Rules

Glasses in Passport Photos: Rules in 10 Countries

Can you wear glasses in a passport photo? Official rules for the US, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, NZ, India, France, Germany and Spain.

By Antoine Duno
Published October 20, 202611 min read

Specs verified on September 16, 2026 against the issuing authority

Whether you can keep your glasses on for a passport photo depends on which country issues the document, and sometimes on which document from the same country. The United States says no. Canada says yes for a passport. India says yes for a passport and no for an e-Visa. And almost everyone who says yes adds conditions that are easy to fail on a phone photo: no glare, no tint, no frame across the eye.

We read each authority's own page for this guide on September 16, 2026. Where a government site refused automated readers, we used an official mirror or an archived copy of the same page, and say so in the sources. The authority that issues your document makes the final decision on your photo.

Glasses in passport and visa photosSpecs verified on September 16, 2026

US passport: Off; medical exception with doctor's note
US visa (DS-160, DS-260): Off since Nov 1, 2016; rare medical exception
US DV lottery entry: Off
UK passport: Only if you have to; no tint, glare or frames over eyes
Ireland passport: Allowed; frames clear of eyes, no glare
Canada passport: Allowed; eyes clearly visible, no glare, no tint
Canada visitor visa: Non-tinted prescription glasses allowed
Australia passport: Off unless medical; eyesight alone not a reason
New Zealand passport: Allowed if not tinted or thick-framed
India passport: Allowed; no coloured or dark glasses
India e-Visa: Without spectacles
France passport and ID card: Optional; thin frames, no tint or reflection
Germany (UK missions), Spain (LA): Frames clear of eyes; no dark or reflective lenses

Why so many authorities have gone strict on glasses

Every rule in the table protects the same thing: a clear view of the eyes. The US visa FAQ names the three ways glasses get in the way, and the other authorities use versions of the same list. Frames can cover part of the eye. Glare on the lens can hide it. And there can be "shadows or refraction from the eyeglasses" that obscure it.

The countries that allow glasses don't relax any of those conditions. They leave it to your photo to show there is no problem. The countries that ban glasses skip the question and ask you to take them off.

United States: off, for every document

Passport. The State Department's passport photo page is short on this: "Take off any eyeglasses, sunglasses, or tinted glasses. Do not rest them on your head for the photo." Its unacceptable examples include a photo with glasses pushed up on the head. The exception reads: "If you cannot remove your glasses for medical reasons, please include a signed note from your doctor with your application." The rest of the US passport rules are in our US passport photo requirements guide.

Visas. The visa photo FAQ dates the change: "Effective November 1, 2016, eyeglasses are no longer allowed in new visa photos, except in rare circumstances when eyeglasses cannot be removed for medical reasons." It gives ocular surgery as the example and requires "a medical statement signed by a medical professional/health practitioner." Even with the statement, the frames must not cover the eyes and there must be no glare, shadow or refraction obscuring them. This applies to the DS-160 upload and to the prints you bring to an immigrant visa interview.

DV lottery. The Diversity Visa instructions, as published on the U.S. Embassy in Cameroon's site, say only: "Do not wear eyeglasses." They offer no medical exception. They do allow a hearing device you normally wear, which trips people up in the other direction; more on devices in our guide to hearing aids and medical devices in passport photos.

Passport photo rejected because the subject is wearing eyeglasses — Eyeglasses on. Refused for US passports and visas, the DV lottery and Australian passports without a medical reason.

Passport photo without glasses on a plain white background — Glasses off, eyes open and fully visible, even light. This passes every rule in this guide.

United Kingdom: only if you have to

GOV.UK uses the same sentence on its digital and printed photo pages: "Do not wear glasses in your photo unless you have to do so. If you must wear glasses, they cannot be sunglasses or tinted glasses, and you must make sure your eyes are not covered by the frames or any glare, reflection or shadow."

"Unless you have to" is not defined, and GOV.UK doesn't ask for a medical note. The practical reading: if you can take them off for a few seconds, take them off. If you keep them on, every part of the second sentence has to hold, and a reflection over one eye is enough to break it. Our UK passport photo requirements guide has the rest of the UK rules.

Ireland: allowed, with the eyes clear

Ireland is one of the more permissive authorities. The Department of Foreign Affairs' photo guidelines say: "You can wear glasses. The frame must not cover any part of your eyes. There must be no glare on the lenses. Dark glasses are not permitted." Its FAQ repeats the point with one extra word: "Transparent glasses may be worn so long as they do not cause glare or shadows or the frames do not cover any part of the eye."

Canada: allowed for passports and visitor visas

Passport. IRCC's page on photos for Canadian passports (modified February 11, 2026) accepts "glasses, if your eyes are clearly visible and there is no glare on the lenses." It refuses "sunglasses or tinted eye glasses," and adds a line other countries leave implicit: "This includes prescription lenses, even when your eyes are clearly visible." Canada also requires a commercial photographer for passport photos, so a studio will be taking the shot. Ask them to check the lenses before printing. The Canada passport photo requirements guide covers the stamp and the rest.

Visitor visa. IRCC's temporary resident visa photo specifications say: "You may wear non-tinted prescription glasses as long as your eyes are clearly visible. Make sure that the frame does not cover any part of your eyes. Sunglasses are not acceptable." Note the word prescription: fashion frames with plain lenses aren't what the rule describes.

Australia: off, and eyesight is not the exception

The Australian Passport Office is the strictest of the countries that offer an exception. Its photo guidelines say: "You must not wear glasses in a passport photo unless you can't remove them for medical reasons. Vision impairment alone is not an acceptable reason to wear glasses in your photo." If a medical reason applies, the frames must not obscure your eyes and there must be no reflection from the lenses. For any rule you cannot meet because of a medical condition, the page asks you to provide a medical certificate or complete a B-11 form explaining why.

That sentence about vision impairment answers the question most people with strong prescriptions ask. Not being able to see without glasses is not the medical reason. The Australia passport photo requirements guide covers the print rules, which are a separate problem.

New Zealand: allowed if not tinted or thick-framed

New Zealand's passport photo guide says you "can wear prescription glasses in your photo if they are not tinted or thick-framed," with no sunglasses, and asks for "a clear gap between your eyes and the frames" and "no glare or reflection on the lenses." Immigration New Zealand's visa and NZeTA photo page has matching rules (clear, not tinted, no heavy frames, no glare) and adds some practical advice: "If you are having issues with glasses, it may be best to remove them for your photo."

The same page lists "digitally removing objects from the photo, especially around the image of your face, for example, glasses" as an edit that isn't allowed. Retaking without glasses is fine. Erasing them from a photo is not.

India: the passport and the e-Visa disagree

Passport. Passport Seva's instruction booklet rules out photographs "with eyes hidden under coloured or dark glasses" and gives advice we haven't seen from any other authority: "Glares on eyeglasses should be avoided with a slight upward or downward tilt of the head." So clear glasses are allowed on the passport photo, provided you deal with the glare. The India passport photo requirements guide explains when you need a printed photo at all, since most Passport Seva Kendra applicants don't.

e-Visa. The Indian e-Visa portal's upload specification asks for a photo that shows "full face, front view, eyes open and without spectacles." Travellers who already hold an Indian passport photo with glasses, or who are applying for both a passport and a visa for family members, are the ones who get caught by this. More in our India e-Visa photo guide.

France: optional, with thin frames and clear lenses

Service-Public, the French government's information site, lists the norms for passport and identity card photos (checked by its editors on March 11, 2026). On glasses it says you are not obliged to wear them in the photo. If you do, the frame must not be thick or hide the eyes, and the lenses must be neither tinted nor coloured, with no reflection. The same page warns that a photo that doesn't meet the norms is rejected and the document isn't issued. France also requires the photo to come from an approved professional or an approved booth, and bans a white background, so a US-style photo won't carry over.

Schengen visas: consulate by consulate

There is no single Schengen glasses rule, because consulates publish their own checklists. Two examples:

German missions in the UK: "Glasses/ spectacles are permitted in as far as the frames do not cover any part of the eyes."
Consulate General of Spain in Los Angeles: the photo must be "without dark or reflective glasses."

Many visa centres also capture your face at the appointment, so check whether yours wants a print at all. Our Schengen visa photo requirements guide compares other consulates.

Side by side: what each authority checks

Authority	Glasses allowed?	Tint	Glare	Frames over eyes	Paperwork for exception
US passport	No	Not allowed	n/a	n/a	Signed doctor's note
US visa	No	Not allowed	Not allowed if exempt	Not allowed if exempt	Signed medical statement
DV lottery	No	Not allowed	n/a	n/a	None offered
UK passport	If you have to	Not allowed	Not allowed	Not allowed	None stated
Ireland	Yes	Dark glasses not allowed	Not allowed	Not allowed	None needed
Canada passport	Yes	Not allowed, incl. prescription	Not allowed	Eyes must be clearly visible	None needed
Canada visitor visa	Prescription, non-tinted	Not allowed	Not stated	Not allowed	None needed
Australia passport	Medical reason only	n/a	Not allowed if exempt	Not allowed if exempt	Medical certificate or B-11 form
New Zealand passport	Yes, not thick-framed	Not allowed	Not allowed	Clear gap required	None needed
India passport	Yes	Coloured or dark not allowed	Avoid with head tilt	Not stated	None needed
India e-Visa	No	n/a	n/a	n/a	None offered
France passport and ID	Optional	Not allowed	Not allowed	Thin frames, eyes not hidden	None needed

The pattern is simple to act on. Where glasses are banned, the exception is narrow and needs a document. Where they are allowed, the burden moves to the photo, and glare is the condition people fail. For how glasses compare with the other common causes, see why passport photos get rejected.

If you keep your glasses on: how to beat glare

Only do this where the table says glasses are allowed, and only if taking them off isn't an option.

1
Turn off the flash and overhead lights
Glare is a light source reflected in the lens. A flash in front of you or a ceiling light above you will almost always show up. Use daylight from a window instead.
2
Move the light off to one side
A window beside the camera, rather than directly behind it, lights your face while sending its reflection away from the lens. Check the far side of your face for shadows.
3
Tilt the glasses, not your whole head
Lifting the arms of the frames slightly off your ears angles the lenses down and moves the reflection out of the frame. India's booklet suggests a slight tilt of the head, but a tilted head fails other countries' rules.
4
Push the frames up so the rim clears your eyes
Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, France and the German missions all refuse frames that cover the eyes. Heavy or low-sitting frames are the usual problem.
5
Zoom in on the eyes before you accept the shot
Look at each lens on the full-size image. A white patch or a shadow line across either eye means retake. It is much harder to see on a phone thumbnail.

If any step doesn't work, take the glasses off. Don't try to remove a reflection or the glasses in an editor. The US, New Zealand and most other authorities treat that as altering the photo, which is a separate reason for rejection covered in AI-edited passport photos.

What our tool can and can't tell you about glasses

Honest version: we don't reliably detect glasses. When you pick a document where glasses matter, our checker marks the glasses check as unverified and shows you the rule for that document instead of guessing. The checks we do run are head height, eye line, head tilt, background evenness, sharpness and exposure.

So the workflow is: take the photo with glasses off wherever the table says off, run it through the checker for everything else, and look at your own eyes on the full-size image before you pay. We crop and resize the photo to the size your document needs. We don't retouch faces or remove objects, including glasses.

The glasses checklist

Glasses off for US passports, US visas, the DV lottery, Australian passports and Indian e-Visas
Medical exception paperwork included where the US or Australia requires it
Where glasses are allowed: clear lenses, eyes fully visible
No white patch of reflected light on either lens, checked at full size
Frame rims sit above or below the eyes, never across them
Sunglasses or tinted lenses, including tinted prescription lenses
Glasses pushed up onto the head or hair
Thick or heavy frames that shadow the eyes
Glasses or glare removed afterwards with editing software

Glasses aren't the only thing the eye rules affect. Expression, hair over the eyes and head coverings all fall under the same "face fully visible" wording; see can you smile in a passport photo and hijab and religious head coverings in passport photos. If you are preparing photos for several countries at once, check the sizes too: our passport photo sizes by country table has the formats side by side.

Frequently asked questions

Can you wear glasses in a US passport photo?

No. The State Department says to take off eyeglasses, sunglasses and tinted glasses, and not to rest them on your head. If you cannot remove them for medical reasons, include a signed note from your doctor with the application. US visa photos have banned eyeglasses since November 1, 2016, with a similar medical exception.

Which countries allow glasses in passport photos?

Of the authorities in this guide, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and France allow clear glasses in a passport photo, and India's passport booklet only bans coloured or dark glasses. All of them require eyes clearly visible, no glare and no tinted lenses. The UK allows them only if you have to wear them.

Can I wear glasses in a UK passport photo?

Only if you have to. GOV.UK says not to wear glasses unless you must. If you do, they cannot be sunglasses or tinted, and your eyes must not be covered by the frames or by any glare, reflection or shadow. The same wording applies to digital and printed photos.

Is poor eyesight a medical reason to keep glasses on?

Not in Australia, which says so directly: vision impairment alone is not an acceptable reason to wear glasses in your photo. The US visa rules give recent eye surgery as their example of a real medical case. Needing glasses to see is not, on its own, the exception.

Are prescription tinted or light-reactive lenses allowed?

Tinted lenses are refused everywhere in this guide, prescription or not. Canada's passport page says the tinted-glasses ban includes prescription lenses even when your eyes are clearly visible. If your lenses darken in daylight, take the photo with them off, or indoors once they have fully cleared.

Do I need glasses off for an Indian e-Visa photo?

Yes. The Indian e-Visa page asks for a photo showing full face, front view, eyes open and without spectacles. That is stricter than the Indian passport booklet, which only rules out eyes hidden under coloured or dark glasses. Do not reuse one photo for both without checking.

Sources

Read the guide