UK Passport Photo Requirements
Before visiting any provider, it is worth reviewing exactly what HM Passport Office (HMPO) requires. The rules are strict and a non-compliant image will delay your application. The key requirements are set out below.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Print size | 35 x 45 mm |
| Digital size (online applications) | 600 x 750 px, between 50 KB and 10 MB |
| Background | Plain white or very light grey, no patterns or shadows |
| Expression | Neutral, mouth closed, both eyes fully open |
| Head position | Straight, facing the camera directly, not tilted |
| Head size in frame | Must fill 70 to 80 percent of the image height |
| Recency | Taken within the last month |
| Glasses | Not permitted under any circumstances since 2018 |
| Headwear | Not permitted except for confirmed religious reasons |
| Print quality | Sharp, colour, unaltered, no red-eye, shadows or reflections |
Online passport applications cost £9.50 less than paper applications and require either a digital photo code (issued automatically by staffed services and modern booths) or a digital image uploaded directly. All staffed providers in Hastings – Timpson, Boots and the Post Office – supply a digital code alongside printed photos.
Morrisons Queens Road – Timpson and Photo Booth
Morrisons on Queens Road is Hastings's main town-centre supermarket and the most comprehensive single passport photo destination in the area. It offers two distinct services: a Timpson staffed digital passport photo concession, where a trained colleague takes your photograph using a professional digital system and checks it against HMPO requirements before printing; and a self-service photo booth inside the store. Having both options in one location is particularly useful – if the Timpson concession is closed or you prefer to use a booth, you can switch to the self-service alternative without leaving the car park.
The Timpson service charges from £12.99 and includes 4 printed photos, a digital code for online passport applications, and Timpson's free retake guarantee in the unlikely event HMPO rejects the image. Staff can assist with babies, young children and international visa specifications for over 140 countries. The store also has a pharmacy, petrol station, café and free parking (2 hours maximum), making it easy to combine a passport photo visit with shopping.
- Queens Road, Hastings, East Sussex, TN34 1RN
- Tel: 01424 720833
- Opening hours: Mon–Sat 6:00am–10:00pm; Sun 10:00am–4:00pm
- Services: Timpson staffed passport photos, self-service photo booth, pharmacy, café, petrol station, free parking
- Price: Timpson from £12.99 (4 prints + digital code); self-service booth approx. £6–£10
- Location: Queens Road, Hastings town centre; a short walk from Priory Meadow Shopping Centre and Boots
Boots – Priory Meadow Shopping Centre
Boots at Priory Meadow Shopping Centre is the most central pharmacy option for passport photos in Hastings. The branch has a Passport Instant Photo Booth service – where staff assist with taking your photo to HMPO standards – as well as an Instant Photo Kiosk for printing digital templates you have prepared elsewhere or at home. There is also a Kodak kiosk for general photo printing. Priory Meadow is Hastings's main indoor shopping centre, and the Post Office branch is also located inside – making this a very convenient combination stop for anyone needing to both take photos and submit a Passport Check and Send application in one trip.
- Priory Meadow Shopping Centre, Queens Road, Hastings, East Sussex, TN34 1PH
- Tel: 01424 718334
- Opening hours: Mon–Sat 8:45am–5:30pm; Sun 10:30am–4:30pm
- Services: Passport Instant Photo Booth (staffed), Instant Photo Kiosk (print your own template), Kodak kiosk, pharmacy, Boots Opticians
- Price: Staffed booth service approx. £10–£12; kiosk printing approximately 27–55p per 6x4 sheet
- Location: Inside Priory Meadow Shopping Centre; Post Office branch also inside Priory Meadow
Post Office – Priory Meadow
The Hastings Post Office is located inside Priory Meadow Shopping Centre on Queens Road, in the same building as Boots. Post Office branches offer passport photos taken by staff, and also provide the Passport Check and Send service, where staff verify your completed application form and photographs before posting them directly to HMPO on your behalf. This additional check reduces the risk of errors causing delays. The Passport Check and Send service costs approximately £16.00 on top of the standard HMPO application fee.
- Priory Meadow Shopping Centre, Queens Road, Hastings, East Sussex, TN34 1PH
- Opening hours: Mon–Fri approximately 9:00am–5:30pm; Sat approximately 9:00am–1:00pm; closed Sunday
- Services: Passport photos, Passport Check and Send, DVLA services, travel insurance, foreign currency, banking
- Price: Passport photos approximately £10–£12; Passport Check and Send from £16.00
- Location: Inside Priory Meadow Shopping Centre, adjacent to Boots
Asda St Leonards-on-Sea – Max Spielmann Booth
Asda at 1 Battle Road in St Leonards-on-Sea, approximately 1.5 miles from Hastings town centre, has a Max Spielmann passport photo booth. The self-service booth takes up to 10 photos until you are satisfied, produces 4 printed photos plus a digital code for online applications, and is wheelchair accessible with instructions in six languages. Open until 11pm on weekday evenings, this is the latest-opening passport photo option in the area that lies within reasonable reach of the town centre.
- 1 Battle Road, St Leonards-on-Sea, Hastings, East Sussex, TN37 7AA
- Tel: 01424 857420
- Opening hours: Mon–Fri 7:00am–11:00pm; Sat 7:00am–10:00pm; Sun 10:00am–4:00pm
- Services: Max Spielmann passport photo booth, photo printing kiosk, café, petrol station, pharmacy, opticians
- Price: Booth photos £10 for 4 prints plus digital code; kiosk printing approximately 11p per sheet
- Location: Battle Road, Ponswood Industrial Estate, St Leonards-on-Sea; approximately 1.5 miles west of Hastings town centre
Tesco Extra – Church Wood Drive, Hollington
Tesco Extra on Church Wood Drive in Hollington, St Leonards-on-Sea, has a Max Spielmann passport photo presence. The store is one of the larger supermarkets in the area and is open until midnight on weekday evenings. Its location in Hollington, north-west of the town centre, makes it most convenient for residents of that part of the area and for those arriving on the A21.
- Church Wood Drive, St Leonards-on-Sea, Hastings, East Sussex, TN38 9RB
- Opening hours: Mon–Fri 6:00am–midnight; Sat midnight–10:00pm; Sun 10:00am–4:00pm
- Services: Max Spielmann passport photo booth/kiosk, photo printing, pharmacy, café, petrol station
- Price: Booth photos approx. £10; kiosk printing approximately 11p per sheet
- Location: Church Wood Drive, Hollington; accessed via Crowhurst Road, north-west of St Leonards-on-Sea
Timpson – Morrisons and Sainsbury's Locations
Timpson operates staffed digital passport photo concessions at two supermarket locations in the Hastings area: inside Morrisons Queens Road (described in detail above) and inside the local Sainsbury's. Both charge from £12.99 for 4 printed photos and a digital code, and both carry Timpson's free retake guarantee. Staff can assist with babies, young children and international visa formats for over 140 countries.
- C/o Morrisons, Queens Road, Hastings, TN34 1RN
- Services: Passport photos, key cutting, shoe repairs, dry cleaning, watch repairs, clothing alterations, phone repairs, engraving
- Price: Passport photos from £12.99 including 4 prints and digital code; international visa photos from £14.99
- Location: Inside Morrisons Queens Road – see Morrisons hours above
- C/o Sainsbury's, Hastings, East Sussex
- Services: Passport photos, key cutting, shoe repairs, dry cleaning, watch repairs
- Price: Passport photos from £12.99 including 4 prints and digital code
- Location: Inside the local Sainsbury's superstore
Passport Photo Price Comparison – Hastings
| Provider | Type | Price | Digital Code Included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timpson, Morrisons Queens Road | Staffed digital | From £12.99 | Yes |
| Timpson, Sainsbury's Hastings | Staffed digital | From £12.99 | Yes |
| Boots Priory Meadow | Staffed booth service | Approx. £10–£12 | Yes |
| Post Office, Priory Meadow | Staffed (counter) | Approx. £10–£12 | Yes |
| Asda St Leonards – Max Spielmann booth | Self-service | £10 | Yes |
| Tesco Extra Hollington – Max Spielmann | Self-service | Approx. £10 | Yes |
| Morrisons – self-service photo booth | Self-service | Approx. £6–£10 | Varies |
| Boots kiosk (print own template) | Self-service print | Approx. 27–55p per sheet | No (bring your own) |
| Asda / Tesco kiosk (print own template) | Self-service print | Approx. 11p per sheet | No (bring your own) |
Tips for Getting Your Passport Photo Right in Hastings
Getting your passport photo right first time avoids costly delays. A few simple steps make a significant difference.
Wear plain clothing in a dark or mid-tone colour. Avoid white, which blends into the required white background, and avoid complex patterns or busy prints. Style your hair away from your face so it does not obscure your forehead or ears. Your expression must be strictly neutral – even a very slight smile can be grounds for rejection. Look directly into the camera lens, not at your own image on screen if you are using a self-service booth.
If you are applying for a foreign visa rather than a UK passport, check whether the destination country has different size or specification requirements. Timpson at Morrisons and Sainsbury's can handle international visa photos for over 140 countries from £14.99. It is worth calling ahead with your country and document type so the correct format can be confirmed.
Online passport applications save £9.50 compared to paper applications and require either a digital photo code (issued automatically by all staffed providers) or a digital image uploaded directly to the HMPO portal. If you have already taken an HMPO-compliant photo at home using a validated online tool, you only need to enter the code during your application – no provider visit required.
More Passport Photo Guides
Looking for passport photo services in other UK towns and cities? See our related guides:
- Passport Photo Birmingham
- Passport Photo Belfast
- Passport Photo Blackburn
- 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 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: Boots Priory Meadow at Priory Meadow Shopping Centre, TN34 1PH (staffed booth and kiosk, tel: 01424 718334, Mon–Sat 8:45am–5:30pm, Sun 10:30am–4:30pm); Morrisons Queens Road at TN34 1RN (Timpson staffed photos and self-service booth, tel: 01424 720833, Mon–Sat 6am–10pm); the Post Office at Priory Meadow, TN34 1PH (staffed photos and Passport Check and Send); Asda St Leonards at 1 Battle Road, TN37 7AA (Max Spielmann booth, tel: 01424 857420, until 11pm weekdays); Tesco Extra at Church Wood Drive, TN38 9RB (Max Spielmann, until midnight weekdays); and Timpson inside Sainsbury's Hastings.
Timpson at Morrisons and Sainsbury's charges from £12.99 for 4 prints and a digital code. Boots staffed booth service and Post Office photos cost approximately £10–£12. Max Spielmann self-service booths at Asda and Tesco charge £10. If you bring a digital template already prepared at home, kiosk printing is approximately 27–55p per 6x4 sheet at Boots, or around 11p at Asda and Tesco – making the kiosk route by far the cheapest way to produce printed photos.
Yes. Boots at Priory Meadow Shopping Centre, TN34 1PH (tel: 01424 718334) has both a Passport Instant Photo Booth service (staffed) and an Instant Photo Kiosk for printing templates prepared at home. Open Monday to Saturday 8:45am–5:30pm and Sunday 10:30am–4:30pm. The Post Office, which also offers Passport Check and Send, is in the same shopping centre.
Yes. Morrisons at Queens Road, Hastings, TN34 1RN (tel: 01424 720833) has both a Timpson staffed digital passport photo service and a self-service photo booth. Timpson charges from £12.99 for 4 prints plus a digital code, with a free retake guarantee if HMPO rejects the image. The store is open Monday to Saturday from 6am to 10pm – earlier than most other options in the town.
Yes. Asda St Leonards at 1 Battle Road, TN37 7AA (tel: 01424 857420) is open until 11pm Monday to Friday and has a Max Spielmann passport photo booth. Tesco Extra at Church Wood Drive, TN38 9RB is open until midnight on weekdays. Both stores are in St Leonards-on-Sea, approximately 1.5 miles from Hastings town centre.
Yes. The best option for babies and young children in Hastings is the Timpson staffed service at Morrisons Queens Road, where a trained colleague takes the photograph using a professional digital camera system. The Boots Priory Meadow staffed booth service can also assist. Self-service booths at Asda and Tesco are not suitable for babies, as the child must sit unsupported, face the camera directly and remain still – requirements that are impractical for infants.
The nearest HMPO premium service appointment centres are in London. The closest is the London Victoria Passport Office at 89 Eccleston Square, SW1V 1PN. By rail from Hastings, London is approximately 90 minutes on Southeastern services to Charing Cross or via High Speed to St Pancras. Premium appointments must be booked in advance via the HMPO website and are only available for urgent applications where standard processing time is insufficient.
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