UK ETA photo requirements: what GOV.UK asks for, and common mistakes

Who needs an ETA, and when you need a photo file

GOV.UK says you usually need an ETA rather than a visa if you are from Europe, the USA, Australia, Canada or certain other countries. It costs £20 through the official website or the UK ETA app, and every traveller needs one, including babies and children.

On the app you use your phone's camera to scan your passport and your face, so no photo file is needed. On the website you upload a photo of the passport and a photo of your face. If the person you are applying for is not with you, you must apply online, so you need a photo file for them.

The official rules for the face photo

Format: at least 600×750 pixels, 50 KB to 6 MB, JPG or JPEG, vertical, not mirrored or flipped. Quality: clear, in focus, in colour, taken in a well-lit room, not altered by software or filters.

What it shows: only you, against a plain light-coloured background in clear contrast to you, with your head, shoulders and upper body, no red eye. How you look: facing and looking straight at the camera, plain expression, mouth closed, eyes open and visible, no hair over the eyes, no shadows on your face or behind you, no head covering unless for religious or medical reasons.

Avoid glasses unless you have to wear them; never sunglasses or tinted lenses, and frames, glare or reflections must not cover your eyes.

Mistakes that get ETA photos rejected

Reusing your passport photo: GOV.UK says the photo must not be the same one that is in your passport or identity card, and must not be a scan or photo of another photo.

Uploading the passport page as the face photo: the face photo must be of you, not of your document. The passport photo is a separate upload.

A shadow behind your head: stand about half a metre to a metre away from a plain light wall and face a window for even daylight.

An arm's-length selfie: phone photos are allowed, but GOV.UK suggests having another person take it to reduce the chance of rejection, and the photo must show your shoulders and upper body.

Filters and beauty modes: any alteration by software is against the rules, so turn off portrait mode, beauty filters and background blur.

Children and babies

Children must be alone in the photo. Under 6s do not have to look straight at the camera or keep a plain expression. Babies under one do not need their eyes open; you can support the head as long as your hand is not visible, and GOV.UK suggests laying the baby on a plain light-coloured sheet and photographing from above. No toys or dummies.

Making one

pixtidy's UK ETA photo tool crops a phone photo to show your head, shoulders and upper body, checks background, lighting, focus and expression, and exports a JPG inside the 50 KB–6 MB window. The photo stays in your browser and is never retouched. You still apply yourself, only on GOV.UK or the official UK ETA app.