Home / Passport Photo Code Not Working?
Work through these checks
- Confirm you received a photo code, rather than just a digital image or an order reference.
- Copy the code exactly from the delivery message, without extra spaces.
- Check you are entering it in the photo-code field of the online UK passport application.
- Read any validity instructions supplied with the code; do not assume every supplier uses the same terms.
- If the wrong photograph appears or the error continues, stop and contact the supplier.
Keep these details for support
Email photocodeuk@gmail.com or call +44 7702 396886. For an existing order, include your order reference and the exact error message. Never send card details or your passport application password.
If your code came from another provider, contact that provider. We cannot retrieve or change another supplier’s code.
A code error and a rejected photograph are different
A retrieval problem does not establish whether the image meets the photo rules. Read about rejected photographs or learn how photo codes work.
Guidance checked on 10 October 2026 against GOV.UK passport photo guidance and its digital and printed photo guide. HM Passport Office makes the final acceptance decision.