UK driving licence photo: DVLA rules, done right.

A recent printed passport-type photo: 45 mm high by 35 mm wide, in colour, clear and in focus, taken against a plain light-coloured background with clear contrast, no shadows on your face or behind you, facing forward with a plain expression and your mouth closed, eyes open and visible, no hair across the eyes, and no head covering unless worn for religious or medical reasons.

No. GOV.UK is explicit for postal applications: send 'a recent printed passport type photo (do not sign the back of the photo)'. This is the opposite of what some other document applications ask for and the single most common point of confusion, so leave the back blank.

For current DVLA applications, nobody needs to. The requirement to have a photo countersigned belonged to older paper processes; today the postal instruction is simply not to write on the back. If you are completing a D1 form, follow the form's own instructions and leave the photo unmarked.

Yes, the print is the standard UK passport-photo size, 45 mm high by 35 mm wide, which is why photo booths label it 'passport and driving licence'. The composition rules are effectively the same too, so one good session can serve both applications.

Only if it is a genuinely recent print, not the one already inside your passport. When you renew online, DVLA can reuse the digital photo and signature held on your passport record if you have a valid UK passport, which removes the need for a new photo altogether. Postal applications need a fresh printed photo enclosed.

Every 10 years. A photocard licence must be renewed on that cycle even if nothing about you has changed, and DVLA sends a reminder before it expires. Renewing online costs 14 pounds, at a Post Office 21.50 pounds, and by post 17 pounds.

For the postal route you need a professionally printed passport-type photo, so shoot it at home if you like but print it at a photo counter rather than on a home printer. Booths work too. The composition rules (plain light background, no shadows, neutral expression) are what actually decide acceptance.

The usual reasons mirror passport rejections: shadows on the face or background, insufficient contrast with the background, hair over the eyes, glare on glasses, a tilted head, or an edited photo. DVLA also rejects photos that are not recent or that have been written on.

Northern Ireland runs its own licensing service (DVA) rather than DVLA and publishes its own photo guidance, though the format is the same 45 x 35 mm passport-type photo on a light grey or cream background. Check the NI guidance if you are applying there.