US Passport Photo Requirements
The U.S. Department of State's passport photo rules in one place, each linked to the official page, with a tool that crops your photo to 2 × 2 inches and lays six copies on a 4 × 6 print.
Passport Photo
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Quality is lowered until the photo is at or just under this size; tiny files are padded up to the spec's minimum.
300 DPI is the print standard for passport photos; a 35×45 mm photo is then 413×531 px.
Place several copies on a 4×6 in (10×15 cm) photo print or an A4 page, ready for a photo kiosk or home printer.
How many photos on the sheet. A 4×6 in print fits 6 photos of 2×2 in or 6 of 35×45 mm; an A4 sheet fits more.
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What does a US passport photo need?
A color photo 2 × 2 inches, taken in the last six months, with your head 1 to 1 3/8 inches tall on a white or off-white background, and no glasses.
- Size
- 2 × 2 in
- Head
- 25–35 mm
- Background
- White or off-white
The official rules
| Authority | What the photo must meet | Official page |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular AffairsUnited States |
| SourceChecked |
| U.S. Department of State, Diversity Visa ProgramUnited States |
| SourceChecked |
| Rules as published by the U.S. Department of State on the date shown. Check the official page before you apply; the State Department updates it from time to time. | ||
Every rule above comes from the State Department's own pages: the passport photo requirements for size, head height, background and glasses, the digital photo page for the 54 KB to 10 MB file size of online renewals, and the Diversity Visa instructions for the 600 × 600 px, 240 KB lottery photo.
The same 2 × 2 inch photo works for a passport book, a passport card and most US visa applications, which is why the tool calls the preset "US passport & visa". The DV Lottery is the exception, with its own fixed pixel size and file limit, and it has its own entry in the document list.
Two inches in pixels
Photo printers work at 300 dots per inch, so a 2 × 2 inch print needs an image of 600 × 600 pixels, and that is the file this tool creates. The table shows how inch sizes translate at that resolution; the 2 inch row is the passport photo. The head guide marks the 1 to 1 3/8 inch band, which is 300 to 413 pixels at the same resolution.
Pixels and inches only meet at a chosen resolution, which is why a form asking for "2 × 2 inches" and another asking for "600 × 600 pixels" can mean the same photo. If you already have a square photo and only need it at that exact pixel size, Resize Image does that; for a passport photo, though, the crop and head height matter as much as the size, so start here.
| Size | Centimeters | Millimeters | Pixels at 300 dpi | Long edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 in | 2.54 | 25.4 | 300 | |
| 2 in | 5.08 | 50.8 | 600 | |
| 4 in | 10.16 | 101.6 | 1200 | |
| 5 in | 12.7 | 127 | 1500 | |
| 6 in | 15.24 | 152.4 | 1800 | |
| 8 in | 20.32 | 203.2 | 2400 |
Taking a photo that passes
Most rejected photos fail on lighting, glasses or the background rather than on size. Stand a step away from a plain white or off-white wall, face the camera straight on, and light your face evenly from the front so that there are no shadows on your face or behind you. Ask someone else to take the picture: selfies held at arm's length distort the face and tilt the head.
The checklist below follows the State Department photo page; each point is a reason photos are turned down there.
Do
- Use a photo taken in the last six months that shows how you look now.
- Keep a neutral expression or a natural smile, with both eyes open.
- Wear everyday clothes; uniforms and camouflage are not accepted.
Avoid
- Glasses of any kind, unless a signed medical statement explains why they cannot be removed.
- Hats or head coverings, except for religious or medical reasons with a signed statement, and never hiding the face.
- Filters, beauty modes or retouching; the photo must show you as you are.
Printing at home or at a store
This page starts with a 4 × 6 in print sheet holding six copies of the 2 × 2 in photo, with thin cut lines between them. Upload that sheet to a drugstore or supermarket photo kiosk and order a standard 4 × 6 print. A paper application needs one photo, so you have spares if the first is damaged.
Print on photo paper, not plain office paper, and do not scale the image in the printer dialog: choose actual size, or the photos will no longer be 2 × 2 inches. For an online renewal, upload the single 600 × 600 px file instead of the sheet. Photos for children follow the same rules, with a few practical differences explained on the baby passport photo page, and other countries' sizes are in the Passport Photo Maker.
How to make a US passport photo
Add a recent photo
Upload a front-facing photo taken in the last six months against a plain light wall. A phone photo taken by someone else works well.
Check the head guide
US passport & visa — 2×2 in is selected. Move the crop so your head fits the guide between 1 and 1 3/8 inches.
Download photo and print sheet
Press the button to get the 600 × 600 px photo and a 4 × 6 in sheet with six copies, ready for a photo kiosk or home printer.
US passport photo questions
What size is a US passport photo?
2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm), with the head measuring 1 to 1 3/8 inches (25 to 35 mm) from the chin to the top of the head, according to the State Department.
Can I wear glasses in my passport photo?
No. Since 2016 the State Department no longer accepts photos with glasses, except in rare cases where they cannot be removed for medical reasons and a signed medical statement is included. See the official photo page.
Can I smile in a US passport photo?
A neutral expression or a natural smile with both eyes open is accepted, according to the State Department. Avoid wide grins and raised eyebrows.
How old can the photo be?
It must have been taken in the last six months, so that it shows how you look now. Reusing the photo from your previous passport is not allowed.
What file does the online renewal accept?
The State Department's digital photo page lists a file size between 54 KB and 10 MB. The 600 × 600 px JPG this tool makes is square, as required.
Is the DV Lottery photo the same?
Close, but not identical: the Diversity Visa entry needs a square JPEG of exactly 600 × 600 pixels and no larger than 240 KB. Choose US DV Lottery in the list for that.
Can I print the photo at a drugstore?
Yes. Take the 4 × 6 in sheet to any photo kiosk and order a standard 4 × 6 print; cut out one of the six 2 × 2 in photos along the guide lines.
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