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Form N-600 photo requirements

Form N-600 photo: size and rules

As of November 3, 2026, Form N-600 photos come only from applicants living abroad: two matching 2 x 2 in prints, head 1 to 1 3/8 in on white to off-white. U.S. residents go to an ASC (per uscis.gov, checked on Nov 3, 2026).

Most people applying for a Certificate of Citizenship no longer mail photos: USCIS wants them only from applicants residing outside the United States, military members abroad included.

When a parent or legal guardian files Form N-600 for a minor, the photo rules refer to the child seeking the certificate, not to the adult filing.

Updated Rules checked against uscis.govHow we check

Measured drawing: Form N-600 photo2 in2 in1 3/8 in1 inchin1.2 in, our target
Form N-600 photo. Printed size 2 x 2 in. Head 1 to 1 3/8 in, measured from the chin to the top of the hair. The coral dot is where our tool places the top of the head (60% of the height).

Form N-600 photo at a glance

Printed size
2 x 2 inuscis.gov
Head height
1 to 1 3/8 inuscis.gov
Background
White to off-whiteuscis.gov
Prints needed
2 identical photosuscis.gov

Questions people ask

Who has to send photos with Form N-600?

Only applicants who live outside the United States, service members stationed abroad among them. They mail a paper application, since filing online from outside the U.S. is not available for now, and enclose two matching color prints made recently.

Anyone living in the U.S. sends no photos at all. USCIS schedules a visit to a nearby application support center and takes the pictures there.

Sources: uscis.gov (pages 1, 2)

How are N-600 photos measured and printed?

Square prints of 2 by 2 inches, face toward the camera. The head, hair top to chin, spans 1 to 1 3/8 inches, and the top of the eyes falls between 1 1/8 and 1 3/8 inches above the lower edge; the background is white or off-white.

Thin glossy paper, never mounted or retouched. Pencil or felt pen, pressed lightly, for the name and any A-Number on the back.

Source: uscis.gov

Whose photo goes with an N-600 filed for a child?

The child’s. In the N-600 instructions, “you” means the person the Certificate of Citizenship is for, so a parent or guardian signing for a minor living abroad sends photos of the minor, not of themselves.

Source: uscis.gov

Every rule, with its source

Size and head position

  • Each photo for the N-600 is a square of 2 by 2 inches showing the face from the front. uscis.gov
  • Measured from the top of the hair down to the chin, the head in an N-600 photo spans 1 to 1 3/8 inches. uscis.gov
  • From the top of the eyes to the lower edge of the print, the N-600 instructions allow 1 1/8 to 1 3/8 inches. uscis.gov

Background

  • The background of a Certificate of Citizenship photo is white or off-white. uscis.gov

Glasses, head coverings and clothing

  • Nothing covers the head in an N-600 photo except headwear that the applicant’s religious denomination requires. uscis.gov

Editing and filters

  • N-600 prints go on thin, glossy photo paper and must not be mounted or retouched. uscis.gov

Printed photo

  • From abroad, the Certificate of Citizenship application carries two identical color photographs in passport style, taken recently. uscis.gov
  • On the back of each N-600 photo goes the person’s name, plus the A-Number when there is one, written lightly in pencil or felt pen. uscis.gov

Babies and children

  • When a parent or legal guardian files Form N-600 for a minor, the photo rules refer to the child seeking the certificate, not to the adult filing. uscis.gov

Where photos come from

  • Most people applying for a Certificate of Citizenship no longer mail photos: USCIS wants them only from applicants residing outside the United States, military members abroad included. uscis.gov
  • An N-600 applicant who lives in the United States is photographed at a local application support center, by appointment. uscis.gov
  • Online filing of Form N-600 is not open, for now, to anyone applying from outside the U.S. uscis.gov

Who reviews the photo

  • USCIS can still call the person seeking the certificate in for an interview or biometrics, which include a photograph, at any point before deciding. uscis.gov

FAQ

Does my child need passport photos for a Certificate of Citizenship if we live in the U.S.?

No. Applicants residing in the United States receive an appointment at an application support center, and USCIS takes the photographs there. Source: official page "N-600, Application for Certificate of Citizenship | USCIS", checked on Nov 3, 2026.

Can I upload N-600 photos online from abroad?

Not at the moment: USCIS says applicants outside the U.S. cannot currently file Form N-600 online, so the two prints travel with the mailed application. Source: official pages "N-600, Application for Certificate of Citizenship | USCIS" and "Instructions for Form N-600 (edition 01/20/25) › Photographs", checked on Nov 3, 2026.

Is SelfieToPassport U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services?

No. SelfieToPassport is not affiliated with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services or any other government agency. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services publishes the photo rules for free at uscis.gov; this page links to each one.

Does SelfieToPassport replace the background of a Form N-600 photo?

For U.S. documents we crop and resize your original photo. We do not replace the background: the State Department lists photos with a background cut out by software as unacceptable.

Ready? Free preview with the measurements drawn on your photo; $6.95 for the digital file and both print sheets.

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Where this information comes from

Every rule on this page comes from a page published by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, 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.

Something here out of date? Tell us and we will check it against the official page.