Are you a newly minted driver who can’t wait to get your permit? Or you just need a renewal of your old driver’s ID? Well, there is an important task you have to do before you get your new permit - prepare your official photo. And there are certain driving licence photo rules you have to follow to make an acceptable image.
In this guide, you will find all the DVLA photo requirements for the driver’s photo: dimensions, resolution, background colour, and more. You will also receive some recommendations on how to take your pic to ease the process. What’s more, we will show you a tool that can help you prepare your picture without leaving the comfort of your home. It will be useful even if you need a photo for your provisional driving licence. Let’s dive in, shall we?
Prepare your driving licence photo for the UK in a few moments. Make them yourself with a handy ID photo maker!
UK Driving Licence Photo Requirements & Dimensions
DVLA in the United Kingdom has a set of specifications regarding driver’s licence picture. If your image does not follow all of them, your driver permit application will be rejected. So it’s better to know them even if you are taking your picture at a photo studio. The following requirements are mandatory for both full and provisional licence photos.
Dimensions of your picture should be 35x45mm
Your head has to be 29-34mm high in your photo
There must be a distance of 3-5mm from the top of your image to the top of your head
Your picture has to be in colour
Background of your official picture has to be light-grey or cream coloured
Resolution of your photo must be 600dpi
Your pic must not be modified by photo editors
Your photo has to be taken within 1 month before your application
Authorized person has to verify your identity in your picture if you are not a resident of any of the EEA countries and don’t have a UK Biometric Residence Permit or a UK travel document
You don’t need anyone to sign your photo if you are sending a digital copy of it or renewing your driver’s licences
We have gone over all the UK driving licence photo requirements regarding sizes, background, and resolution. But here are some more guidelines that are also compulsory:
Look toward the camera and keep a neutral facial expression
Don't smile, don't turn away
Keep your eyes open and avoid the red-eye effect
Make sure the photo displays your eyes correctly
Center your face and make sure it’s clearly visible and has no shades on it or around
Uncover your face and make sure it's in the center of the picture
Don’t have headwear on unless worn for religious reasons
Take off hats and accessories
Don’t wear glasses if they are not prescribed to you, take off tinted glasses
Take off tinted glasses, or unprescribed clear ones
Print your photo in colour and make sure it’s of good quality
Make sure your picture is of good quality and in colour
Avoid having other people and objects in the frame, or patterns in the background
Make sure there are no other people, objects or details in the background
Still feel lost about taking a photo for your driving licence? Check out the official DVLA website if you want the driving licence photo requirements and the process of taking your pic to be explained to you in more detail.
!PLEASE NOTE:
You’ll need to submit the following documents to get or renew a driving licence: a photo (if you had a paper provisional licence), a declaration on your driving test pass certificate, a D1 form, an identity document in case you don’t have a UK passport, and your provisional licence. For other cases, such as replacing a stolen document or applying for the first provisional licence, find the list of documents on the UK government’s official website.
How to Make a Good Driving Licence Photo Yourself
There are a lot of photo services that can take your credentials picture today. Don’t have a photo studio anywhere close to your home? Don’t feel like driving anywhere far? There is a handy tool called Passport Photo Maker for your convenience. You can use it to prepare your driving photo right at home and make sure it complies with all the UK driving licence photo requirements. Thanks to this software’s diversity of picture templates, you can make ID images for 130+ countries in a couple of clicks. Hit the button below to try the easy-to-use tool for free.
Looking for a program to make licence photos yourself? Prepare them at home with Passport Photo Maker!
Now that you have Passport Photo Maker at hand, you’re ready to move on to the tutorial to see how to update a driving licence photo or prepare your first picture on your own.
Step 1. Open Your Photo in Passport Photo Maker
Run the software. Once you are on the startup screen, select your full or provisional licence photo in the left tab to start working on it.
Import your image or use your webcam to take it in the program
Step 2. Choose the Auto-Crop Template
Stay on the ID Type tab and browse the country drop-down menu to find the United Kingdom. Then go to the ID menu and select Driving Licence. Passport Photo Maker will apply the necessary photo template in an instant and auto-crop your picture to comply with all the UK driving licence photo size requirements.
Find the template of the UK driving licence photo
Step 3. Change the Background or Clothes
Want to look more formal in your driving licence pictures? Go to the Edit tab, click Replace Clothes, and you will be able to choose a new formal outfit from the program’s digital wardrobe of male and female clothes. If you took your photo against an inappropriately coloured background, you can fix that digitally by changing the picture’s backdrop. While on the Edit tab, select the Change Background tool and pick the colour that you need.
Make a grey or cream background
Step 4. Print or Save Your Picture
Whether you’re submitting the image to DVLA to change the photo or applying for your first driving licence, you’ll need to print off the picture. Move on to the Print tab and select the paper format you want your picture to be printed on, the number of copies you need and hit the Print Photos button. In case you are from a country outside the UK and EEA, save your image on your PC to use the driving licence photo in the online application.
Print or export your picture
And here you go! That is all you have to know to create a 100% compliable UK driving licence picture with Passport Photo Maker. The program also has a great selection of other templates in case you are planning to apply for other IDs any time soon. Need to make your first UK passport or renew your driving licence photo? Make sure to check the UK passport photo requirements before you take your official picture and then, use Passport Photo Maker to quickly prepare it for your application.
Install Passport Photo Maker to prepare pictures for a driving licence in an instant!
What are the requirements for a driving licence photo UK?
According to the driving licence photo guidelines, your picture has to be in colour, have a plain light-grey or cream coloured background, and have 35x45mm dimensions. Find out more rules here. The photo can be required for:
Applying for provisional driving licence
Driving licence renewal
Exchanging a foreign driving licence
Do I need a new photo on my driving licence?
You have to change the driving licence photo every 10 years. The new picture should be taken within the last 30 days. If your photo expired, renew the licence here.
Can I smile in my driver's licence photo UK?
No, you should not smile. In photos for a provisional or full driving licence, you have to look straight into the camera with a neutral face expression. Make sure to keep your eyes open, center your face, and avoid shadows.
Want to prepare photos for your UK driving licence?
Create your document pictures in a flash with Passport Photo Maker!
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