The short version
- Stand several feet in front of a plain white or off-white wall (or a white sheet).
- Face a window for soft, even light; turn off overhead lights that cast shadows.
- Have someone take the photo from about 4 feet away at eye level, with the camera on its highest quality setting.
- Take off glasses, hats and headphones; look straight at the camera, eyes open, mouth closed.
- Take 10 or more shots and keep the sharpest one. Do not apply filters or edit the background.
- Crop to a square so the head is 1 to 1 3/8 inches on a 2 x 2 inch print, then print on photo paper.
What you need
A phone camera is enough. What matters more is a helper, a light-colored wall and daylight. If nobody can help, prop the phone on a shelf or a stack of books at eye level and use the self-timer.
The wall has to read as plain white or off-white in the photo. A cream or very light gray wall can pass; a colored wall, wallpaper, a door with panels or a bookshelf will not. A white bedsheet pulled flat over a door or a curtain rod fixes most homes.
The rules
- The State Department lists three places to get a passport photo: an acceptance facility, any company that offers photo services, or a friend or family member. travel.state.gov
- For a non-white wall, the State Department suggests covering it with a white blanket or sheet. travel.state.gov
- Before taking a passport photo, the State Department asks for the camera to be set to its highest quality setting. travel.state.gov
Set up the light before you pose
Get the light right first. Stand facing a window on a bright day, with the window behind the person holding the phone. Daylight from the front fills the face evenly and keeps skin tones natural.
Turn off ceiling lights. A single bulb overhead lights the forehead and leaves dark circles under the eyes and nose; a lamp off to one side lights half the face. If one side is still darker, a sheet of white paper or a white towel held just out of frame on that side bounces light back.
The rules
- The State Department requires uniform lighting on the face and warns that overhead lights or lights far off to the side can cast shadows that hide facial features. travel.state.gov
- Light that is too bright overexposes a passport photo, and light that is too dim underexposes it; both are problems for the State Department. travel.state.gov
Stand in the right place
Stand several feet in front of the wall, not against it. The gap lets your shadow fall on the floor instead of on the wall behind your head, and it is what the State Department recommends.
Our tip for the camera: have your helper stand about 4 feet away, hold the phone at your eye level and use 2x zoom if the phone has it. An arm’s-length selfie puts the lens close to the face, which tends to tilt the head and make the nose look larger. Leave space above the head and include the shoulders; the square crop comes later.
The rule
- The State Department asks passport applicants to center the head and shoulders and to stand several feet away from a white background or wall. travel.state.gov
Pose: face, eyes, glasses and clothes
Face the camera straight on, with the head level and the shoulders square. Keep both eyes open and visible (push hair away from them), and close your mouth. A natural smile is fine; a wide grin is not.
Take off glasses, including sunglasses resting on your head, plus hats, headphones and earbuds. Wear everyday clothes; anything that looks like a uniform or camouflage is out. Jewelry and facial piercings can stay if they do not hide the face.
The rules
- In a U.S. passport photo, the applicant faces the camera directly with the full face in view and the head not tilted. travel.state.gov
- A smile is allowed in a U.S. passport photo, provided the eyes are open and the mouth is closed. travel.state.gov
- Eyeglasses, sunglasses and tinted glasses must come off for a U.S. passport photo and cannot rest on the head. travel.state.gov
Take many shots, keep one, edit nothing
Take 10 or more photos in a burst, moving nothing between them, and pick the sharpest one with both eyes open. Turn off portrait mode and beauty filters before you start: they smooth the face or blur the edges of the hair.
If the background came out gray, blotchy or shadowed, do not fix it in an app. The State Department checks every photo for digital changes and lists a background cut out with a retouching tool as unacceptable. Fix the light and the wall, then take the photo again.
The rules
- The State Department rejects passport photos changed with computer software, phone apps or filters, and says it checks every photo for digital enhancement or alteration. travel.state.gov
- When a passport photo’s background is not plain white or off-white, the State Department says to fix the lighting and background and take a new photo. travel.state.gov
Crop to 2 x 2 inches and print
The finished print is a 2 x 2 inch square. Crop so the head, from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head, is between 1 and 1 3/8 inches on that square: roughly half to two thirds of the photo’s height. Hair can run off the top edge as long as the whole head fits the measurement.
For a paper application or a mail-in renewal, print on matte or glossy photo paper. For online renewal you upload the digital file instead, so no print is needed.
The rules
- The U.S. Department of State requires a printed passport photo of 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm), with the head 1 to 1 3/8 inches (25 to 35 mm) from chin to top of head. travel.state.gov
- For online renewal, the photo is a JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC or HEIF file between 54 KB and 10 MB. travel.state.gov
FAQ
Can I take my own passport photo with a selfie?
You can, but a helper usually gets a better result. The State Department accepts photos taken by a friend or family member; what it checks is the result: head size, a plain white or off-white background, even light, an unedited image. If you are alone, prop the phone at eye level about 4 feet away and use the timer. Source: official page "Passport Photos", checked on Oct 25, 2026.
What if my walls are not white?
Hang a white sheet or blanket flat behind you, as the State Department suggests, and stand several feet in front of it. Replacing the background in an app is not an option: the State Department lists software-cut backgrounds as unacceptable. Source: official page "Passport Photos", checked on Oct 25, 2026.
Can I use the same photo for online renewal?
Yes, as the digital file: a JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC or HEIF between 54 KB and 10 MB, taken in the last 6 months. Frame it so the bottom edge falls at your shoulders. Do not photograph or scan a printed copy. Source: official page "Uploading a Digital Photo", checked on Oct 25, 2026.
Where this information comes from
Every rule on this page comes from a page published by the U.S. Department of State and the companies named, read on the date shown. We rewrite each rule in plain words and link to the page it came from. Each rule has a review deadline; one that passes it without a new check comes off the page.
- Passport Photos travel.state.gov · checked Oct 25, 2026
- Uploading a Digital Photo travel.state.gov · checked Oct 25, 2026
Something here out of date? Tell us and we will check it against the official page.