Add Name and Date to a Photo

The photo date is not your date of birth

The date under the photo is the day the photo was taken. Forms ask for it to show the photo is recent. Writing your date of birth there is one of the most common mistakes, and it can get the photo rejected.

• Use the day the photo was taken, not today's date for an old photo.
• Many notices only accept photos taken within a recent period, such as the last few months. Check the exact rule in your notice.
• Pick the date format your notice's sample shows: DD-MM-YYYY, DD/MM/YYYY, DD.MM.YYYY or 07 Nov 2026.

How the name and date strip works

The strip is part of the final image, not added below it. Your photo keeps the width and height you chose; the bottom part becomes a white band with your name on the first line and the date on the second. At the default 3.5 × 4.5 cm and 200 DPI (276 × 354 px), the strip is 64 px tall and the face area is the 290 px above it.

Because the face area gets shorter, the crop box changes shape when you switch the strip on. Re-centre your face, then check the live preview.

Only need the photo itself, without a strip? The 3.5 × 4.5 cm in pixels page lists the pixel size at each DPI and resizes the photo alone.

Step by step

1. Upload a recent photo with a plain, light background.
2. Type your name exactly as on your application, pick the date the photo was taken and the date format.
3. Drag the photo so your face sits in the middle of the crop box, with a little space above your head. The live preview shows the result with the strip.
4. Set the KB range your form gives (the tool starts at 20–50 KB, an example range, not an official one) and check the size, then press Resize to JPG. The check list confirms pixels, KB, format and DPI before you download.

Choosing the text size for the name and date

The name is written in bold on the first line and the date slightly smaller on the second. Text size starts at 14 px and can go from 8 to 32 px. The tool never lets the text grow taller than the strip allows, so a larger number on a small photo may not change anything.

• Look at the preview at its real size. If you have to squint to read the name, raise the text size.
• A long name may not fit at a large size. Lower the size until the whole name shows, or make the photo wider.
• Keep the name the same as on your application: same spelling, same order, initials where the form uses them.

How much room is there? At the default size the 64 px strip holds both lines: the name sits about a third of the way down and the date about two thirds. The text can be at most 22 px tall here, so 14 px leaves a clear gap between the two lines.

Background, colour and border

The strip is always white with dark text, which is what most notice samples show. The photo above it is kept as you took it: the tool does not change the background behind your face or add a border.

• Most notices want a plain white or light background behind the face. Take the photo against a light wall; editing a busy background away rarely looks natural.
• Do not add a frame or border unless the sample photo in your notice has one. A border takes pixels from the face area and can make the photo look like a scan of a print.
• A colour photo is the usual default. Use black and white only if the notice asks for it.

If the form refuses the photo

When the upload page refuses your photo with name and date, check these in order; the first one that fails is usually the cause:

1. File size. Compare the KB on the check list with the form's limit. Outside the range by even 0.1 KB is a fail; set the exact range and resize again.
2. Pixels. If the form names pixels, the width and height must match exactly. Enter them under By pixels or cm.
3. Format. The form usually wants JPG. The tool always saves a real JPG, but a file renamed from PNG or HEIC is not one.
4. Text. If the form accepted the file but the photo was later rejected, check that the date is the photo date, not your date of birth, and that the name is readable and not cut off.

Questions