Passport Photo Requirements: Size, Background and Rejection Reasons

A US passport photo has to meet a short list of exact rules: 2 x 2 inches, a head 1 to 1 3/8 inches tall, a plain white or off-white background, no glasses and no edits. Miss one and your application can stall: unacceptable photos are the top reason the State Department puts passport applications on hold. Below are the rules with their measurements, 10 rejection reasons and their fixes, and the online renewal and UK rules.

Passport photo size: 2 x 2 inches, with a 1 to 1 3/8 inch head

A US passport photo is judged on 2 measurements: the size of the print, and how much of it your head fills.

A 35 x 45 mm photo, about 1 3/8 by 1 3/4 inches, is the wrong shape for a US passport. It is the size the UK uses for printed passport photos and the size the Dutch visa checklist asks for with a Schengen visa application. It works the other way too: visa photo sizes are set country by country, so a spare 2 x 2 inch passport print is the wrong shape for that Dutch visa.

Hair can run past the edges of the photo, as long as your full head is in the frame. A head smaller than 1 inch usually means the camera was too far away, and one larger than 1 3/8 inches means it was too close. Either one makes the photo unacceptable.

Background, shadows and print quality

The background must be plain white or off-white, with no shadows, texture, objects or lines. A blue or patterned wall fails, and the State Department’s own fix is to hang a white sheet over it.

A paper application needs a print on matte or glossy photo-quality paper, taken at the camera’s highest quality setting. Photocopies and scanned photos are not accepted, and neither is a print with red eye, holes, creases, smudges or visible printer dots.

Smiling, glasses, head coverings and clothing

Face the camera with a neutral expression, both eyes open and your mouth closed. A closed-mouth smile is allowed on a paper application, and the online renewal photo page allows a natural smile but asks you to avoid showing teeth. Avoid exaggerated expressions.

Everyday clothes are fine, T-shirts included. Uniforms, clothing that looks like a uniform and camouflage are not, and headphones, other wireless devices and face masks come off. Jewelry and facial piercings can stay if they do not hide your face.

Why passport photos get rejected, and the fix for each

Each problem below breaks a rule on the State Department’s photo page, and each one can be fixed before you apply.

Problem	Rule it breaks	Fix
Shadow on the face or the wall	No shadows	Light the face evenly from the front, a step away from the wall
Blue, gray or patterned wall	Plain white or off-white	Hang a white sheet behind you
Glasses on, or pushed up on the head	Glasses come off	Remove them; a medical exception needs a signed doctor’s note
Head too small or too large	Head 1 to 1 3/8 in, chin to top	Reprint or retake at the right size
Red eye	No red eye	Retake it; an app fix is an edit
Background removed or swapped by an app	No software changes	Reshoot against a real white wall or sheet
Printer dots, creases, holes or smudges	Photo-quality paper, undamaged	Reprint on photo paper and keep it flat
Photocopy or scan of a photo	Not accepted	Send an original print
Photo older than 6 months	Taken in the last 6 months	Take a new photo
Hat, headphones or face mask on	They come off	Remove them; a religious or medical head covering needs its signed statement

This is an invented sample. Marcus Reyes plans to mail his US passport renewal on 8 February 2027. His partner took his photo at home on 14 December 2026 and printed it on glossy photo paper.

Check	His photo	Result
Print size	2 x 2 inches	Passes
Head, chin to top of head	1 1/2 inches (38 mm)	Fails: over 1 3/8 inches
Age on the day he mails it	8 weeks	Passes: under 6 months
Background	Off-white wall, shadow behind his left shoulder	Fails: no shadows allowed
Glasses	Reading glasses pushed up on his head	Fails: not even resting on the head
Editing	Brightened in a phone app	Fails: any software change counts

4 of 6 checks fail. They reshoot in daylight facing a window, glasses off and no app, and a photo service prints it with his head at 1 1/4 inches (32 mm).

Passport photos for babies, children and wheelchair users

No other person can appear in a child’s passport photo, so lay a baby on a plain white sheet, or in a car seat covered with a white sheet, rather than holding them up to the camera. The child faces the camera with a neutral expression. A baby’s eyes do not have to be fully open, but every other child needs both eyes open.

Wheelchair users can have part of the wheelchair’s head support in the photo. Add a note to the application explaining the background.

How to take a passport photo at home or on your phone

A passport photo can be taken at a passport acceptance facility, at any photo service, or by a friend or family member. So a phone photo taken at home by someone else works, as long as it clears every rule above.

7 steps to a passport photo at home

1. Ask a friend or family member to take the photo.
2. Stand in front of a plain white or off-white wall, or hang a white sheet behind you.
3. Light your face evenly from the front so no shadow falls on your face or the wall.
4. Take off glasses, hats, headphones and any face mask.
5. Look straight at the camera with a neutral expression, both eyes open and your mouth closed.
6. Shoot at the camera’s highest quality setting, with no filter, beauty mode or background effect.
7. Print at 2 x 2 inches on photo paper with the head at 1 to 1 3/8 inches, or keep the unedited file for an online renewal.

Online renewal and UK passport photo rules

An online renewal skips the print and takes a digital file, which the upload tool checks first and a State Department employee then reviews. The file cannot be a photo of a printed photo or a scan, and the State Department asks you not to send it by text message.

UK passport photos run on a shorter clock: a UK photo must have been taken in the last month, and every new UK passport needs a new photo even if your appearance has not changed. The UK photo rules also allow glasses you have to wear, as long as they are not tinted and neither the frames nor glare cover your eyes. Printed UK photos need a cream or light grey background.

Application	What you submit	Size	Taken within	Expression	Not accepted
US passport, paper form	1 printed color photo	2 x 2 in (51 x 51 mm), head 1 to 1 3/8 in	6 months	Neutral, or a smile with the mouth closed	Photocopies, scans, edited photos
US passport, online renewal	1 digital file: JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC or HEIF	54 KB to 10 MB	6 months	Neutral, or a natural smile without teeth	A photo of a print, a scan
UK passport, paper form	2 identical printed photos	45 mm high, 35 mm wide, head 29 to 34 mm	1 month	Plain, mouth closed	A cut-down larger picture, software edits
UK passport, online	1 digital photo, from a booth code or your own device	At least 600 x 750 pixels, 50 KB to 10 MB	1 month	Plain, mouth closed	Software edits; do not crop it yourself

When you need a new passport photo, or a new passport

Every US passport application needs a new photo taken in the last 6 months: a first passport, a renewal, or the in-person Form DS-11 application that replaces a damaged passport. That last one also needs a signed statement explaining the damage. The 6-month limit covers the photo only, and it runs separately from the rules on how long your passport must stay valid when you travel.

A change in how you look rarely calls for a new passport. The State Department asks for one only after a significant change in appearance: significant facial surgery or trauma, adding or removing many large facial piercings or tattoos, or a significant weight loss or gain. A new hairstyle or hair color is not on that list.