HOW TO HIRE · EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT

How to hire a photo booth in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Photo booth hire needs no licence in the UK. Here is how to check what happens to guests' photos, what to ask and what the booking must say.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a photo booth in five steps

  1. Ask what happens to the photosStorage, online gallery, deletion, and whether the photo booth firm may use them.
  2. Check it fitsSpace for the booth and a queue, and a socket nearby.
  3. Ask for PAT and insuranceMost venues want both.
  4. Agree prints and propsUnlimited prints or a set number, props and backdrop.
  5. Fix the hoursAnd the cost of an extra hour.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

The law in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland sets no licence, register or qualification for photo booth hire firms. The photos, the prints and the files are what you are buying, so the terms on them matter most.

Get recent references and a written booking from the photo booth before money changes hands.

Guests' photos and data protection

A photo booth firm holds images of your guests, and often their email addresses for sharing. A business processing personal data must pay the ICO data protection fee unless exempt. Section 85 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 lets the person who commissions photos for private and domestic purposes stop them being shown to the public.

Ask the photo booth firm where images are stored, who can see the online gallery, when files are deleted and whether it will use your photos in its marketing. gov.uk →

Safe electrics and insurance for the photo booth firm

The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require electrical equipment that could cause injury — the photo booth firm's the booth, printer and lights included — to be kept safe, though HSE says they do not make yearly PAT testing a legal duty. Venues often ask for a recent PAT record on the booth, printer and lights and for public liability insurance anyway, at a level they set. No law sets an insurance level for this work, but venues commonly name a public liability figure for every supplier. Venues commonly require the photo booth firm's public liability cover.

Get the venue's requirements first, then copies of the photo booth firm's PAT record and cover. Ask the photo booth to send the policy schedule straight to the venue, checking the amount against what the venue asked. hse.gov.uk →

Trader status and cancellation terms

A firm that hires out photo booth for money is a trader; the Consumer Rights Act 2015 says the service must show reasonable care and skill. Because regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 excludes catering and leisure services booked for a set date or period, a change of heart after booking is usually governed by the photo booth's own terms, not a statutory 14 days.

Before paying a deposit, find the clause on what the photo booth keeps if you cancel or move the date. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

Photo booth hire, with prints and an attendant, is standard-rated at 20%. Photo booth hire firms with more than £90,000 of taxable turnover must register for VAT, charge it, and itemise it on every quote and invoice.

Ask the photo booth firm for its VAT number and check the 20% under the hire package. gov.uk →

“Where are the photo booth images stored, and when are they deleted?”

A good answer: A clear answer from the photo booth firm, with a deletion date.

“Will you use our photos in your marketing?”

A good answer: Only with your written agreement, says a good photo booth firm.

“Who can see the online photo gallery?”

A good answer: A private link, or a public gallery only if you agree.

“How much space does the photo booth need?”

A good answer: Dimensions and space for a queue.

“Is the photo booth PAT tested and insured?”

A good answer: Copies for the venue.

“Are prints unlimited?”

A good answer: A clear answer and the print size.

“Is there an attendant?”

A good answer: Yes or no, with hours.

Getting the quote right

  • Booth type, hours and attendant for the photo booth
  • Prints: number, size and design
  • Props, backdrop and guest book
  • Online gallery and file delivery
  • Travel, deposit and cancellation terms
  • The booth firm's VAT number, with VAT under hire, prints and travel
  • Who actually attends the booth, and whether the attendant is employed or subcontracted

Walk away if

  • No answer on where guests' photos are kept
  • Plans to post your photos publicly without asking
  • No PAT record or insurance when the venue asks
  • Prints capped without saying so
LOW
£250
TYPICAL
£400
HIGH
£650

What a photo booth costs: £250–£650 per event

Photo booth hire is priced per event by booth type and hours, with prints, props, a guest book and travel as possible extras. Photo Booth Hire price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Photo booth hire firms near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Set upThe photo booth firm sets up near a socket with space for a queue.
  2. TestCamera, lights and printer tested.
  3. OpenGuests take photos; prints come out, attendant helps.
  4. CloseBooth closes at the agreed time.
  5. DeliveryFiles delivered to you, online gallery set as agreed.

Open-air booth
A booth without an enclosure, fitting bigger groups.
Magic mirror
A full-length mirror booth with on-screen prompts.
360 booth
A platform with a rotating camera for short videos.
Online gallery
A web page where guests can view and download photos.
ICO data protection fee
The fee most businesses that process personal data pay.
Section 85
The 1988 Act's right to stop commissioned private photos being shown publicly.

AFTER

When the job is done

Download the filesSave the photo booth images before any gallery link expires.
Check deletionAsk the firm to confirm when files are deleted, as agreed.
Keep the bookingIt records what the photo booth hire included.
Leave the reviewA few lines on the photo booth firm help others choose, and only booked customers can leave them. If something went wrong, the make-it-right step comes first: the photo booth firm is asked to put it right before the review goes live.

STEP 1Put it to the photo booth in writingWrite down what went wrong — a booth not working, prints running out, late set-up — and what would put it right, then send it by email or message. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (section 49) the photo booth owed you reasonable care and skill, and if an event cannot be repeated the remedy is money off, which can be the full fee.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyRate the photo booth below four stars and you are asked whether to send the problem to them first; we follow it through, then your review is published.
STEP 3Free consumer advicePhoto booth hire firms answer to no trade regulator. If the trader will not engage, Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) covers England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) covers Scotland, and Consumerline (0300 123 6262) covers Northern Ireland; each can pass a complaint about photo booth hire firms to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Money the photo booth will not returnA claim against a photo booth can go to court without a solicitor: up to £10,000 on the small claims track in England and Wales, up to £5,000 under simple procedure in the sheriff court in Scotland, and up to £5,000 in the small claims court in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a photo booth: questions people ask

None applies anywhere in the UK. The protection is the written hire agreement for the photo booth, backed by the firm's public liability cover.

Agree it in writing. Under section 85 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, the person who commissions photos for private and domestic purposes can stop them being shown to the public.

£250 to £650 per event, typically around £400. For the factors behind the range, open the photo booth hire price guide; for real prices, search your area above.

Often, but not always; check the quote.

A few metres for the booth and room for a queue; ask for dimensions.

Usually through an online gallery or a download link; check how long it stays up.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in events & entertainment

How to hire: Event Lighting HireHow to hire: Backdrop & Drapery HireHow to hire: Wedding DJHow to hire: Mobile DiscoHow to hire: CaricaturistHow to hire: Event DecoratorHow to hire: Party PlannerHow to hire: Wedding PlannerAll 701 hiring guides →

Photo booth hire firms near you

Photo booth hire firms in LondonPhoto booth hire firms in ManchesterPhoto booth hire firms in BirminghamPhoto booth hire firms in GlasgowPhoto booth hire firms in BelfastAll photo booth hire firms on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — pay the data protection fee
  2. Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 85 — privacy of commissioned photographs
  3. HSE — portable appliance testing FAQs
  4. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  6. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  7. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money
  8. nidirect — small claims process
  9. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  10. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  11. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register