Rules for digital passport photos.

Background and lighting

Your photo must have: a plain light-coloured background – without texture or pattern
balanced light – no shadows on your face or behind you
no objects behind you
Face and expression
Make sure:

• the photo is a good likeness taken in the last month
• your whole face is visible with your eyes open
• you have a plain expression – no smile and mouth closed
• there are no reflections or glare (if you have to wear glasses)
• you’re not wearing headwear (unless for religious or medical reasons)

Photos of babies and children:

children under 6 don’t need to have a plain expression

children under 1 don’t have to have their eyes open

Quality and format

Your photo must be:

• in colour, with no effects or filters
• not blurred or have ‘red eye’
• unedited – you can’t ‘correct’ your passport photo

Renew or replace your adult passport

It costs some money to renew or replace your passport if you apply online or if you fill in a paper form.

You must be aged 16 or over (or turning 16 in the next 3 weeks) to get an adult passport. There’s a different process to get a passport for a child.

There are different ways to renew or replace your passport if you’re outside the UK or EU.

The things that follow you across every border.

Country-agnostic guides: the systems that work the same way wherever you land.
01
Visas & residency
Every major pathway, compared plainly.
02
Second passports
Citizenship by descent, naturalization, investment.
03
Taxes abroad
FEIE, FTC, treaties… without the panic.
04
Social Security & Medicare
What actually travels with you, and what doesn’t.
05
Healthcare abroad
How coverage really works once you leave.
06
Cost of living
Real numbers, country by country.
07
Moving your pets
The process nobody warns you about.
08
Banking & money
Getting paid and moving money across borders.