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Make UK ETA Photo

An ETA needs a new and live digital image of your face — GOV.UK states it must not be from a previously taken digital facial image, so the photo already in your passport specifically does not qualify. At least 600 x 750px, 50KB to 6MB, jpg.

Upload PhotoJPG, PNG

Framing

  • 1

    Have someone else take it

    GOV.UK advises arranging for another person to photograph you.

  • 2

    Centre your face

    Face towards and looking straight at the camera.

  • 3

    Plain light background

    Clear contrast between your face and the background.

Specifications

What the ETA application accepts.

Minimum size600 x 750px
Filejpg, 50KB to 6MB, vertical
BackgroundPlain light-coloured
Cost£20, decision usually within a day

Compliance Checklist

  • Must be a new photo

    It cannot be the same image that is in your passport or identity card.

  • Not a scan or a photo of a photo

    The file has to be born digital.

  • No shadows on your face or behind you

    Even lighting, plain background.

  • No head covering except religious or medical

    Facial features must be clearly visible.

  • This is not the UK visa route

    Visa applicants are photographed at a visa application centre instead.

Retouched or AI-edited photos are refused

the image must be new and live — GOV.UK says it must not be from a previously taken digital facial image, so the photo in your passport does not qualify, and a scan or a photo of a photo is refused

UK ETA Photo Requirements, Explained

The UK asks for opposite things depending on which document you need — and the ETA is the one where the photo is yours to supply.

Quick Check: Do's & Don'ts

Not Your Passport Photo

It must not be a previously taken digital image.

Not a Scan

A scan or a photo of another photo is refused.

At Least 600 x 750px

50KB to 6MB, jpg, vertical.

Plain Light Background

Clear contrast with your face.

Same Border, Opposite Answers

An ETA is not a visa, and the photo rule inverts.

If you need a UK visa, you supply no photo at all. You apply online, then attend a visa application centre where fingerprints and a facial image are captured on the spot.

If you are visa-exempt and need an ETA instead, the opposite applies: you provide the image yourself, online or through the UK ETA app. Same country, same border, and which one you are in depends only on your nationality.

Singapore, Brazil and Argentina are ETA nationalities. Pakistan, Iraq, Vietnam and Ukraine are visa nationalities. Getting this wrong means either preparing a photo nobody will look at, or turning up without one.

New and Live

The photo in your passport is specifically not allowed.

People applying for an ETA must provide a new and live digital image of their face, and the guidance states it must not be from a previously taken digital facial image.

That rules out the obvious shortcut. The image already printed in your passport was taken at some point in the past and exists as a file somewhere; it is exactly what the rule excludes. Take a fresh one.

It also rules out scans and photographs of photographs. The file has to originate from a camera pointed at you.

The File Rules

A floor, not an exact size.

At least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall, between 50KB and 6MB, as a jpg or jpeg, vertically oriented. Larger is fine as long as it stays under the ceiling.

The background must be plain and light-coloured with clear contrast to your face. No other people or objects in frame, no red eye, no shadows on your face or behind you, and no hair across your eyes.

Head coverings are accepted for religious or medical reasons provided the facial features stay clearly visible. Sunglasses and tinted lenses are not accepted, and ordinary glasses must not obscure the eyes.

Cost and Timing

£20, usually decided within a day.

An ETA costs £20 to apply for online or through the UK ETA app. A decision usually arrives by email within a day, but it can take up to three working days.

Apply before you travel rather than at the airport, and allow for the three-day case rather than the one-day one.

What You'll Actually Download

600 x 750px, JPG, under 6MB. Computed from this photo's own specification, not typed by hand.

How you submitUpload a fileSubmitted through: GOV.UK / UK ETA app
Pixel size
600 x 750px
File type
JPG
Maximum file size
6MB
Background
Light grey

Requirements verified · Source: gov.uk

Watch out — Retouched or AI-edited photos are refused — the image must be new and live — GOV.UK says it must not be from a previously taken digital facial image, so the photo in your passport does not qualify, and a scan or a photo of a photo is refused

UK ETA Photo Maker (600 x 750px minimum)

Make the new, live digital image an ETA application needs — not the one already in your passport. Free, and your photo never leaves your browser.

Get Your Photo in 3 Steps

1. Take a fresh photo

Have someone else photograph you against a plain light wall.

It cannot be your passport photo.

2. Auto alignment

We export at least 600 x 750px as a vertical jpg.

Between 50KB and 6MB.

3. Apply online

Upload it on GOV.UK or in the UK ETA app.

£20, usually decided within a day.

UK ETA Photo Specifications

Minimum size600 x 750px, vertical
Filejpg or jpeg, 50KB to 6MB
BackgroundPlain light-coloured, contrasting with the face
OriginNew and live — not a previously taken image
Cost£20, decision usually within a day

Frequently Asked Questions

Q.Can I use the photo from my passport?▼
No. Applicants must provide a new and live digital image, and the guidance states it must not be from a previously taken digital facial image. The photo in your passport is exactly what that excludes.
Q.What size does an ETA photo need to be?▼
At least 600 pixels wide and 750 tall, as a vertical jpg between 50KB and 6MB. That is a minimum, so larger is fine as long as it stays under 6MB.
Q.Do I need an ETA or a visa?▼
It depends on your nationality. Visa-exempt nationals — Singapore, Brazil and Argentina among them — apply for an ETA and supply the photo themselves. Nationalities that need a visa supply no photo at all; a visa application centre captures it.
Q.Can I take a selfie?▼
GOV.UK advises arranging for another person to take your photo, because it reduces the chance of rejection. Distance and angle are the usual problems with a self-taken shot.
Q.What background should I use?▼
Plain and light-coloured, with clear contrast between your face and the background, and no shadows either on your face or behind you.
Q.How much does it cost and how long does it take?▼
£20, applied for online or in the UK ETA app. A decision usually arrives by email within a day but can take up to three working days, so do not leave it until the airport.