Getting a digital photo code from a passport photo booth

To apply for a UK passport online you need a digital photo. GOV.UK gives two ways to get one: from a photo booth or shop before you apply — choosing the option that gives you a code — or by having someone take it on your own device during the application. GOV.UK says photos from a booth or shop are more likely to be approved than one taken on your own device (GOV.UK).

Official rules can change. This page was checked against the sources listed at the bottom on 30 September 2026; if anything here disagrees with GOV.UK, GOV.UK is right.

What the photo code is

The booth or shop uploads your digital photo and prints a code with your photos. During the online application you enter the code, and your photo is added directly to your application (GOV.UK). Behind the scenes the code is a short web address that only HM Passport Office can use to fetch the photo, so it is not something you open in your own browser (HM Passport Office supplier guidance).

A UK digital passport code only works for a UK passport application through GOV.UK. It cannot be used for another country’s passport, a driving licence or a visa (ME Group).
Applying for an Irish passport instead? Photo-Me booths have a separate Irish passport option on the screen (ME Group) — see passport photo booths in Ireland.
Applying by post? You need 2 identical printed photos, not a code (GOV.UK). The four prints from a Photo-Me Digital UK Passport session can be used for a postal application (ME Group).

Getting the code at a Photo-Me booth

Photo-Me, run by ME Group, is the operator behind the 5,570 machines on our UK passport photo booth map. Its help centre describes the process like this:

Choose “Digital UK Passport” on the screen. This is the product that comes with a code (ME Group).
Follow the on-screen positioning guide. You get up to three attempts, so you can retake the photo if you are not happy with it (ME Group).
Find the code on the printout. You get four passport photos with a unique digital photo code at the top of the strip (ME Group).
Enter it exactly as printed. The code is case-sensitive. ME Group shows it as three boxes — idpass, uk, then a unique 8-character code of upper- and lower-case letters and numbers (their example: AsTOxR06) (ME Group).

If the code is not accepted

Wait before you retry. ME Group says that in busy periods its upload queue to HM Passport Office can take up to 72 hours to clear, and asks you to keep trying within that time. It does not investigate a code, or refund, until 72 hours after the photo was taken (ME Group).
Still failing after 72 hours? ME Group says the upload may have been lost because of a signal problem at the booth, and advises contacting them and retaking the photo at a quieter time (ME Group).
Do not sit on the code. ME Group keeps the digital photo for 30 days and then deletes it permanently; after that the code cannot bring it back (ME Group). GOV.UK separately requires the photo to have been taken in the last month (GOV.UK). Take the photo when you are ready to apply.

How to tell whether a booth can give you a code

We cannot tell you machine by machine. ME Group’s public machine map, which our UK list comes from, records the machine model but has no field saying whether a machine offers the digital code, and ME Group does not publish which models do. So check at the booth itself:

Look for the “Digital UK Passport” option on the start screen before you pay. That is the product ME Group tells you to choose for an online application (ME Group).
Do not buy a different product hoping it includes a code. Photo-Me booths sell several products, from ID photos to fun photos. ME Group’s help centre lists choosing the wrong product as the first thing to check when a code does not work, and says it does not refund accidental purchases (ME Group).
Other booths and shops work the same way. GOV.UK only says “a photo booth or shop” and to choose the option that gives you a code (GOV.UK). Whoever you use, ask or check that a code is included before paying.

Photo rules to know before you sit down

ME Group says its booths produce photos in the correct UK passport size and format (ME Group). What the booth cannot fix is how you look in the photo. GOV.UK’s rules for digital photos say your application will be delayed if the photo does not meet them (GOV.UK). In the photo you must:

face forwards and look straight at the camera
have a plain expression and your mouth closed
have your eyes open and visible, with no hair in front of them
not wear a head covering, unless it is for religious or medical reasons
not have anything covering your face, or any shadows on your face or behind you
not wear glasses unless you have to — and if you must, no sunglasses or tinted lenses, and your eyes must not be covered by the frames or by glare, reflection or shadow

The photo must also be in colour, clear and in focus, unaltered by software, against a plain light-coloured background, with no other people or objects and no red eye. You need a new photo for each new passport, even if you look the same, and it must have been taken in the last month (GOV.UK).

Children: children must be on their own in the photo, and babies must not be holding toys or using dummies. Children under 6 do not have to look directly at the camera or have a plain expression; children under one do not have to have their eyes open (GOV.UK).

If HM Passport Office later asks you to retake the photo, ME Group says it will refund when the rejection was for a blurry image, lines through the image or lens flare — but not when it was for smiling, hair across the face, or wearing a hat or adornment (ME Group).

Where to find a passport photo booth

UK passport photo booths by postcode area lists all 5,570 Photo-Me machines on ME Group’s official public map, split into 121 postcode areas. Each area page has a “use your location” finder and directions for every machine. Two limits to keep in mind: a machine on the official list is not a guarantee that it is working today, and the list does not show which machines offer the digital code — check the screen as described above.

Sources (checked 30 September 2026)

This is an independent guide. We do not operate passport photo booths and are not affiliated with HM Passport Office or ME Group. We do not quote prices.