Source note for the page footer: Every rule on this page comes from two State Department pages: https://travel.state.gov/en/passports/apply/help/photos.html (last updated March 24, 2026) and https://travel.state.gov/en/passports/renew-replace/online/upload-digital-photo.html (last updated May 04, 2026). If our page and theirs ever disagree, theirs wins, and we want to hear about it at hello@aiphotographer.ai.

US passport photo requirements, explained in plain words

The State Department says unacceptable photos are the number one reason passport applications get put on hold. The rules themselves are not hard. They are just specific, and most rejected photos break one of about ten of them. This page walks through every rule on the official page, explains what it means when you are standing in front of a wall with your phone, and shows which of our checks catches each one.

Official source: https://travel.state.gov/en/passports/apply/help/photos.html

The seven things the State Department says first

Their page opens with a short list. If you remember nothing else, remember this:

1. One color photo, taken in the last 6 months.
2. Face the camera directly. Do not tilt your head.
3. Stand several feet from the camera, head centered and fully visible.
4. Neutral expression, both eyes open and visible, mouth closed.
5. Remove anything covering your face, unless for documented religious or medical reasons.
6. Plain white or off white background with no shadows, textures or objects.
7. Submit the original, unedited photo. No filters, no digital changes.

Source: https://travel.state.gov/en/passports/apply/help/photos.html

1. Size and head measurements

The rule. A printed passport photo is 2 by 2 inches (51 by 51 mm). The head, measured from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head, must be between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches (25 to 35 mm). Your head and shoulders must be centered, and your entire head must be in the photo. Hair may run past the edges as long as the whole head shows and the size is right.

What it means with a phone. The person taking the photo should stand several feet away, about 4 feet (1.2 m). Too close and the head comes out too big and the face looks wide. Too far and the head is too small once the photo is cropped to 2x2. Do not zoom. Do not hold the phone at arm's length for a selfie.

Our checks. Head size and head centering. We measure the chin to crown distance on your photo and crop the 2x2 so it lands inside the 1 to 1 3/8 inch band. If the original is too close or too far to crop correctly, the check fails and tells you to move.

[DIAGRAM: 2x2 square, head height band marked 1 inch to 1 3/8 inches, head centered]

Source: https://travel.state.gov/en/passports/apply/help/photos.html

2. Background

The rule. White or off white, plain, with no shadows, texture, objects or lines. The State Department's own tip: hang a white sheet or blanket over a wall that is not white. Stand several feet in front of it so you do not throw a shadow on it. If you use a wheelchair, part of the head support may show; include a note with your application explaining why the background is not fully white.

What it means with a phone. A blue wall, a patterned wallpaper, a door frame, or a gray shadow beside your head are all rejections. The sheet trick works. So does a white interior door.

Our checks. Background color and background uniformity, and shadows on the background. The guidance frame warns you while you are lining up the shot if the wall behind you is not plain, so you can fix it before you take the photo rather than after.

Source: https://travel.state.gov/en/passports/apply/help/photos.html

3. Pose and expression

The rule. Face the camera directly with your full face in view and your head not tilted. Both eyes open, with the colored part of the eyes clearly visible and not covered by hair. A neutral expression or a natural smile is fine. Mouth closed. The online renewal page adds: avoid showing teeth.

Rejections the State Department shows as examples: looking down, head tilted forward, mouth open, head rotated with shoulders not square, head tilted to the side, eyes closed.

Our checks. Head tilt and rotation, eyes open, mouth closed, face fully visible, one face only.

Source: https://travel.state.gov/en/passports/apply/help/photos.html

4. Glasses, hats, head coverings and clothing

Glasses. Take off eyeglasses, sunglasses and tinted glasses. Do not rest them on your head. If you cannot remove them for a medical reason, include a signed note from your doctor with your application.

Hats and head coverings. Take them off. Two exceptions. Religious: submit a signed statement that it is religious attire worn daily in public. Medical: submit a signed doctor's statement. In either case the full face must be visible, no shadows or parts of the face blocked, the covering one color, with no patterns or small holes.

Face coverings. Take off any face covering or medical mask.

Clothing. No uniforms, nothing that looks like a uniform, no camouflage. No headphones or wireless earpieces. The online renewal page also says to remove an employee ID badge or lanyard. Jewelry and facial piercings are fine as long as they do not hide your face.

Our checks. Glasses, sunglasses, head covering, face occlusion (anything covering part of the face, including hair, a scarf or a hand).

Source: https://travel.state.gov/en/passports/apply/help/photos.html

5. Lighting and shadows

The rule. Even lighting on the face. The image must be clear, reproduce skin tones accurately, and have no shadows. Avoid overhead lights and lights far off to one side, which cast shadows across the face. Not too bright (overexposed) and not too dim (underexposed). The State Department's tips: change the camera exposure or add light; adjust white balance if the color is off.

What it means with a phone. Face a window. Daylight from the front is the easiest way to pass this rule. Turn off the flash, which causes red eye and a hard shadow behind you.

Our checks. Shadows on the face, shadows on the background, exposure, color cast. The guidance frame tells you "more light" or "too bright" before you take the photo.

Source: https://travel.state.gov/en/passports/apply/help/photos.html

6. Resolution and quality

The rule. A high resolution color photo that is not blurry, grainy or pixelated, with no visible printer dots. Set the camera to its highest quality. Print on matte or glossy photo quality paper. No photocopies, no scans of a printed photo, no red eye, no damaged prints with holes, creases or smudges.

What it means with a phone. Any recent phone takes a sharp enough photo. The failures are motion blur and low light. Hold still, use the timer, or rest the phone on something.

Our checks. Sharpness, resolution, red eye. Our print sheet is built for glossy photo paper, and pharmacy pickup and mailed prints both use it.

Source: https://travel.state.gov/en/passports/apply/help/photos.html

7. Digital changes: the rule most online services get wrong

The rule, in the State Department's words. Submit the original, unchanged photo. Do not change your photo using computer software, phone apps or filters, or artificial intelligence. Their examples of unacceptable photos include a background that was cropped out with a retouching tool, changing the outline of the head, face and neck; a photo altered to change natural appearance; red eye fixed with an editing tool; a filtered image; and a photo that looks fine but was created with an AI tool from an earlier photo. They add: "We check all photos to ensure you are not using artificial intelligence tools."

Their own advice when the background or lighting is wrong: fix the lighting and background and take a new photo.

What it means for you. Get the photo right at the moment you take it. That is why our guidance runs before you press the button, not after. Cropping and resizing to 2x2 are fine; the online renewal tool itself lets you reposition and crop. What is never fine is changing how you look.

What we do and do not do. We crop to size, place the head correctly, and run the checks. We never alter your face, your features, your eyes or your expression, and we do not apply filters. We crop your photo to size, place your head correctly, and give it a plain white background. We never alter your face, your features, your eyes or your expression. [Asaf decided 2026-09-09 to keep background replacement; the paragraph above about the State Department's unedited-photo wording stays on the page as their rule, in their words. Attorney to confirm the two sit together.]

Source: https://travel.state.gov/en/passports/apply/help/photos.html

8. Digital file rules for online renewal

If you renew online, you upload a digital photo instead of mailing prints. The rules for that file, from the State Department's upload page:

• File type: JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC or HEIF. Photos from a phone usually save in one of these already.
• File size: between 54 KB and 10 MB.
• In color, taken in the last 6 months.
• Stand several feet from a white or off white wall. The bottom edge of the photo should be about where your shoulders meet your arms.
• No filters or retouching tools to change your appearance.
• Do not photograph a printed photo or scan one to make a digital file.
• Do not send the photo to yourself by text message, because messaging apps compress it and lower the quality.

You can reposition or crop the photo inside the renewal application. The tool checks the basic requirements when you upload, and an employee reviews the photo after the application is received. If there is a problem, they send a letter or email asking for a new photo.

What we send you. A JPEG within those limits, already cropped square with the head sized to spec, so you upload it as is. We email it rather than text it, for exactly the reason above.

Source: https://travel.state.gov/en/passports/renew-replace/online/upload-digital-photo.html

9. Babies and children

The rule. Place the child on a plain white or off white sheet, or cover a car seat with the sheet and put the child in it. No shadows on the child's face. No other person in the photo, which includes hands holding the head. The child must face the camera with a neutral expression and the full face visible, so no pacifier. A baby's eyes may be not entirely open. Every other child must have eyes open.

Rejections the State Department shows as examples: the child not facing forward, an exaggerated expression, a hand or pacifier blocking the face, a blurry photo on a non white background, another person in the frame.

What it means with a phone. Lay the baby on the sheet and shoot straight down, in daylight, with the phone steady. Take a burst and pick the frame where the eyes are most open and the mouth is closed. For toddlers, the car seat trick keeps them still and facing forward.

Our checks. Tell us the photo is for an infant and the checks switch to the baby rules: eyes may be partly closed, and the head size band is applied to a small head. The single face check still runs, so a parent's hand in frame fails it, as it would at the passport agency.

Source: https://travel.state.gov/en/passports/apply/help/photos.html

10. Common rejection reasons and how our checks catch each one

11. What to do if your photo is rejected

1. Read the letter or email. It names the reason. Most are one of the rows above.
2. Take a new photo that fixes that one thing. Do not edit the old one; an edited photo is its own rejection reason.
3. If we approved the rejected photo, send us the notice within 90 days of your order and you get double your money back. [Guarantee page link]
4. Then apply again with the new photo. If you renewed online, the State Department contacts you with instructions for sending a new one.

Source: https://travel.state.gov/en/passports/apply/help/photos.html

Where to get a passport photo, according to the State Department

Their page lists three options: an acceptance facility when you apply in person, any company that offers photo services, or a friend or family member. The last one is us with your phone, at a fraction of the counter price, and with every rule checked before you pay.

[Button: Take my passport photo]

This page explains the rules published by the US Department of State. AI Photographer is a private company and is not affiliated with the US government. Whether a photo is accepted is always the State Department's decision.