UK driving licence photo maker (DVLA)

A postal driving licence application on form D1 needs one recent printed passport-type photo, and GOV.UK links that request to the passport photo rules: 45 mm high by 35 mm wide, with your head 29 to 34 mm from crown to chin, on a plain cream or light grey background. Frame one here and print it on photo paper.

Free, no watermark
Photo stays on your device
No retouching
Rules checked 12 November 2026

DVLA driving licence photo requirements

Photo asked for (by post)	One recent printed passport-type photo, sent with the D1 forms
Rules it points to	GOV.UK printed passport photo rules
Photo size	45 mm high by 35 mm wide, not cut down from a larger picture
Head size	29 mm to 34 mm from the crown of your head to your chin
Background	Plain cream or light grey, in clear contrast to you
Print	Colour, clear and in focus, on plain white photographic paper with no border
Signing	Do not sign the back yourself; a countersignatory signs it only if your identity needs verifying
Applying online	You can use your passport photo or upload a new one; GOV.UK publishes no file rules for the upload

Checked against the official source on 12 November 2026. Source: GOV.UK (DVLA): Change the photo on your driving licence · GOV.UK (DVLA): Renew your driving licence · GOV.UK (DVLA): Apply for your first provisional driving licence · GOV.UK (DVLA): Identity documents needed for a driving licence application · GOV.UK (HM Passport Office): Photo requirements for printed photos. Rules change without notice, so read the official page before you submit.

What the photo must show

A close-up of your full head and upper shoulders, with no other objects or people.
You facing forwards and looking straight at the camera, with a plain expression and your mouth closed.
Your eyes open and visible, with no hair in front of them and no "red eye".
No head covering unless it is for religious or medical reasons, and nothing covering your face.
No shadows on your face or behind you.
No glasses unless you have to wear them. If you do, no sunglasses or tinted lenses, and no frames, glare or reflection over your eyes.
Unaltered by computer software, printed to a professional standard, with no creases or tears.

Framing for this document: the head, from chin to the top of the hair, should fill about 64 to 76% of the photo height. The tool measures this for you.

Why there is no background remover. Official photo rules refuse photos whose background has been changed by software, so this tool never alters your photo. If the check says the background is not plain, retake the photo against a plain, light wall: how to get a plain background at home.

Online or by post

When you renew or change the photo on your licence online, GOV.UK says you can use your passport photo or upload a new one. The online service does not publish its upload rules on GOV.UK, so this page covers the printed photo for the postal route, which is the one with written rules.

You need a printed photo when you send a D1 pack by post: a first provisional licence, a renewal, or a new photo. The D1 pack is available from most Post Offices. GOV.UK says to include "a recent printed passport type photo" and links to the passport photo rules, so this tool uses those numbers.

Who signs the photo

If you prove your identity with your UK passport number or a share code, nobody needs to sign the form or photo. Otherwise someone who holds a valid GB photocard driving licence, knows you personally, lives in the UK and is not a relative or living at your address must sign both. You also do not need the photo signed when you are renewing your licence with a new photo.

Northern Ireland

These are DVLA rules for Great Britain. Northern Ireland licences are issued by a different service.

Common problems with driving licence photos

A photo trimmed from a larger print instead of one printed at 45 × 35 mm.
A head that is too small or too large: it must be 29 to 34 mm from crown to chin.
A white or patterned background instead of plain cream or light grey.
Writing on the back when you did not need a countersignatory.
Glasses with glare, or tinted lenses.
A home print on ordinary paper instead of photographic paper.

A fictional woman photographed correctly for an ID photo: facing the camera, neutral expression, plain off-white wall, even light. — Example photos show a fictional person and were generated for this site as illustrations.

The same woman lit from one side, with a dark shadow on the wall behind her and one side of her face darker. — Example photos show a fictional person and were generated for this site as illustrations.

More on this in why ID photos get rejected. The examples use an off-white wall. The background row in the table above gives the exact colour this document asks for.

How to use this tool

Ask someone to take the photo from about 1.5 m, at eye level, in even daylight in front of a plain wall.
Add the photo above. The tool finds your face and frames it to the size on this page.
Check the green lines: one on the top of your head, one on your chin. Drag or zoom to adjust.
Read the automatic checks, then download. Nothing in the photo is retouched, only cropped and resized.

Questions about the Driving licence photo (DVLA)

What size is a UK driving licence photo?

For a postal D1 application, DVLA asks for a passport-type photo, and the GOV.UK passport rules it links to set the size at 45 mm high by 35 mm wide, with your head 29 to 34 mm from crown to chin.

How many photos do I need for a D1 driving licence application?

One. GOV.UK asks you to include a recent printed passport-type photo with the completed D1 forms.

Do I need a photo to apply for a provisional licence online?

GOV.UK's page for the online provisional licence does not mention a photo upload. It says you may be asked to prove your identity, usually with photo ID like a passport. A printed photo is needed if you apply by post on form D1.

Can I use my passport photo for my driving licence?

When you change your licence photo online, GOV.UK says you can use your passport photo or upload a new one. By post, you send a new printed passport-type photo.

Should I sign the back of my driving licence photo?

No. GOV.UK says not to sign the back when renewing by post. A countersignatory signs the photo only if your identity is not verified by your UK passport number or a share code.