US passport photo requirements: size, head, background and edits

The US passport photo requirements fit on one page, but the State Department says unacceptable photos are the number one reason it puts passport applications on hold. Most of the rejections come from a handful of things: the head the wrong size, a shadow on the wall, glasses left on, or a photo that was edited. This guide sets out every rule as the State Department’s own passport photo page states it (checked September 2026), then shows how to take a 2x2 photo at home that meets them and how to print it cheaply.

The US passport photo requirements at a glance

Everything below explains the rules that cause trouble, in the order people usually get them wrong.

Size and head position: the 2x2 rule

The printed photo is exactly 2 x 2 inches, which is 51 x 51 mm. Inside that square, the head measures between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches (25 to 35 mm) from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head. That is roughly half to two thirds of the photo’s height. Hair may run past the edge of the photo, as long as the whole head is shown and is the right size.

The State Department’s examples show the two usual faults: a photo taken too close, where the head is too big, and a photo taken too far away or too zoomed out, where it is too small. Its advice is to have the camera several feet (about 1.2 m) away and the head centred.

The practical way to get this right is not to measure in the camera. Take the photo a little wider than you need, with space above the head and on both sides, then crop it to the square afterwards with the head in the band. The State Department’s own visa photo tool crops photos to size for paper applications, so a crop is not the kind of change it rejects; what the passport page warns against is stretching or compressing the image to make it fit.

Background: plain white or off-white

The background must be white or off-white, free of shadows, and plain, without texture, objects or lines. The State Department’s unacceptable examples include a blue background and a wall with visible texture and lines. Its own tip is to hang a white blanket or sheet over a wall that is not white, and to stand several feet away from it, so your shadow does not land behind your head.

A wheelchair head support in the photo is accepted, with a note in the application explaining why the background is not completely white.

The detailed method for getting the wall right, with light placement and a thirty-second check, is in the guide to passport photo backgrounds.

The rule most people miss: no edits at all

The page is blunt about this. Submit the original, unchanged photo, and do not change it using computer software, phone apps, filters or artificial intelligence. Among its unacceptable examples:

• a photo where the background is cropped using a photo retouching tool, changing the outline of the head, face and neck;
• a photo that has been digitally changed to alter your natural appearance, or uses filters;
• red eye covered up with an editing tool (take a new photo with the flash adjusted instead);
• an original photo whose background is not white enough, with the instruction to fix the lighting and background and take a new photo rather than enhancing it;
• a photo that looks fine but was generated by an AI tool from another photo. The State Department says it checks all photos for AI.

So a passport photo app that cuts you out and puts you on white produces exactly the photo the State Department rejects. That is also why a background remover, getPNG included, is the wrong tool for this job. The right tool crops the photo you took and leaves every pixel alone.

Face, expression, glasses and clothing

• Face the camera directly, full face in view, head not tilted, shoulders square.
• Eyes open, with the coloured parts clearly visible and not covered by hair.
• Expression: the paper application page allows a smile with eyes open and mouth closed, and warns against exaggerated expressions.
• Glasses off. Eyeglasses, sunglasses and tinted glasses all come off, and cannot rest on your head. A signed doctor’s note is needed if you cannot remove them for medical reasons.
• Hats and head coverings off, unless worn for religious purposes (with a signed statement that it is religious attire worn daily in public) or medical purposes (with a signed doctor’s statement). Then the full face must be visible, with no shadows, and the covering should be one colour without patterns or small holes.
• No face coverings or medical masks.
• No uniform, clothing that looks like a uniform, or camouflage.
• No headphones or wireless devices in or on the ears.
• Jewellery and facial piercings are fine if they do not hide the face.

Light, sharpness and printing

The light on the face has to be even, with no shadows, and neither overexposed nor underexposed. The page warns against overhead light and lights far off to one side, and against colours that are off, which a camera’s white balance setting can fix.

The photo must be sharp, not blurry, grainy or pixelated, with no visible printer dots. Set the camera to its highest quality. Print on matte or glossy photo-quality paper; photocopies, scans and damaged photos with holes, creases or smudges are not accepted.

Where you can get the photo taken

The State Department lists three options: an acceptance facility that takes the photo when you apply, any company that offers photo services, or a friend or family member. Fees vary between facilities and vendors. A photo taken at home is allowed, as long as it meets every rule above.

Online renewal is different

If you renew online, you upload a digital photo instead of mailing a print, and the digital photo page (checked September 2026) has its own details:

• JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC or HEIF, between 54 KB and 10 MB;
• the bottom of the photo at the edge of your shoulders, near where they meet the arms;
• no photo of a printed photo and no scan;
• the application itself lets you reposition or crop, and checks the basic requirements before you submit.

For online renewal, upload the original photo from the camera and crop it in the application. The same page says not to use a photo created or edited with AI or other digital tools.

How to make a US passport photo at home

1. Set up the wall. A plain white or off-white wall, or a white sheet pulled tight. Stand about 1.2 metres in front of it.
2. Set up the light. Face a window on a bright, overcast day, or put two similar lamps at the same distance either side of the camera. Turn off the overhead light.
3. Take the photo. Someone else holds the phone at your eye level, a few feet away, using the rear camera. Head and shoulders in frame, space above the head. Glasses off, mouth closed, eyes open. Take several.
4. Pick the best one at full size: sharp eyes, no shadow on the wall, both sides of the face equally lit.
5. Crop it to 2 x 2 inches. Open getPNG’s passport photo maker, drop the photo in and choose US passport. The top of the head goes in the upper band and the chin in the lower one; drag the photo or change Head size until they sit there.
6. Print it. Download the 4x6 inch print sheet and order it as a normal 4x6 (10x15 cm) print at a pharmacy, a kiosk or an online lab, at 100 percent with no cropping or border. Cut out one photo along the thin grey lines.

When this does not work

A cropping tool can only work with the photo it is given. It cannot fix:

• A shadow or a grey wall. getPNG’s check tells you when the wall looks too dark or uneven, and the answer is a new photo, not an edit.
• Glasses, a tilted head or closed eyes. The tool does not judge faces. You and the acceptance agent do.
• Uneven light on the face. One dark side is a retake.
• Too little space above the head. If the photo is cropped so tightly that the 2x2 square runs past the edge of your picture, the gap has to be filled with white. Take the photo wider so that never happens.
• A blurry or low-resolution photo. A photo that is soft at full size will be soft printed. A modern phone’s rear camera is plenty; a screenshot or a photo sent by messaging app often is not.
• A selfie at arm’s length. A close lens makes the nose bigger and the ears smaller, and the head often ends up too large. Have someone else take it from a few feet away.

The final decision is always the State Department’s. A photo that passes every check here can still be questioned if it does not look like you.

Photos for children, visas and other countries

A baby’s passport photo follows the same size and background rules, with a few allowances, covered in the guide to baby passport photos. A US visa photo shares the 2x2 size but has its own digital format for the DS-160 and the DV lottery, set out in US visa photo requirements. Other countries have different numbers entirely: a Canadian passport photo is 50 x 70 mm and must be taken by a commercial photographer, as the Canadian passport photo requirements guide explains.

Your passport photo is a clear, front-on picture of your face, which is exactly what a face-matching system or an identity thief wants. Before you upload one to a photo app, read whether it is safe to upload photos online. getPNG does the crop inside your browser, so the photo stays on your device.

The steps, in short

1. Stand in front of a plain white wall. About 1.2 metres (several feet) in front of a white or off-white wall, or a white sheet hung over a darker one, so no shadow falls behind you.
2. Light your face evenly. Face a window or use two lamps at equal distance either side. No overhead light and no flash straight on.
3. Have someone else take it. At eye level, from a few feet away, head and shoulders in the frame with space above the head. Glasses off, neutral expression, eyes open, mouth closed.
4. Crop it to 2 x 2 inches. Drop the photo on getPNG's passport photo maker, choose US passport and check the top of the head and the chin against the guides.
5. Print it on photo paper. Download the 4x6 print sheet, print it at a kiosk or lab at 100 percent with no border, cut out one photo and measure it.

Questions

What size is a US passport photo?

2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm), with the head between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches (25 to 35 mm) from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head, according to the State Department's passport photo page (checked September 2026).

Can I take my own US passport photo at home?

Yes. The State Department lists a friend or family member as one of the places to get a passport photo. It has to meet every rule: plain white or off-white background, even light, no glasses, neutral expression and no digital changes. Have someone else take it rather than a selfie at arm's length, which distorts the face and makes the head the wrong size.

Can I wear glasses in a US passport photo?

No. Take off glasses, sunglasses and tinted glasses, and do not rest them on your head. If you cannot remove them for medical reasons, include a signed note from your doctor with the application.

Can I smile in a US passport photo?

The paper application page says you can smile as long as your eyes are open and your mouth is closed, and asks you to avoid exaggerated expressions. The online renewal page asks for a neutral expression or natural smile without showing teeth. A relaxed, closed mouth passes both.

Can I edit or change the background of my passport photo?

No. The State Department asks for the original photo without filters or digital changes, rejects photos changed with software, phone apps or AI, and shows a background removed with a retouching tool as unacceptable. If the background is wrong, fix the wall and the light and take a new photo.

Is a 2x2 photo the same as a passport photo?

The size is the same, and printed US visa photos are 2 x 2 inches too. What makes it a passport photo is the rest: head size, white background, no glasses, recent and unedited. A 2x2 print of any other photo will not pass.