Passport photo requirements

Most passport photos are rejected for reasons that take thirty seconds to check: the head is too big or too small in the frame, the background is not plain, or the photo is older than six months. This page collects the requirements that actually decide whether your photo survives the clerk’s review — the US rules in full, the equivalents for the EU, UK, China, Canada and Australia, and the eight mistakes that cause most rejections.

If you already know the rules and just want the photo, the passport photo maker crops and recolors any picture to every standard below.

US passport photo requirements (the full checklist)

The U.S. State Department publishes the rules; acceptance agents apply them literally. Here is every requirement that matters:

• Size — exactly 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm).
• Head height — from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head (including hair) must measure 25–35 mm, which is 50–69% of the photo height.
• Eye line — eyes must sit 28–35 mm from the bottom of the photo.
• Position — full face, front view, head centered in the frame, both edges of the face visible.
• Background — plain white or off-white, free of shadows, patterns and other people.
• Recency — taken within the last 6 months, reflecting your current appearance.
• Expression — neutral or a mild natural smile, both eyes open.
• Glasses — not allowed since 2016, unless a signed doctor’s note accompanies the application.
• Headwear — none, except items worn daily for religious purposes (the face must stay fully visible from chin to forehead).
• Attire and devices — no uniforms, no headphones, no wireless hands-free devices. Everyday clothing is fine; the photo is head-and-shoulders.
• Quality — sharp, evenly lit, no shadows on the face or behind the head, no red-eye, printed on glossy photo paper or uploaded digitally.
• Digital upload — for online renewals, at least 600 × 600 pixels on a plain white background.

Baby and child photos

Children of every age need their own compliant photo. The child must be alone in the frame — no hands, arms, pacifiers or supporting chairs visible, which usually means laying a baby on a white sheet and shooting straight down, or draping a white car seat cover. Face the camera, plain white background, same 2 × 2 inch crop and head-height band as adults. US reviewers tolerate closed eyes for infants under one; for older children the standard rules apply in full.

The eight most common rejection reasons

1. Head too large or too small — outside the 25–35 mm (50–69%) band. This single mistake causes a large share of rejections.
2. Eyes below or above the line — the eye-line rule is checked, not just the head height.
3. Non-plain background — shadows, texture, walls with objects, or someone else’s shoulder in frame.
4. Photo older than 6 months — a common trap when reusing an old print.
5. Glasses — including ordinary prescription glasses without a medical note.
6. Shadows on the face or behind the head — usually overhead indoor lighting; diffuse daylight fixes it.
7. Head tilted or turned — even a slight angle breaks the front-view requirement.
8. Print quality — low resolution, visible pixels, or photos printed on plain office paper instead of photo paper.

The same rules by country

• EU / Schengen — 35 × 45 mm, head 70–80% of the photo height, plain light-grey or white background, neutral expression, even lighting (ICAO standard).
• UK — 35 × 45 mm, head 29–34 mm chin-to-crown, plain light-grey or cream background, taken within the last month — the tightest recency rule of the group.
• China — three everyday standards: 1-inch (25 × 35 mm) and 2-inch (35 × 49 mm) for IDs, résumés and exams with white, blue or red backgrounds, and 33 × 48 mm on plain white for visa applications through the COVA portal.
• Canada — 50 × 70 mm with a deliberately smaller head in frame (31–36 mm chin-to-crown), plain white background, photo taken within the last 12 months.
• Australia — 35 × 45 mm, head 32–36 mm chin-to-crown, plain light-coloured background, less than 6 months old.

How to take a compliant photo at home

1. Find daylight — face a window; avoid overhead lamps that cast nose and neck shadows.
2. Get a plain backdrop — a white or off-white wall, a taped sheet, or a white door. One meter of distance between you and the wall kills the background shadow.
3. Frame chest-up — camera at eye level, full face visible, some space above the hair and at both shoulders.
4. Neutral face, both eyes open — look straight into the lens, no tilt.
5. Check the details — no glasses, no headwear, everyday clothes, hair off the face.
6. Crop and recolor with the tool — the passport photo maker removes the background, snaps the crop to your country’s standard and shows the head-position bands while you line it up.

The whole process takes about five minutes with a phone — the rules are strict, but none of them require a studio.

Print versus digital

US applications accept either a 2 × 2 inch print on photo paper or a digital upload for online renewals. Prints need clean edges and no creases — trim exactly on the border, and do not attach paper clips or staples through the image. Digital files need the plain white background at full strength: off-white prints fine, but the online checker prefers clean white. When in doubt, submit fresh: a photo that costs five minutes is cheaper than an application bounced at the counter.

For the interactive version of everything above, head to the passport photo maker or the general background remover.