US Passport Photo Requirements (2026): Complete Checklist

The US Department of State is strict about passport photos. On its own photo guidance page, it says that unacceptable photos are the number one reason it puts passport applications on hold. The good news: the rules are specific, and once you know them, getting a photo right the first time is very doable.

This guide pulls every requirement from the State Department's official pages into one checklist. It covers printed photos for paper applications (Forms DS-11 and DS-82) and the separate digital photo rules for online renewal.

All rules below come from the State Department's Passport Photos page and its Uploading a Digital Photo page, plus the visa-photo pages where a figure is marked as coming from them. travel.state.gov blocks automated readers, so we read identical text on the State Department's adoption.state.gov mirror, most recently on October 6, 2026. The State Department makes the final call on every photo, so treat those pages as the authority if anything changes.

US passport photo size and head position

The printed photo must be exactly 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm). Inside that square, your head has to fall within a specific range.

A few details people miss:

• Your hair can extend past the edge of the photo, as long as your whole head is shown and sized correctly.
• Distance matters. The State Department suggests the camera be several feet (about 1.2 m) away. Too close and your head is too big; too far and it's too small.
• Don't stretch or squash the image to make it fit. Resize proportionally only.

If you're working with a digital file, see our guide to passport photo size in pixels for how 2 x 2 inches translates to a print-ready file.

Background rules

The background must be white or off-white, plain, and free of shadows, texture, objects or lines. A blue wall, a patterned curtain, a door frame or a visible shadow behind your head can all get a photo rejected.

The State Department's own tip: cover a non-white wall with a white sheet or blanket, and stand several feet in front of it so you don't cast a shadow on it.

If you use a wheelchair, part of the head support can appear in the photo. Include a note with your application explaining why the background is not completely white.

Expression and pose

• Face the camera directly, with your full face in view and your head not tilted.
• Keep both eyes open. The colored parts of your eyes must be clearly visible, and hair should not cover them.
• Keep your mouth closed.
• Avoid exaggerated expressions.

Can you smile? Yes. The paper-application page says you can smile as long as your eyes are open and your mouth is closed. The online renewal page says to use a neutral expression or natural smile and avoid showing teeth. Read more in Can you smile in a passport photo?

Glasses, hats, head coverings and clothing

If you do wear a permitted head covering, your full face must be visible with no shadows, and the covering should be one color with no patterns or small holes.

The online renewal page adds a practical tip: take off any employee ID badge or lanyard, too.

Lighting, quality and printing

A technically weak photo gets rejected just as easily as a rule violation.

• Lighting: even across your face. Overhead lights or a single lamp off to one side create shadows. Too bright overexposes; too dim underexposes.
• Color: skin tones should look accurate. You may need to adjust white balance under warm indoor light.
• Sharpness: high resolution, not blurry, grainy or pixelated, with no visible printer dots.
• Red eye: not acceptable, and you should not edit it out. Retake the photo with different lighting instead.
• Paper: print on matte or glossy photo-quality paper.
• Condition: no holes, creases or smudges.
• No copies: don't submit photocopies or digitally scanned photos.

No edits, filters or AI

This rule deserves its own section because it trips people up. The State Department says not to change your photo using computer software, phone apps, filters or artificial intelligence. That includes beauty filters, skin smoothing, AI "enhancement" and background replacement that alters the outline of your head.

What's generally fine is what the State Department's own tools do: cropping and resizing. Its free photo tool crops images to size (for paper applications; it says not to use it for online renewal), and the online renewal system lets you reposition and crop your photo when you upload it.

Photos of babies and toddlers

Children need their own photo, and the rules relax a little for the youngest ones:

• No other person can be in the photo.
• The child must face the camera with a neutral expression and a fully visible face. The State Department's examples show a pacifier and hands blocking the face as unacceptable.
• It's okay if a baby's eyes are not entirely open. All other children must have their eyes open.
• For the background, place your child on a plain white or off-white sheet, or cover a car seat with one.
• Make sure there are no shadows on the child's face.

For step-by-step help, see how to take a passport photo at home.

Paper application vs. online renewal

If you're eligible to renew online, you upload a digital photo instead of mailing a print. The appearance rules are the same, but the file rules are different.

The online system runs an automatic check when you upload. Passing it isn't a final approval: a State Department employee reviews the photo again after you apply and will contact you by letter or email if there's a problem. The renewal page also warns not to send the image to yourself by text message, since that can reduce quality. If you're applying for the first time or can't renew online, the print goes with Form DS-11, which our DS-11 passport photo guide walks through.

Where to get a US passport photo

The State Department lists three options:

1. An acceptance facility that takes photos when you apply in person
2. Any business that offers photo services
3. A friend or family member

Acceptance facilities and photo vendors charge different fees. If you take the photo yourself, the rules above are what reviewers check, and our tool can do the cropping and the basic checks first.

When you need a new photo

If you're correcting an error or changing a name on a recent passport, the paper form is DS-5504, and its photo rules are in DS-5504 passport photo.

Every application needs a photo taken within the last 6 months.

You only need to apply for a new passport because of your looks if your appearance has changed significantly. According to the State Department:

• Small changes (no new passport needed): growing a beard, coloring your hair, normal aging
• Big changes (apply for a new passport): significant facial surgery or trauma, adding or removing many large facial piercings or tattoos, significant weight loss or gain

US visa photos are different

Don't confuse passport photos with photos for US visas. The online DS-160 visa form requires a square JPEG between 600 x 600 and 1200 x 1200 pixels, 240 KB or smaller, per the State Department's digital image requirements. Immigrant visa applicants bring two identical 2 x 2 inch prints. Acceptance is at the discretion of the embassy or consulate.

Printable checklist

Before you submit, confirm every box:

• Taken in the last 6 months
• Color photo, 2 x 2 inches, head 1 to 1 3/8 inches
• Head and shoulders centered, facing forward, head not tilted
• Plain white or off-white background with no shadows
• Even lighting, accurate skin tone, no red eye
• Eyes open, mouth closed, no exaggerated expression
• No glasses (or a doctor's note included)
• No hat, unless religious or medical, with a signed statement
• No uniform, camouflage, headphones or face mask
• No filters, retouching or AI edits
• Printed on matte or glossy photo paper, undamaged
• For online renewal: JPG/PNG/HEIC/HEIF, 54 KB to 10 MB

Frequently asked questions

What size is a US passport photo?

A printed US passport photo must be 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm). Your head, measured from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head, must be between 1 and 1 3/8 inches (25 to 35 mm).

Can I smile in my US passport photo?

Yes. The State Department says you can smile as long as your eyes are open and your mouth is closed. Its online renewal guidance asks for a neutral expression or natural smile without showing teeth. Avoid exaggerated expressions.

Can I wear glasses in a US passport photo?

No. You must remove eyeglasses, sunglasses and tinted glasses. If you cannot remove them for medical reasons, include a signed note from your doctor with your application.

How many photos do I need for a US passport?

One. The State Department asks for 1 color photo taken in the last 6 months with a paper application (Form DS-11 or DS-82). If you renew online, you upload a single digital photo instead: a JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC or HEIF file between 54 KB and 10 MB, which you can crop inside the application.

What kind of photo do I need for a passport?

A recent color photo of your full face, taken in the last 6 months, against a plain white or off-white background. For a paper application it must be 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) with your head 1 to 1 3/8 inches from chin to top, printed on matte or glossy photo paper, with no glasses and no filters or AI edits.

What do I need to get a passport photo?

A plain white or off-white background, even light and someone to take the picture. The State Department accepts a photo taken at an acceptance facility, by any company that offers photo services, or by a friend or family member. At home, stand several feet from the wall, take off glasses and print on matte or glossy photo paper.

Can I edit the background of my US passport photo?

Be careful. The State Department rejects photos changed with software, filters or AI, and shows a photo whose background was cut out with a retouching tool as an unacceptable example. The safest approach is to take the photo against a real white or off-white background.

Sources

• U.S. Department of State - Passport Photos (read on the adoption.state.gov mirror, October 6, 2026)
• U.S. Department of State - Uploading a Digital Photo for online renewal (read on the adoption.state.gov mirror, October 6, 2026)
• U.S. Department of State - Visa photo requirements and photo composition template (read on the adoption.state.gov mirror)
• U.S. Department of State - Digital image requirements for visa photos (read on the adoption.state.gov mirror)