A Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) is the document issued to non-EEA nationals who have been granted permission to live, work, or study in the UK for more than six months. BRP applications require a biometric photograph, and the Home Office's photo requirements are closely aligned with HMPO's passport photo standards — with a few specific differences.

Who needs to supply a BRP photo?

If you are applying for a visa or leave to remain from outside the UK, your biometric data — including a photograph — is usually collected at a Visa Application Centre (VAC) as part of the visa process. You do not typically submit a printed photo with the online application.

If you are applying from within the UK (for example, for leave to remain or a further leave application) you will usually be required to attend a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) appointment or use a UKVI service point to enrol your biometrics in person. Again, no printed photo is submitted with the online application form itself.

However, some application routes — particularly postal applications, older application categories, and applications via immigration solicitors — may still require printed photographs to accompany paper application forms. Always check the specific requirements for your application route on GOV.UK.

Photo dimensions

Where printed photos are required, Home Office guidance specifies the same dimensions as HMPO passport photos: 45mm tall and 35mm wide. At 300 DPI this is 413 × 531 pixels. Two identical prints are usually required.

Background

The background must be plain and light — cream, white, or light grey. Unlike HMPO, the Home Office guidance does not specifically exclude white as a background colour. A plain white or off-white background is acceptable for BRP photos, as is the cream or light grey background required for passport photos. The background must be uniform with no shadows, texture, or pattern.

Expression and pose

Requirements match passport photo standards. Face directly forward, square to the camera. Eyes open and clearly visible, looking at the camera. Neutral expression, mouth closed. No glasses. The face must be fully visible and unobscured by hair, headwear, or hands.

Head coverings are permitted only for established religious reasons, and even then the full face must be clearly visible from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead and both sides to the ears.

Quality requirements

The photo must be:

  • In colour, not black and white
  • Sharp and in focus — not blurry or pixelated
  • Evenly lit, with no shadows on the face or background
  • Taken within the last month
  • Not digitally altered to change your appearance
  • Without a border
  • Free from creases and damage

Head covering for religious reasons

If you wear a head covering for religious reasons, you may wear it in the photo. However, the full face must be clearly visible — the covering must not obscure any part of the face from the chin to the hairline, and both sides of the face to the ears must be unobscured.

If the photo is rejected because of a head covering not meeting these criteria, the Home Office will advise you of the reason and you will need to resubmit. Contact UKVI if you have specific concerns before submitting.

Common mistakes

The most common reasons BRP-related photos are rejected are the same as for passport photos: glasses worn in the photo, shadows on the face or background, expression too expressive, and photos that are blurry or low-resolution. A photo taken more than a month before the application date is also rejected.

Printing BRP photos at home

If your application requires printed photographs, you can print them at home using the same process as for passport photos. Use our free ID photo tool, select the UK passport size (35 × 45mm), and download a 300 DPI PDF. Print on plain bond paper at "Actual size" in the print dialog. Standard 80 gsm paper is accepted — you do not need photo paper.

Always verify the specific requirements for your application route before submitting, as requirements can vary between application categories and the guidance on GOV.UK is updated periodically.