UK Passport Photo Requirements
Before you head to any booth or kiosk in Blackburn, it's worth knowing exactly what your photo must look like. HMPO applies strict criteria, and a non-compliant photo will delay your application. Here's a summary of the key requirements:
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Print size | 35 x 45 mm |
| Digital size (online applications) | 600 x 750 px (min 50 KB, max 10 MB) |
| Background | Plain white or light grey, no patterns or shadows |
| Expression | Neutral, mouth closed, eyes fully open |
| Head position | Looking straight at the camera, not tilted or turned |
| Head size in frame | Must fill 70–80% of the image height |
| Recency | Taken within the last month |
| Glasses | Not permitted |
| Headwear | Not permitted (unless for religious reasons) |
| Print quality | Sharp, in colour, no shadows, red-eye or reflections |
If you're applying online, you can save £9.50 compared to a paper application. You'll need either a digital photo code (issued by most modern booths) or a digital image uploaded directly to the HMPO portal. An online photo tool handles both.
Morrisons Blackburn – Passport Photo Booth
Morrisons on Railway Road in Blackburn town centre is one of the most convenient options for getting a passport photo in the city. The store's facilities listing confirms it has both an in-store photo booth and photo processing services, making it a solid first-choice for many Blackburn residents. The photo booth is self-service and doesn't require an appointment – you can simply walk in during store hours and follow the on-screen instructions.
The booth at Morrisons Blackburn is operated by Max Spielmann, the UK's leading in-supermarket photo services brand. It produces a set of four printed passport photos along with a digital photo code that you can enter directly into the HMPO online application form. This means you can apply for your passport online and save on application fees without needing to source a separate digital image. Passport photo prices at Morrisons booths typically start from around £6 for a self-service set.
- Railway Road, Blackburn, BB1 5AZ
- Tel: 01254 262159
- Services: Photo Booth, Photo Processing
- Typical opening hours: Mon–Sat 6am–11pm, Sun 10am–4pm (confirm locally)
One useful advantage of Morrisons over some other booths is that the store is located centrally, making it easy to reach on foot from Blackburn town centre and well-served by local bus routes. If you're already visiting the town centre for shopping or other errands, combining your trip with a passport photo stop is straightforward. The maximum car park stay at Morrisons Blackburn is 2.5 hours, which is more than enough time to complete your photo and any other shopping.
Tesco Blackburn – Max Spielmann Photo Booth
Tesco operates Max Spielmann photo booths in selected stores across the UK, and the main Tesco Superstore in Blackburn has photo booth facilities available. The Max Spielmann booths at Tesco are HMPO-approved and produce both printed photos and a digital code for online applications. You can take up to ten shots in the booth until you're happy with the result, and the auto-focus feature means you don't need to worry about adjusting the camera manually.
- 5 Hill Street, Whitebirk, Blackburn, BB1 3HF
- Located near Greenbank Retail Park and Whitebirk Retail Park
- Typical opening hours: Mon–Sat 6am–9pm, Sun 10am–4pm
- Free parking available
The Hill Street Tesco Superstore is situated about a mile east of Blackburn town centre, close to junction 6 of the M65, making it particularly accessible for those arriving by car from surrounding areas of East Lancashire. The store is large and well-equipped, with the Max Spielmann photo booth located inside. Booth prices at Tesco / Max Spielmann start at £6 for a standard printed set, rising to £12.99 for a more comprehensive service that includes a staffed review of your photos.
It's worth checking the Tesco store locator online before visiting to confirm that the photo booth is currently operational, as availability can change. Some Tesco stores also offer the Max Spielmann "Apply and Go" service, where staff can complete your entire UK passport application or renewal while you wait – call ahead to find out if this is available at Blackburn.
Asda Blackburn – Photo Kiosk
Asda's Blackburn Superstore carries a passport photo booth as part of its in-store services. Like the other supermarket options in the town, the booth is self-service and can produce printed photos along with a digital code for online applications. Asda's photo booth service in many locations is also run by Max Spielmann, meaning the equipment and output quality is consistent with what you'd find at Tesco.
- Lower Audley Street, Grimshaw Park, Blackburn, BB2 3DY
- Typical opening hours: Mon–Sat 7am–10pm, Sun reduced hours (confirm locally)
- Free parking available on-site
The Grimshaw Park Asda is located to the south-west of Blackburn town centre and offers ample free parking, which makes it one of the more convenient options if you're driving. As with all supermarket booths, it's advisable to confirm that the passport photo booth is in operation before making a special journey – most stores will be able to confirm this over the phone or via their website's store details page.
Asda's photo kiosks also allow you to print a pre-prepared 6x4 inch photo template if you've already created your passport photo digitally. This is the most cost-effective way to use the in-store facilities: prepare your photo at home using an online tool, bring it on a USB or access it on your phone, and print it at the kiosk for around 55p per sheet. Each 6x4 inch sheet holds two standard UK passport-sized photos.
Boots in Blackburn – Photo Printing Kiosks
Boots operates several branches in Blackburn and the surrounding area, and most larger stores feature CEWE Photostations – self-service photo printing kiosks where you can print digital photos, including passport photo templates. It's important to note that Boots no longer operates dedicated passport photo booths (they were phased out from 2024), so you'll need to bring a pre-prepared digital passport photo template to use the kiosk rather than taking a new photo in-store.
However, if you've already prepared your passport photo using an online tool and have your template file ready, Boots is a very convenient and affordable place to get it printed. The kiosks are simple to use and produce high-quality photo prints. A 6x4 inch photo print typically costs around 55–65p at Boots, making it one of the cheapest print options in Blackburn.
- Boots Blackburn Cobden Court – 2 Cobden Court, Blackburn, BB1 7JJ (town centre)
- Boots Blackburn Townsmoor Retail Park – Great Bolton Street, Blackburn, BB2 3PX
- Boots Blackburn Fishmoor – 49 Fishmoor Drive, Blackburn, BB2 3TJ
- Boots Blackburn Accrington Road – 193/195 Accrington Road, Blackburn, BB1 2AQ
- Boots Blackburn Ewood Bolton Road – 435 Bolton Road, Blackburn, BB2 4HY
With five Boots locations spread across different parts of Blackburn, there's likely to be a branch reasonably close to wherever you are in the town. The Cobden Court branch is the most central, while the Townsmoor Retail Park and Fishmoor branches offer easier parking for those arriving by car. The Accrington Road and Ewood Bolton Road branches are useful for residents in the eastern and southern parts of Blackburn respectively.
Post Office Passport Services in Blackburn
The Post Office offers a Passport Check and Send service at selected branches, which can be particularly reassuring if you're concerned about making a mistake on your application or want someone to check your photos before submission. Post Office staff check that your passport photos meet HMPO requirements and that your application form has been completed correctly before sending everything off. This service costs a small additional fee on top of the passport application itself, but the peace of mind it provides can be well worth it, particularly for first-time applicants.
Several Post Office branches in Blackburn offer this service. You can find your nearest participating branch using the Post Office branch finder on their website, which lets you filter by services including Passport Check and Send. Remember that you'll need to bring your own compliant passport photos to the Post Office – they don't take photos there.
The Post Office also offers a biometric enrolment service for certain visa applications, making it a useful one-stop location for more complex travel document needs beyond a standard UK passport.
Take Your Passport Photo Online – From Anywhere in Blackburn
For many people in Blackburn, the most practical and affordable way to get a passport photo is to skip the booth entirely and use an online passport photo tool from home. All you need is a smartphone – no special equipment, no journey, and no waiting in queue. Modern online tools are highly sophisticated: you take or upload a photo, and the tool automatically removes the background, crops the image to the correct dimensions (35x45 mm for print, or 600x750 px for digital submission), checks your facial position and expression, and produces a compliance-verified result in seconds.
Once your photo is ready, you have two options. You can download a digital photo code to enter directly into your HMPO online passport application, or you can download a printable 6x4 inch template containing multiple passport-sized photos. You then take this template to any of the Boots, Morrisons, Asda or Tesco photo kiosks listed above and print it for as little as 55p per sheet – making the total cost of a pair of compliant passport photos less than £1 in many cases.
This approach is particularly well-suited to families, since you can take photos for each family member at home in a relaxed setting. It's also the only practical option for baby and infant passport photos. HMPO requires that babies are photographed alone, with no hands or other people visible in the frame – something impossible to achieve in a traditional photo booth. At home, you can lay a baby on a plain white sheet or against a white wall and photograph them from above, then use an online tool to format and verify the image.
Comparing Your Options: Passport Photos in Blackburn
| Option | Typical Price | Wait Time | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morrisons Railway Road (booth) | From £6 | Instant | Town-centre convenience, central location |
| Tesco Hill Street (Max Spielmann) | From £6 | Instant | Out-of-town visitors, car park access |
| Asda Grimshaw Park (booth) | From £6–£10 | Instant | South/west Blackburn residents, free parking |
| Boots (print only – bring template) | ~55–65p per print | Instant (self-service) | Printing a pre-prepared digital template |
| Post Office Check and Send | Additional service fee | Same day | Checking full application before submission |
| Online tool + kiosk print | From ~55p total | Immediate (digital) | Best value, home convenience, babies |
Tips for a Perfect Passport Photo in Blackburn
Whether you're using a booth or taking a photo at home, these tips will help make sure your photo is accepted by HMPO without needing a retake – which can cost both time and money if it delays your application.
Watch your lighting. Poor or uneven lighting is the leading cause of rejected passport photos. In a photo booth, the lighting is controlled for you. If you're taking a photo at home, stand facing a large window with natural light. Avoid shooting in direct sunlight, which causes harsh shadows across the face, and avoid having a light source behind you, which causes the face to appear dark.
Glasses are not allowed. Since 2015, glasses of any kind – including tinted, reading and prescription glasses – are not permitted in UK passport photos. Remove them before the photo is taken. If you normally wear glasses, you can add a note to your application, but the photo itself must be glasses-free.
Background must be plain. The background needs to be plain white or very light grey with no patterns, objects or visible furniture. At home, a plain white door or wall is ideal. An online photo tool will automatically remove and replace the background if it isn't perfect, but starting with a clean background makes the process easier.
Your expression must be neutral. Look straight at the camera with a natural, relaxed expression. Don't smile with teeth showing, and don't squint. Keep your mouth closed and your eyes wide open. Some booths will display a live preview so you can check your expression before taking the shot.
Photo must be recent. HMPO requires that your passport photo was taken within one month of your application date. Using an old photo – even one that's technically compliant – will result in rejection.
Head position matters. Your head must be straight – not tilted to one side, not turned, and not leaning forward or back. In a booth, the auto-focus system helps ensure you're centred. At home, ask someone to take the photo for you rather than using a selfie mode, as this makes it easier to position your head correctly and ensures the camera is at eye level.
More Passport Photo Guides
Looking for passport photo services in other UK cities? See our related guides:
- Passport Photo Birmingham
- Passport Photo Belfast
- Passport Photo Bournemouth
- Passport Photo Brighton
- Passport Photo Croydon
- Passport Photo Derby
- Passport Photo Derry
- Passport Photo Doncaster
- Passport Photo Dundee
- Passport Photo Harlow
- Passport Photo Harrogate
- Passport Photo Hartlepool
- Passport Photo Hastings
- Passport Photo Hemel Hempstead
- Passport Photo High Wycombe
- Passport Photo Huddersfield
- Passport Photo Ipswich
- Passport Photo Islington
- Passport Photo Kingston Upon Hull
- Passport Photo Leicester
- Passport Photo Luton
- Passport Photo Maidstone
- Passport Photo Middlesbrough
- Passport Photo Milton Keynes
- Passport Photo Newport
- Passport Photo Northampton
- Passport Photo Norwich
- Passport Photo London
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Frequently Asked Questions
The main options are: Morrisons on Railway Road (confirmed photo booth in-store), Tesco Superstore on Hill Street with a Max Spielmann photo booth, Asda Blackburn Superstore on Lower Audley Street, and multiple Boots branches across Blackburn for photo printing (bring your own digital template). You can also use an online passport photo tool at home and print your result at any of these locations.
Self-service photo booths at Morrisons, Tesco or Asda typically charge £6–£10 for a set of printed photos. If you use a Boots photo printing kiosk to print a digital template, it costs around 55–65p per 6x4 inch sheet, which contains two passport photos. The cheapest overall option is to prepare your photo using an online tool at home and then print it at a kiosk.
Yes. Morrisons Blackburn on Railway Road, BB1 5AZ lists a photo booth and photo processing among its in-store services, making it one of the most convenient central Blackburn locations for an instant passport photo. The booth is self-service and no appointment is needed.
Yes – and it's often the most convenient option. A modern smartphone camera is more than capable of producing a photo that meets HMPO requirements. Use an online passport photo tool to crop the image, check compliance, and remove or replace the background. You'll have a verified passport photo ready in under a minute, which you can then use for an online application or print at any local kiosk.
There is no HMPO passport office in Blackburn itself, but the nearest is in Liverpool (101 Old Hall Street, Liverpool, L3 9BP) and Manchester (China House, 36 Charlotte Street, Manchester, M1 4FD). For most standard applications and renewals, you can apply online via the HMPO website without visiting an office in person. The Post Office Passport Check and Send service at local Blackburn branches is also available as a supported application route.
The cheapest option is to take your photo at home using a smartphone, run it through an online passport photo tool (which checks compliance and formats the image), then print the resulting 6x4 inch template at a Boots, Morrisons, Asda or Tesco kiosk for around 55–65p. This gives you two compliant passport photos for less than £1 in total printing costs.
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