{"id":1691,"date":"2026-03-21T16:45:26","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T16:45:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/?p=1691"},"modified":"2026-05-24T11:28:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T11:28:09","slug":"here-are-the-official-u-s-passport-photo-requirements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/here-are-the-official-u-s-passport-photo-requirements\/","title":{"rendered":"Here are the official U.S. passport photo requirements"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are the official <strong>U.S. passport photo requirements<\/strong> as of now:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1. Size and format<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Photo dimensions:<\/strong> 2 \u00d7 2 inches (51 \u00d7 51 mm)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Head size:<\/strong> 1\u20131 3\/8 inches (25\u201335 mm) from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Color:<\/strong> Full-color, not black and white<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>File format (for online submissions):<\/strong> JPEG if submitting digitally<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. Background<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Plain <strong>white or off-white<\/strong> background<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>No patterns, textures, or shadows<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3. Pose and expression<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Face forward<\/strong> and <strong>centered<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Neutral expression<\/strong> or <strong>natural smile<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Both eyes open<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>No tilting or turning<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>4. Clothing and headwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Everyday clothing<\/strong> (no uniforms)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>No hats or head coverings<\/strong> except for <strong>religious purposes<\/strong>; face must remain visible from bottom of chin to top of forehead<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>No glasses<\/strong> (since November 1, 2016, glasses are not allowed unless medically necessary)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>No headphones, wireless hands-free devices, or other accessories<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>5. Lighting and image quality<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Even lighting, <strong>no shadows<\/strong> on face or background<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>No red-eye, glare, or pixelation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Photo must be <strong>in focus and high resolution<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>6. Recent photo<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Taken <strong>within the last 6 months<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reflects your <strong>current appearance<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>7. Other notes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Children and infants: may be photographed with a plain background; no hands or toys visible in the photo<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Digital submissions (for renewals online) must meet size, resolution, and file format requirements<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here\u2019s a step-by-step guide to <strong>take a compliant U.S. passport photo at home<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1. Gather your materials<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A digital camera, smartphone with a good camera, or DSLR<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Plain <strong>white or off-white wall or backdrop<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Adequate <strong>natural or bright artificial lighting<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tripod or a stable surface<\/strong> for your camera\/phone<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. Set up the background<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Make sure the background is <strong>uniform, light-colored, and free of shadows<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Avoid textured walls, curtains with patterns, or anything distracting<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3. Position yourself<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Stand <strong>3\u20135 feet<\/strong> from the wall to avoid shadows<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Keep your <strong>body straight and facing the camera<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Center your <strong>head and shoulders<\/strong> in the frame<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Keep a <strong>neutral expression<\/strong> (no exaggerated smile) and both <strong>eyes open<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>4. Lighting<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Use <strong>soft, even lighting<\/strong> from the front<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Avoid overhead lighting that casts shadows<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make sure your face is fully visible, with <strong>no shadows on the face or background<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>5. Take the photo<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Camera at <strong>eye level<\/strong>, about 4\u20136 feet from the subject<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Keep <strong>head centered<\/strong>, eyes open, mouth closed<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Take several shots to choose the best one<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>6. Check the photo<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Head size should be <strong>1\u20131 3\/8 inches (25\u201335 mm)<\/strong> from chin to crown<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Photo size should be <strong>2 \u00d7 2 inches (51 \u00d7 51 mm)<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Background plain and white<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Face fully visible, no glasses, hats, or other obstructions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>7. Crop and resize<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Use free online tools like the <strong>U.S. Passport Photo Tool<\/strong> to adjust size, crop, and check compliance:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Website: <a href=\"https:\/\/travel.state.gov\/content\/travel\/en\/passports\/how-apply\/photos.html\">https:\/\/travel.state.gov\/content\/travel\/en\/passports\/how-apply\/photos.html<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>8. Print or submit digitally<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Print:<\/strong> Use <strong>glossy or matte photo paper<\/strong>, 2 \u00d7 2 inches, true color<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Digital submission:<\/strong> Save as <strong>JPEG<\/strong>, meet the State Department\u2019s file size and resolution requirements (min 600 \u00d7 600 pixels, max 1200 \u00d7 1200 pixels, file &lt;240 KB if online)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2705 <strong>Tip:<\/strong> Take a few test shots and check them against the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/travel.state.gov\/content\/travel\/en\/us-visas\/visa-information-resources\/photos.html\">State Department photo requirements<\/a><\/strong> before printing or submitting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here are the official U.S. passport photo requirements as of now: 1. Size and format 2. Background 3. Pose and expression 4. Clothing and headwear 5. Lighting and image quality 6. Recent photo 7. Other notes Here\u2019s a step-by-step guide to take a compliant U.S. passport photo at home: 1. Gather your materials 2. Set &#8230; <a title=\"Here are the official U.S. passport photo requirements\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/here-are-the-official-u-s-passport-photo-requirements\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Here are the official U.S. passport photo requirements\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":1693,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personal","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1691"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1691\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}