U.S. Passport Photo Requirements: Complete 2026 Checklist

Start with the official checklist

A U.S. passport photo is not judged only by how professional it looks. It must match a set of appearance, size, print, and editing rules. A sharp photo with the wrong background, glasses, heavy editing, or incorrect head size can still delay the application.

Use this checklist before you print or upload. Requirements can change, so always compare your final photo with the current U.S. Department of State guidance before submitting an application.

• Photo count: Submit one color photo for a paper passport application.
• Recency: Use a photo taken within the last six months.
• Face: Use a clear image of your face, directly facing the camera.
• Background: Use a white or off-white background without shadows, texture, or lines.
• Glasses: Remove eyeglasses, sunglasses, and tinted glasses unless a rare medical exception applies.
• Editing: Do not use filters, retouching, AI tools, or digital edits that change your appearance.

Exact U.S. passport photo size

For a printed U.S. passport photo, the required physical size is 2 x 2 inches, also written as 51 x 51 mm. The photo must be square, and the head must be positioned correctly inside that square.

The head height should be between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head. In metric terms, that is about 25 to 35 mm. This is where many DIY photos fail: the square may be correct, but the face is too large, too small, or too low in the frame.

• Printed photo: 2 x 2 inches, on matte or glossy photo-quality paper.
• Head height: 1 to 1 3/8 inches from chin to top of head.
• Print quality: High resolution, not blurry, grainy, pixelated, damaged, creased, or smudged.

Pose, expression, and lighting

The safest passport pose is simple: face the camera directly, keep both eyes open, keep the head straight, and avoid dramatic facial expressions. For printed passport photos, use a neutral expression with the mouth closed.

Lighting should be even across the face. Side lighting can create a shadow across one cheek. Overhead lighting can darken the eye area. A flash close to the wall can create a visible shadow behind the head. All of these issues are easier to fix by retaking the photo than by editing it later.

• Set the camera at eye level instead of shooting upward or downward.
• Stand a little away from the wall so the background does not catch a hard shadow.
• Use soft window light or two even lamps instead of one strong side light.
• Take several photos and choose the sharpest one with the most natural face position.

Clothing, hats, glasses, and face coverings

Wear normal everyday clothing. Avoid uniforms, camouflage, or clothing that looks like a uniform. Remove headphones, wireless hands-free devices, sunglasses, tinted glasses, medical masks, and face coverings that block the full face.

Hats and head coverings are normally removed. Religious or medical head coverings may be allowed, but the full face must remain visible, the covering should not cast shadows, and extra documentation may be required depending on the reason.

Do not fix the photo with AI or retouching

Passport photos are identity documents, so appearance-changing edits are risky. Do not smooth skin, reshape the face, whiten eyes, replace facial features, add makeup effects, remove shadows from the face with generative tools, or create a synthetic background with AI.

A layout tool can help with crop, size, paper layout, and print resolution. It should not be used to change how the applicant looks. If the source photo has a bad background, harsh shadows, blur, or a tilted head, retake it instead of trying to rescue it digitally.

Baby and child passport photos

Children need their own passport photos, and the same basic rules apply: only the child should appear in the photo, the background should be plain, and the face should be visible. For babies, the State Department allows a little more flexibility because a baby may not keep both eyes fully open.

The practical setup is simple: lay the baby on a plain white or off-white sheet, photograph from above, and make sure there are no shadows on the face. Another option is to cover a car seat with a plain white or off-white sheet and photograph the child seated.

Final check before you submit

Before printing or mailing the application, check the photo in this order. First, confirm the source photo is recent, sharp, unfiltered, and evenly lit. Second, confirm the face is centered and the head size is within range. Third, confirm the final print is exactly 2 x 2 inches and is on photo-quality paper.

Do not submit a photocopy or a digitally scanned copy of another document photo. Do not submit a damaged print. If the photo looks questionable on screen, it will not become more acceptable after printing.

1. Confirm the photo was taken within the last six months.
2. Check for glasses, shadows, filters, retouching, head tilt, and background texture.
3. Crop to a square while keeping the head size within the required range.
4. Generate a 2 x 2 inch print layout at 300 DPI.
5. Print on matte or glossy photo-quality paper and measure the final photo with a ruler.

FAQ

Official sources to check

Use these official pages for the most current rules before submitting a passport application.