Quick answer
U.S. passport photo requirements in 2026 are simple on paper: submit 1 recent color photo, face the camera, use a plain white or off-white background, remove glasses, avoid filters or digital changes, and make sure the printed photo is exactly 2 x 2 inches if you are using a paper form.
The details matter because there are two different workflows:
- Paper applications and renewal by mail: provide a printed 2 x 2 inch photo on photo-quality paper.
- Online renewal: upload a single digital photo file inside the official State Department application.
Do not use the same output file for both workflows. A 4 x 6 print sheet is useful for a paper application, but it is not what you upload for online renewal. An original digital photo is useful for online renewal, but it still has to meet the same face, background, lighting, and editing rules.
U.S. passport photo requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Current practical rule |
|---|---|
| Photo count | 1 color photo for current common U.S. passport workflows |
| Recency | Taken in the last 6 months |
| Printed size | 2 x 2 inches, or 51 x 51 mm |
| Head size | 1 to 1 3/8 inches from chin to top of head |
| Background | Plain white or off-white, no shadows, texture, lines, or objects |
| Pose | Directly facing camera, head not tilted, eyes open and visible |
| Expression | Neutral expression or small natural smile, avoid showing teeth |
| Glasses | Remove glasses unless a medical exception applies |
| Paper quality | Matte or glossy photo-quality paper for printed photos |
| Digital changes | Original, unedited photo; no filters, retouching, AI, or background replacement |
The State Department says unacceptable photos are the biggest reason passport applications get delayed. A “good looking” portrait is therefore not enough. A passport photo must be boring in all the right ways: clear, current, evenly lit, the right size and unchanged.
Choose the application path first
The first step is to work out which application route you will take. The choice you make tells you whether the final deliverable is a print or a file.
| Application path | What you submit | PhotoTools fit |
|---|---|---|
| Online renewal | One digital photo uploaded inside the official application | Use the official upload step for final submission |
| DS-82 renewal by mail | One printed 2 x 2 inch photo | Useful for creating a print sheet |
| Adult DS-11 in person | One printed 2 x 2 inch photo | Useful for creating a print sheet |
| Child passport | One printed photo, with child-specific pose flexibility | Useful only after the source photo is acceptable |
Current renewal-by-mail guidance says to provide 1 photo with the application, staple it as instructed on the application, use four staples vertically in the corners as close to the outer edges as possible, and do not bend the photo. Current adult in-person guidance also says to provide 1 photo, but not to attach or staple it yourself because the acceptance agent or passport employee will review and staple it.
This is a correction to a lot of older web advice. If you see "DS-82 requires two photos," check the current State Department form and instructions before following it.
Online renewal vs printed passport photo
Printed U.S. passport photo size
For paper applications, the passport photo itself must be exactly 2 x 2 inches. If you print several copies on a 4 x 6 sheet, each cut-out photo still needs to measure 2 x 2 inches.
The head size is the part people miss. Measure from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head, including hair. That distance must be 1 to 1 3/8 inches, or about 25 to 35 mm.
Use this physical checklist:
- Outer photo: 2 x 2 inches.
- Head height: 1 to 1 3/8 inches.
- Eye height: roughly 1 1/8 to 1 3/8 inches from the bottom of the printed photo.
- Paper: matte or glossy photo-quality paper.
- Quality: sharp, clear, not grainy, not blurry, not pixelated.
- Condition: no holes, creases, smudges, ink streaks, tears, or marks.
If the photo looks right on screen but the printed square measures 1.95 inches or 2.05 inches, print it again. Passport photos are judged as physical documents when you submit a paper form.
Pixel size and 300 DPI print math
For a 2 x 2 inch print at 300 DPI:
2 inches x 300 DPI = 600 pixels
That means one 2 x 2 passport-photo area is 600 x 600 pixels in a 300 DPI print layout. A standard 4 x 6 photo sheet at 300 DPI is 1200 x 1800 pixels.
This is print math, not a magic approval rule. A 600 x 600 file can fail if the face is too small. A 1200 x 1200 file can fail if the print service scales it. DPI metadata alone does not make a photo valid. The real test is the final printed size, head size, image quality, and whether the source image meets the official content rules.
Online renewal digital photo rules
Online renewal uses a digital photo file, not a printed 2 x 2 photo and not a 4 x 6 sheet.
As of this review, the State Department digital photo page lists these upload basics:
- File type: JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC, or HEIF.
- File size: 54 KB to 10 MB.
- Color photo taken in the last 6 months.
- Plain white or off-white background.
- Head centered and fully visible.
- Bottom frame near the edge of the shoulders.
- No filters or retouching tools that change appearance.
- No scanned physical photo and no photo of a printed photo.
With the online application, you can crop or reposition the photo. It also checks basic requirements and may inform you what you will need to change if the file is not acceptable. "That is not a final approval. After you submit the application, a State Department employee will review your photo and may ask you to submit a new photo.
The State Department composition template gives a square digital image range of 600 x 600 to 1200 x 1200 pixels. If your original camera image is larger, that is fine; the upload flow can crop or reposition. If your file has been compressed through texting or a social app, start again from the original.
Background and lighting
Plain white or off white background. There should be no shadows, texture, lines, objects, door frames, windows, posters or other people.
Good at-home setup:
- Stand several feet from the camera.
- Stand a little away from the wall so your head does not cast a shadow.
- Put the camera at eye level.
- Use soft front light, such as window light or two balanced lamps.
- Check that skin tone looks natural, not blue, yellow, too dark, or washed out.
Don’t plan on fixing the wall later. If the wall is not acceptable, cover it with a smooth white or off-white sheet and shoot again. According to the official digital-photo page, if there is red-eye, then it is better to retake the photo with natural lighting rather than editing the eyes.
(There is a practical exception for wheelchair head support: The State Department passport-photo examples say part of the head support may show, and the applicant should include a note explaining why the background is not all white.)
Pose and expression
Look straight ahead at the camera, keeping your head level. both eyes are open and visible. Eyes should not be covered by hair. Center head and shoulders.
Expression: Use a neutral expression or a small natural smile. Do not show teeth. No open mouth, no squinting, no overacting, no looking down, no turning of shoulders and no tilting of the head. A passport photo should look like an identity document. Not a profile photo.
If you are taking the photo at home, take 10 to 15 shots. Reject any photo with a blink, slight blur, face tilt, open mouth, background shadow, or hair over the eyes. The plainest sharp photo is usually the best one.
How to take a passport photo at home
Glasses, hats, clothing, hair, and makeup
Take off sunglasses, tinted glasses and eyeglasses. The only normal exception is if you have a medical reason why you cannot take off your glasses and you include a signed note from your doctor.
Remove hats and head coverings, unless worn for religious or medical reasons. If a head covering is allowed, the full face must be visible, there must be no shadows or obscured facial features and the covering must not have patterns or small holes.
Wear everyday clothes. Do not wear a uniform or clothing that resembles a uniform, camouflage clothing, headphones, earbuds, lanyards, employee badges, medical masks, face blocking scarves or anything that covers the outline of the face. Jewelry and facial piercings are generally okay as long as they don’t obscure your face.
It’s not your everyday makeup issue. The danger is that you alter your appearance. It’s worth removing before the shot if it is overdone or makes the photo not look like you today. Don’t try to use a filter to fix makeup, skin or shine after you have taken the picture.
Hair may be worn up or down. Avoid the eyes and the contour of the face. If hair is casting a shadow on the face or hiding one side of the face, take the picture again with hair pinned back.
Editing, filters, AI, and red-eye
The safest rule is: crop only, retake everything else.
The State Department’s current guidance is to submit the original, unaltered photo — no filters or digital alterations. The digital upload page advises against using filters or retouching tools to change your appearance. The examples also caution against changing the photo using software, phone apps, filters or artificial intelligence.
Allowed:
- cropping to the required frame;
- repositioning inside the official online upload step;
- choosing the sharpest original from several attempts.
Do not use:
- beauty mode or skin smoothing;
- face slimming or eye enlargement;
- AI upscaling or face enhancement;
- background replacement;
- red-eye editing;
- color filters;
- stretching or compressing the image;
- photo scans or photos of printed photos for online renewal.
Some phones have computational automatic processing. The official rule is not just to say "HDR is banned". The practical test is if the photo still looks like an original, natural, unchanged image. If it seems processed, try taking it again with simpler camera settings and better light.
Babies and children
Children must have passport photos of their own. The photo should be of the child alone. Plain white or off white background, and ensure the entire face of the child is visible.
For babies, lay the baby on a plain white or off white sheet and take the photo from above. Or you can put a white or off-white sheet over a car seat. No other person can be in the photo and the baby should not have a pacifier or toy covering the face.
An important baby exception the State Department allows: If a baby’s eyes aren’t fully open, that’s fine. Other children could not be asleep.
How PhotoTools fits
PhotoTools is useful when you need a printed passport photo for a paper application. It creates a 2 x 2 inch U.S. passport photo layout on standard 4 x 6 or 6 x 4 photo paper at 300 DPI, and the processing happens locally in your browser.
Use PhotoTools for:
- making a 2 x 2 print sheet;
- arranging multiple copies on one 4 x 6 photo print;
- printing at 100% actual size;
- measuring and cutting the best physical copy.
Do not submit a PhotoTools print sheet as the final file for online renewal. The State Department's own composition template page warns that its cropping tool is for paper photos, not for online renewals. Use the official upload step for online renewal.
PhotoTools does not know if Passport Services will accept your photo. It doesn’t check all the rules about biometrics, lighting, clothing, glasses, background or editing. Think of it as a layout helper, not an approval engine.
Final print checklist
Before mailing or bringing a printed photo, check the physical result in this order:
- The photo is exactly 2 x 2 inches.
- The head measures 1 to 1 3/8 inches from chin to top of head.
- The photo is printed on matte or glossy photo-quality paper.
- The background is white or off-white and free of shadows.
- The face is centered, straight, sharp, and fully visible.
- The eyes are open and not covered by hair.
- Glasses, hats, headphones, and face coverings are removed unless an exception applies.
- The print has no creases, smudges, holes, marks, or visible printer dots.
- The image is original and unedited.
- The application path matches the output: print for paper, digital file for online renewal.
For DS-82 renewal by mail, follow the current application instructions for stapling. For an adult DS-11 in-person application, do not attach or staple the photo yourself; the acceptance agent or passport employee reviews it.
Common rejection risks
| Problem | Why it causes trouble | Better fix |
|---|---|---|
| Old DS-82 two-photo advice | Current renewal-by-mail guidance says 1 photo | Follow the current form and official page |
| Arm's-length selfie | Face shape and camera angle can distort | Use a timer or another person several feet away |
| Wrong outer size | Paper photo is not exactly 2 x 2 inches | Print at 100% actual size and measure |
| Head too large or small | Face falls outside the official range | Re-crop from a wider original |
| Side shadow | Face or background is uneven | Move subject, wall, or light and retake |
| Blue or patterned wall | Background is not plain white/off-white | Use a real plain background or white sheet |
| Glasses | Normal passport photos require glasses removed | Retake without glasses unless medical exception applies |
| Red-eye edit | Editing can change eye color or shape | Retake with natural light and no flash |
| Texted file | Messaging apps can compress the photo | Transfer the original file |
| AI background | Face outline and background are altered | Retake against a real plain wall |
Official sources to check
Rules for passport photos and uploading sequences can change, so before you submit, check your final photo against official State Department pages.