A 2x2 photo from your phone, checked against the rules.

The standard US ID photo: passport, US visa, USCIS forms, and the licenses and applications that ask for a "passport style" photo. We crop to exactly 2x2 inches with the head at the right size, put it on plain white, and check it before you pay. $9.95 by email, $12.95 with prints ready at a Walgreens, CVS, Walmart or Target near you, $14.95 mailed.

Price band: Email delivery $9.95. Email plus prints picked up at Walgreens, CVS, Walmart or Target $12.95, plus about 50 cents to the store for the print, paid at the counter. Email plus prints mailed to you $14.95. One payment, no account.

Where a 2x2 photo is used

It is the State Department's passport photo size, and nearly every other US form borrowed it: US visas, USCIS forms, and many state licenses, permits and professional applications. If your form says "passport style photo" or "2 inches by 2 inches", this is it. If it names a different size, we do not make that one yet, with one exception: the Chinese visa photo (33 x 48 mm) has its own page. [Chinese visa photo page link]

The rules we check

  • 2x2 inches, in color. Head between 1 and 1 3/8 inches from chin to top of head, centered, the whole head in the frame.
  • Plain white or off white background, no shadows, no pattern, nothing behind you.
  • Face the camera straight on, head not tilted, shoulders square.
  • Neutral expression or a natural smile. Mouth closed, eyes open and visible.
  • No glasses. Nothing covering any part of the face. No hat or head covering unless worn daily for religious or medical reasons, and the full face still showing.
  • Sharp, evenly lit, natural skin tones. No red eye, no filters, no retouching.
  • Taken recently: within 6 months for a passport, within 30 days of filing for most USCIS forms, and whatever your own form says. [Verify the USCIS 30 day wording before this page goes live.]

The full explanation with every rule mapped to our checks: [Requirements page link]

How to take it

1. Take the photo. Stand a few feet in front of a plain white or off white wall, in daylight if you can. Glasses off, nothing on your head, mouth closed, eyes open, look straight at the camera. Have someone take it from four to six feet away, or use the timer. The frame on screen tells you if you are too close, too dark or tilted before you press the button.

2. We do the photographer's job. Head size, centering, tilt, eyes, mouth, glasses, head covering, shadows, background, sharpness, exposure, color, red eye, one face only. Each rule checked on its own, with a plain fix if it fails. Nothing about your face is changed.

3. Get your photo. The 2x2 file and the 4x6 print sheet arrive by email within a minute of paying. Prints, if you chose them, are ready at the pharmacy in about an hour or mailed the same day.

What you get

  • The 2x2 digital file as a JPEG, sized within the online upload limits the State Department and USCIS publish.
  • A 4x6 sheet with two 2x2 photos you can print anywhere. A pharmacy kiosk prints it for about 40 cents.
  • A results card showing every check that passed, so you know why the photo is right.
  • Prints, if you chose them: ready at the pharmacy in about an hour, or mailed the same day in a rigid mailer.

FAQ

Is a 2x2 photo the same as a passport photo? Yes. The passport photo is where the size and the rules come from. If you are applying for a US passport, the [US passport photo page link] has the guarantee that goes with it.

Is it the same as a US visa photo? Same size, same rules. The DS-160 online form takes a digital upload, and our JPEG is made to fit it. [Verify the DS-160 upload limits against our output: square, 600 to 1200 pixels a side, under 240 KB.]

Can I print the sheet myself? Yes. Glossy or matte 4x6 photo paper, printed at actual size with no "fit to page", then cut on the guide lines. Or choose pickup and the store cuts it for you.

Do you edit my face? No. We handle the crop, the head size and the technical checks. Your face, your features and your expression stay exactly as they are, because an altered photo is what gets rejected.

Do I pay anything at the pharmacy? About 50 cents for the print itself, at the counter. Everything else is paid here, and the digital file is in your inbox within a minute either way.

Is the double money back guarantee on this page? [Decision needed before this page goes live: the guarantee and the terms currently cover State Department rejections only. Confirm whether a 2x2 photo used for another agency is covered, and on what proof.]