UK ETA Photo Requirements 2026 — Selfie Specs, Liveness Check and Common Rejection Reasons

Your UK ETA photo must meet the GOV.UK rules for digital photos: a plain, light-coloured background, no shadows and nothing covering your face. If your photo does not meet the rules, your application may be delayed or rejected, and you would need to apply again. This guide covers exactly the UK ETA photo requirements in 2026, including liveness check rules, common rejection reasons, and how to shoot a passing selfie at home.

The ETA guidance on GOV.UK links to the rules for digital photos for visa and permission applications. A plain white background meets these rules – there is no official requirement for an off-white background. Your ETA photo must be a new photo, not the same one as in your passport.

The Quick Answer — The 2026 Specification

UK ETA photo requirements 2026: front-facing full face, neutral expression with mouth closed, eyes open and looking at camera, no glasses unless you need them (never sunglasses or tinted), plain light-coloured background in clear contrast to your face (plain white is fine), a well-lit room with no shadows, head fills 70-80% of frame, and for online uploads a JPG or JPEG file of 50KB to 6MB, at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall, in portrait orientation, taken within 6 months. The app’s built-in camera handles 95% of these requirements for you automatically.

The background must be plain and light-coloured, in clear contrast to your face, with no shadows and no other objects or people. A plain white background meets these rules; the guidance does not require off-white, and there is no official rule that pure-white studio backgrounds are rejected. See more on ETA refusal reasons in ETA rejection and appeal.

The Liveness Check Explained

The UK ETA app photographs your passport photo page and, where possible, scans the chip; it then scans your face to confirm you are a real person (only for applicants aged 10 or over) and takes a photo of your face. Your facial image is submitted to the Home Office with your application and is typically kept for 3 years; the app itself does not keep any data once your application has been submitted.

This step was added in January 2026 to combat identity fraud after 1,400 fraudulent ETA applications were detected in 2025 using photographs of real but unaware individuals. The Home Office then compares your facial image with the photo in your passport.

Step by Step — How to Take a Compliant Photo

Step 1: stand 60cm from a plain off-white wall in a well-lit room with no shadows; Step 2: hold phone at eye level, 30cm from your face; Step 3: face the camera directly with neutral expression and closed mouth; Step 4: take the photo with the app’s own in-app camera; Step 5: complete the liveness check by following the head-turn prompts. Therefore, the entire process takes 60-90 seconds when done correctly.

The UK ETA app does not let you upload a photo from your phone’s gallery: you must take your photo with the camera in the app. If you want to upload an existing photo, apply online on GOV.UK instead, using a JPG or JPEG file at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall, between 50KB and 6MB, in portrait orientation.

Common Rejection Reasons in 2026

The Home Office does not publish a breakdown of photo rejection reasons, but the official rules make clear what to avoid: shadows on your face or behind you, a background that is not plain and light-coloured, glare or tinted lenses, a head covering not worn for religious or medical reasons, and anything covering your face. If your photo does not meet the rules, your application may be delayed or rejected.

Specifically, “shadow on one side” is the most subtle issue and the hardest to spot yourself. Helpfully, the app flags shadow before you submit. So listen to those warnings. For broader context on ETA mistakes, see ETA after passport renewal.

UK ETA Photo Rules at a Glance

UK ETA photos follow the GOV.UK rules for digital photos; online uploads must be a JPG or JPEG of 50KB to 6MB, at least 600 × 750 pixels.

Specification	Official rule
Background	Plain, light-coloured, in clear contrast to your face (plain white is fine)
Lighting	Well-lit room, no shadows on your face or behind you, no glare
Glasses	Only if you need them; no sunglasses or tinted lenses; eyes clearly visible
Head coverings	Only for religious or medical reasons; nothing may cover your face
Face scan	The app scans your face to confirm you are a real person (applicants aged 10 or over)
File format (online upload)	JPG or JPEG
File size (online upload)	50KB to 6MB
Resolution (online upload)	At least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall, portrait orientation
Editing	No software changes or filters; do not crop it yourself
Passport photo	Must not be the same photo as the one in your passport

Glasses, Hats and Religious Dress

Do not wear glasses in your ETA photo unless you need to: if you must wear them, they cannot be sunglasses or tinted glasses, and your eyes must be clearly visible, with no glare, reflection or shadow from the frames; head coverings are not allowed unless worn for religious or medical reasons, and nothing may cover your face. Official guidance does not mention a separate exemption process for glasses; the app will tell you if your photo does not meet the requirements, but you can still submit it if you need to.

Indeed, the most common religious dress exemptions in 2025 were hijab, kippah, turban and Buddhist head covering — all accepted in 2026 provided face visibility is maintained. For the basics, see ETA application status check.

What If I Can’t Take a Compliant Photo?

The UK ETA app has no feature officially called “Assisted Capture”, but if you apply for someone who is with you – for example a relative you care for – you can use the app to take their photo and scan their face. If a facial image fails automatic identity verification, a decision maker compares it with the image in the passport and must reject the application if they are not satisfied it shows the same person. A tripod-plus-self-timer shot is fine too — the guidance allows it explicitly.

If the person you are applying for is not with you, apply online on GOV.UK instead and upload a photo that meets the digital photo rules.

Professional Photo Studios — Are They Worth It?

UK ETA-compliant photos taken at high-street photo studios (Snappy Snaps, Max Spielmann, Asda Photo) cost £8-£15 in 2026. A plain white studio backdrop is fine, but a studio photo can only be used in the online application on GOV.UK – the UK ETA app only accepts photos taken with its own camera.

Ask to see the test shot before you pay and check it against the GOV.UK rules: a plain, light-coloured background, no shadows, and a digital JPG or JPEG file of 50KB to 6MB that is not the same photo as the one in your passport.

Photo for Babies and Young Children

Babies and young children follow the same specification but with relaxed rules: eyes open is not required for babies under 1 year, neutral expression is replaced with “calm expression” for under 5s, and you can support a baby’s head with your hand, but your hand must not be visible and the child must be on their own in the photo. Either way, the photograph must still show the full face.

For babies under one, GOV.UK guidance says the child should lie on a plain, light-coloured sheet, with the photo taken from above. Indeed, this matches the standard UK passport baby photo technique. Specifically, the photo must be taken in a well-lit room, with no shadows on the child’s face or behind them – including a parent’s shadow. On family applications, see UK ETA £20 fee details.

Photo Re-Submission After Rejection

While you take your photo, the app tells you if it does not meet the requirements – for example because of shadows – and you can retake it or still submit it if needed; if a submitted photo does not meet the rules, your application may be delayed or rejected and you would need to apply again (the £20 fee is non-refundable).

For more on the app itself, see UK ETA scam websites.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Can I use my UK passport photo for the ETA?

No. Your ETA photo must be a new photo – it must not be the same as the one in your passport. A plain white background is fine, provided the photo meets the GOV.UK rules for digital photos.

Q2: What about the photograph stored in my passport chip?

The chip photograph is used at the e-Gate for identity verification but is not the same as the ETA application photograph. They serve different purposes.

Q3: Are there age exemptions for the photo?

No — all applicants from newborn to elderly must submit a photograph. Babies under 1 year have relaxed rules for expression and eye-open.

Q4: Can I edit my photo to fix lighting issues?

No. Your photo must not be altered by software or in any other way (for example, with a filter), and you should not crop it yourself. A photo that does not meet the rules may delay your application or lead to it being rejected.

Q5: What happens if my photo is approved but I look different at the airport?

Border officers compare your live face to the photo. If an eGate cannot verify your identity, a Border Force officer will check you and your passport manually.

Q6: Why does the ETA app scan my face?

The face scan (for applicants aged 10 or over) confirms you are a real, present person — preventing fraud where someone holds up a photo of another person.

Q7: Where can I find official photo examples?

The UK Government publishes example photos at gov.uk/government/publications/passport-photographs. For ETA photos, see GOV.UK’s guidance on how to take a photo for a visa application.

Last updated: 19 October 2026