Check your UK ETA photo file

Applying on the UK ETA website? Check a newly taken original JPEG here for free. Your photo stays on this device and the file stays unchanged.

Using the UK ETA app? Take your face photo inside the app.

Check your original JPEG

Your photo stays on this device. We read the file without uploading or changing it. This checks file properties, not whether your photo will be accepted.

Your photo checklist

These are your own checks, separate from the file result. Use the age-specific guidance on this page for children under 6 and babies under 1.

This is a new photo of the applicant for this application, different from their passport photo.This is the original camera photo, not edited, mirrored, or a photo of another photo.The applicant’s whole head, shoulders and upper body are visible.The background is plain and light, with no shadows.I checked the gaze, eyes and expression rules for the applicant’s age.

What to check in the photo

GOV.UK specifies a portrait JPG/JPEG, at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels high, between 50 KB and 6 MB.

Include your head, shoulders and upper body. Use a plain light background, clear color and even lighting. Face the camera with a relaxed expression, mouth closed and eyes open and visible.

Keep other people, objects and shadows out. Head coverings are allowed for religious or medical reasons. Avoid sunglasses and tinted glasses. If other glasses are necessary, your eyes must remain clear of frames and glare.

Use a new photo for this application. It must differ from the photo in your passport. Keep it unedited and unmirrored; a scan or photo of another photo is unsuitable.

Babies and children

Under 6: looking straight at the camera and a neutral expression are not required. Under 1: eyes can be closed. Only the child should appear, without visible supporting hands, toys or pacifiers.

The app skips its separate face scan for children under 10. They still need a face photo.

File checks do not assess the face, background, lighting, editing history or whether the photo is new. Review these yourself; UKVI decides whether it is accepted.

Continue on GOV.UK to apply for an ETA

Sources, checked October 1, 2026

UKVI: taking a photo for an application — published February 12, 2026.
GOV.UK: apply for an ETA — website and app routes.
UKVI: using the UK ETA app — updated April 9, 2026.
Home Office: new facial images for ETA applications — updated August 28, 2026.