can fail on size alone. The photo must also be unaltered by software or filters and not mirrored, so this page only checks your file: it confirms the format, the 50 KB–6 MB range and the minimum pixel size without changing anything.
Head position, expression, background, glasses and the rules for children are not something a file checker can judge — read them in the specification table and on GOV.UK before you upload.
Official source: gov.uk — Get an ETA: Apply (links to the digital photo rules for visa applications)
Application window: Year-round (apply before travel; a decision usually takes up to 3 working days)
Official source checked on 2026-08-24. This records when we compared our summary to the linked government page — not when the tool was QA-tested. Requirements can change; always confirm the current rules on the official page before you apply.
Reviewed by the ExactPic Editorial Team against the official source above. See how we verify requirements.
Specifications
- File format
- jpg or jpeg
- File size
- At least 50 KB and no more than 6 MB
- Minimum dimensions
- 600 px wide × 750 px tall, portrait (vertical) orientation
- Image quality
- Clear and in focus, in colour, taken in a well-lit room; not altered by software or filters; not mirrored
- Framing
- Head, shoulders and upper body visible; facing and looking straight at the camera
- Expression
- Plain expression, mouth closed; eyes open and visible; no hair over eyes; no shadows
- Glasses & head coverings
- No glasses unless medically necessary (no sunglasses, tinted lenses or glare); head coverings only for religious or medical reasons
- Background
- Plain light-coloured background with clear contrast; no other objects or people
- Source
- A photo of your face taken with a phone or tablet — not a scan or photo of an identity document
- Children
- Alone in the picture; under-6s exempt from the eye-contact and neutral-expression rules; under-1s may have eyes closed
- App route
- Photo taken live in the UK ETA app, which tells you if it fails the rules
Every value in this table is summarized from gov.uk — Get an ETA: Apply (links to the digital photo rules for visa applications) (UK Home Office (GOV.UK)), checked 2026-08-24. Confirm the current values on the official page before you apply.
Check your photo
The tool below is set to the official digital limits. Drop your photo in to check it against each requirement — nothing is uploaded or altered.
Check-only: GOV.UK requires the photo to be unaltered by software, so this page confirms the jpg/jpeg format, the 50 KB–6 MB range and the 600 × 750 px minimum without resizing, cropping or re-encoding. Upload the original to GOV.UK.
Drop an image here, or click to browse
JPG, PNG, WebP, HEIC (Safari/iOS only) — or paste / take a photo
Publishers: embed this checker on your site with one iframe.
- Auto-checked
- File size, pixel dimensions, and file format.
- You must verify yourself
- Head size and position, background, lighting, expression, and colour profile — the tool cannot judge these.
Passport photo page
The ETA application also needs your passport's photo page — a photo of it in the online form, or a scan in the app, which can read the chip of a biometric passport.
- Content
- The whole photo page of the passport, not blurry
- App
- Can scan the page and read the chip of biometric passports
- File limits
- None stated on the ETA pages
Compliance note. This checks the format, file-size range and minimum dimensions only. It does not judge head position, expression, lighting, background, glasses, or whether the Home Office will accept your photo.
Reviewed by ExactPic editorial against the official source on 2026-08-24. Spotted something out of date or wrong? Report an incorrect requirement.
Step by step
Take a photo of your face in a well-lit room
Use a phone or tablet, a plain light-coloured background, head and shoulders in frame, plain expression, mouth closed, no glasses unless medically necessary.
Do not edit, filter or mirror it
GOV.UK requires an unaltered photo. Keep the original file rather than a cropped or filtered copy.
Check the file below, then upload the original
Confirm it is a jpg/jpeg between 50 KB and 6 MB and at least 600 × 750 px, then upload it in the GOV.UK form — or take it live in the UK ETA app.
Private by design. Any photo you check here is processed entirely in your browser and never uploaded. ExactPic is not affiliated with UK Home Office (GOV.UK) and does not guarantee acceptance — always follow the official guidance.
Source change log
- 2026-08-25 — Page created from gov.uk/eta/apply and the linked GOV.UK guidance 'How to take a photo for a visa application or permission' (jpg/jpeg, 50 KB–6 MB, at least 600 × 750 px).
Other portals
Frequently asked questions
- What size photo do I need for a UK ETA?
- A jpg or jpeg of at least 50 KB and no more than 6 MB, at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall, in portrait orientation — the GOV.UK digital photo rules that the ETA application links to.
- Why is the UK ETA photo limit 6 MB when the passport photo allows 10 MB?
- They are different GOV.UK rules. The passport page allows 50 KB to 10 MB; the visa digital photo rules the ETA apply page links to allow 50 KB to 6 MB. Follow the 6 MB limit for an ETA upload.
- Can I use the UK ETA app instead of uploading a photo?
- Yes. The UK ETA app takes the photo of your face live with the phone camera and tells you if it fails the rules. The online GOV.UK form is the route where you upload a photo file.
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Official source checked: 2026-08-24