Your photo must be:

• less than 6 months old
• in focus
• in colour and showing natural skin tones (no red-eye)
• unaltered by photo-editing software
• taken against a plain light-coloured (not white) background.

We need a clear shot of your face, so:

• face the camera straight-on with head straight, eyes open and mouth closed
• look neutral – don’t smile or frown
• don’t have hair, head coverings or clothing across your face or eyes: your face must be clearly visible with no obstructions. Your hair should be pulled back behind your ears
• position your head in the centre of the photo, leaving space around the sides and top of the head and hair
• remove sunglasses.

If you wear glasses:

• your eyes must show clearly through the lenses, with no reflected light
• remove your glasses if they have heavy rims.

Head coverings

Remove head coverings (including headbands) unless they’re worn for religious or medical reasons. Photos of people wearing head covering for religious or medical reason must show a clear, unobstructed facial image showing the hair line.

Examples of acceptable photos