UK Driving Licence Photo (DVLA): size and requirements
The UK Driving Licence Photo size is 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 inches), or 1050 x 1350 pixels for online upload (minimum 600 x 750), file under 10 MB. Plain light-coloured background (passport photo rules); head 64 to 76 percent of the photo height. Photo taken within the last month. Last verified 2026-10-07 against Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
For a GB photocard driving licence application or 10-year renewal with DVLA, either the printed passport-type photo for the D1 paper form or the digital upload in the online service. Not for a passport, a visa, or a Northern Ireland (DVA) licence.
Requirements at a glance
- Size
- 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 inches), or 1050 x 1350 pixels for online upload (minimum 600 x 750), file under 10 MB
- Head height
- Head 64 to 76 percent of the photo height (a recent printed passport type photo; HM Passport Office standard is 29 to 34 mm crown to chin on a 45 x 35 mm print)
- Background
- plain light-coloured background (passport photo rules)
- Expression
- Neutral, mouth closed, eyes open, looking at the camera
- Glasses
- Only if you must; no tint, no glare
- Head covering
- Only for religious or medical reasons; full face visible
- Photo age
- Taken within the last month
- Prints needed
- 1
- We deliver
- 1050 x 1350 px (600 DPI), under 10240 KB, plus a 4 x 6 inch print sheet
What trips people up
- CheckDVLA does not publish its own photo specification. It asks for a 'passport type photo' and links to the gov.uk passport photo rules, so a UK passport photo is what you need.
- CheckDo not sign the back of the photo for a driving licence. gov.uk says so explicitly, which is the opposite of the passport countersignature habit.
- CheckIf you renew online, DVLA can reuse the photo from your current British passport. You only need a new photo if you choose to upload one or have no passport photo on file.
- CheckOur advice, not a DVLA rule: the renewal itself is done at gov.uk/renew-driving-licence. We are not the government and only prepare the photo; be wary of paid websites styled to look like the DVLA service.
Good to know before you pay
If you renew online and have a valid British passport, DVLA offers to use your passport photo, so you may not need a new photo at all.
Source and verification
Read from the official page. Last checked 2026-10-07 at Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
a recent printed passport type photo (do not sign the back of the photo)
You must renew a photocard licence every 10 years - you'll receive a reminder before your current licence ends.
You'll be able to use your passport photo or upload a new one.
Quotes 1 and 2 are from gov.uk/renew-driving-licence (source.url); quote 3 is from the companion DVLA page https://www.gov.uk/renew-photo-driving-licence. Both pages link the words 'passport type photo' to gov.uk/photos-for-passports and say only 'recent'. DVLA publishes no photo specification of its own: the 1-month maximum age, the 45 x 35 mm print size, the 29 to 34 mm head (HM Passport Office Photo standards v51.0), the light background and the digital floor (600 x 750 px, 50 KB to 10 MB, from gov.uk/photos-for-passports) are all inherited from HMPO's passport rules through that link. Confidence is 'official' because the DVLA page points to those rules, but readers should treat the inherited figures as HMPO's, not DVLA's.
We are an independent service, not a government website. Applying for a passport or visa is done with your government; we only prepare the photo.
Frequently asked questions
