U.S. online passport renewal photo requirements
As of October 25, 2026, to renew a U.S. passport online, you upload a color JPG, PNG, HEIC or HEIF photo of 54 KB to 10 MB, taken within 6 months and never edited or filtered (per travel.state.gov, checked on Oct 25, 2026).
Online renewal applicants should frame the picture so it ends at the outer edge of the shoulders, just where the shoulders join the arms.
Only a passport that is or was valid for 10 years qualifies for online renewal, and it must expire within 1 year or have expired less than 5 years earlier.
One color image no older than 6 months, saved as JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC or HEIF and weighing between 54 KB and 10 MB. Keep it on the device you will renew from, at the camera’s highest quality, and avoid forwarding it by text message.
The file must come straight from a camera. A scan of a print, or a phone picture of a print, does not qualify.
Source: travel.state.gov
Face the lens without tilting, stand several feet back, and keep the head centered and fully visible. The bottom of the picture should stop at the shoulders, near where they meet the arms.
The renewal pages give no pixel size or head percentage. Leaving a little room around the face is fine, because the application lets you crop and reposition the photo after you upload it.
Source: travel.state.gov
No. Filters, retouching apps and design software are all off the table, and the State Department checks every upload for digital changes. That includes fixing red eye and swapping or cleaning up the background.
If the wall is not plain white or off-white, or the light is uneven, the fix is a new photo: hang a white sheet, find a well-lit spot with natural light and shoot again.
Source: travel.state.gov
Adults 25 or older whose passport was issued for 10 years and expires within the next year or expired less than 5 years ago. You cannot change your name or sex, you must be in a U.S. state or territory, and you should not be traveling for at least 6 weeks.
The renewal is filed on opr.travel.state.gov by the applicant personally. Third-party services cannot submit it.
Source: travel.state.gov
The online renewal checklist asks for a digital passport photo, which you upload into the application. The State Department’s rules for printed photos are written for paper applications. Source: official pages "Renew Your Passport Online" and "Passport Photos", checked on Oct 25, 2026.
The upload tool flags basic problems right away so you can try another photo. After you submit, an employee still reviews the photo, and if it fails you get a letter or email asking for a new one, which you must answer within 90 days. Source: official pages "Uploading a Digital Photo" and "Renew Your Passport Online", checked on Oct 25, 2026.
No. The State Department says you must complete your own online application at opr.travel.state.gov, and no third-party service may submit it on your behalf. Source: official page "Renew Your Passport Online", checked on Oct 25, 2026.
No. SelfieToPassport is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of State or any other government agency. The U.S. Department of State publishes the photo rules for free at travel.state.gov; this page links to each one.
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.
Make my U.S. online passport renewal photoEvery rule on this page comes from a page published by the U.S. Department of State, 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.
