Start with the official checklist
US passport photo requirements in 2026 cover the outer size, head height, background, lighting, glasses, expression, and editing history of the image. The safest workflow is to take a clean original photo, crop only for size, and compare it with official State Department guidance before submitting.
A U.S. passport photo is not judged only by how professional it looks. It must match a specific 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 printing or uploading. Requirements can change, so always compare your final photo with the current U.S. Department of State guidance before submitting an application.
- Photo count: One color photo for online renewal; two identical printed color photos for the paper DS-82 mail-in form; one for DS-11 in person.
- Recency: Use a photo taken within the last six months.
- Face: A clear, sharp image of your face, directly facing the camera, neutral expression, both eyes open.
- Background: White or off-white background with no shadows, texture, or lines.
- Glasses: Remove eyeglasses, sunglasses, and tinted glasses unless a rare documented medical exception applies.
- Editing: As of January 2026, no filters, retouching, AI tools, or background replacement of any kind.
Exact U.S. passport photo size
For a printed U.S. passport photo, the required physical size is 2 x 2 inches (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 1⅜ inches from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head — 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 1⅜ inches from chin to top of head.
- Print quality: High resolution, not blurry, grainy, pixelated, damaged, creased, or smudged.
- DS-82 by mail: Two identical printed photos. Only one is attached to your application, but both are required.
Digital vs printed: what file you actually submit
The exact size rule above is for printed photos that go with paper applications (DS-82 by mail or DS-11 in person). Online renewal uses a digital upload directly inside the application — different submission format, same appearance rules.
For the digital upload, the official State Department upload page accepts JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC, or HEIF files between 54 KB and 10 MB. Some third-party guides incorrectly say "JPEG only" — the official page lists all five formats. The recommended pixel dimensions are square between 600 x 600 and 1200 x 1200 pixels.
- Paper applications (DS-82, DS-11): Printed 2 x 2 inch photo on photo-quality paper.
- Online renewal: JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC, or HEIF file, 54 KB to 10 MB, ideally 600 x 600 to 1200 x 1200 pixels.
How many photos you need
The number of photos depends on how you apply. Online renewal takes a single digital upload; the paper forms take printed 2 x 2 inch photos.
| Application | Photos | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Online renewal | 1 | Digital upload (JPG/JPEG/PNG/HEIC/HEIF, 54 KB to 10 MB) |
| DS-82 (renewal by mail) | 2 identical | Printed 2 x 2 in on photo paper |
| DS-11 (in person) | 1 | Printed 2 x 2 in on photo paper |
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.
Everyday makeup is fine. The State Department rule is about appearance-changing edits, not about whether you wore makeup when the photo was taken. Heavy contouring, theatrical makeup, or anything that alters how the face looks compared with your usual appearance should be removed before the shot.
January 2026: the AI-editing rule
As of January 2026 the U.S. State Department explicitly rejects passport photos that were created or edited using AI tools or beautifying filters. The official upload page now states: "Do not use a photo you created or edited using artificial intelligence or other digital tools" and "We check all photos to ensure you are not using artificial intelligence tools." The detection runs at upload time and is automated; a passport employee reviews the photo again after the application is received.
For at-home photos, the practical effect is to turn off auto-enhance, portrait mode, beauty mode, and any "scene optimization" feature in your camera app before the shot. After capture, cropping and rotating are allowed; anything that changes the face, skin, or background is not.
- Allowed: Cropping, rotating, and reframing the photo to fit the print size or pixel target.
- Rejected: Skin-smoothing, beautifying, or face-shaping filters.
- Rejected: AI background replacement or any synthesized backdrop.
- Rejected: Any AI-generated face or composite portrait.
- Caution: Some phone auto-enhance or HDR modes apply filtering at capture. Turn them off if you can.
Why passport photos get rejected
Most rejections come from a small set of avoidable problems. Check the photo against this list before printing or uploading — any single issue here is enough to send the application back.
- Wrong head size: The face is too large, too small, or too low, so the head falls outside the 1 to 1⅜ inch range.
- Shadows: A shadow on the face or behind the head, usually from side lighting or standing too close to the wall.
- Glasses: Any eyeglasses, sunglasses, or tinted lenses without a documented medical exception.
- Filters or AI edits: Skin-smoothing, beautifying, background replacement, or any AI-generated or AI-altered image — rejected automatically as of January 2026.
- Old photo: A picture taken more than six months ago, or one reused from a previous passport or document.
- Wrong background: A colored, patterned, or textured background, or a visible line or object behind the head.
- Poor print quality: A blurry, grainy, pixelated, creased, or damaged print, or a photocopy or scan instead of an original photo.
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 no shadows fall 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.
- Confirm the photo was taken within the last six months.
- Check for glasses, shadows, filters, retouching, head tilt, and background texture.
- Crop to a square while keeping the head size within the required range.
- Generate a 2 x 2 inch print layout at 300 DPI.
- Print on matte or glossy photo-quality paper and measure the final photo with a ruler.
- For DS-82 by mail, print two identical copies.
Official sources to check
Use these official pages for the most current rules before submitting a passport application. The January 2026 AI-editing language and the file requirements for online renewal both live on these pages.