Immigration PhotoUS Passport Photo Requirements (Check your Photo)
U.S. Passport photo requirements (paper and in-person applications)
A US passport application requires one color photo, 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm), with the head measuring 1 to 1 3/8 inches from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head, taken within the last 6 months.
When photos are needed
One printed photo for a paper application (DS-11, DS-82). Renewing online instead means uploading one digital photo and mailing no print.
Failed the check, or starting from a phone picture? The US passport photo maker corrects framing, dimensions, file size and background to this document's exact figures, previewed free.
The specification
| Number of photos | 1 |
|---|---|
| Printed size | 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm), printed on matte or glossy photo quality paper |
| Digital size | Not specified by the official source |
| Head height | 1 to 1 3/8 inches (25 to 35 mm), from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head, the top of the hair, not the hairline |
| Eye position | Not specified by the official source |
| Background | Plain white or off-white, free of shadows, textures, or objects |
| File format | Not specified by the official source |
| How recent | Taken within the last 6 months |
Editing and retouching
Submit the original, unchanged photo. Do not change your photo using computer software, phone apps or filters, or artificial intelligence. We check all photos to ensure you are not using artificial intelligence tools.
Department of State, quoted from the official source
What the official source does not say
TWO precisions. (1) The State Department publishes NO eye-height rule for US passport photos and no pixel dimension for paper applications, both were searched for on travel.state.gov and in 8 FAM 402.1 and are genuinely absent. Do not publish either figure. (2) On the effective date of the AI/retouching prohibition: it is codified in 8 FAM 402.1-3(g) under change transmittal CT:CITZ-112 dated 2024-09-06, and the public page already carried the AI sentence in an archived capture from 2024-03-01. There is no "January 1, 2026" effective date in any State Department source, that claim is wrong and should not be repeated.
Expression, glasses and what you wear
The State Department wants your face plain and unobstructed: face the camera directly with a neutral expression, both eyes open and visible, and mouth closed. Smiling is allowed, in the State Department's own words: "You can smile in your photo. Just make sure your eyes are open and your mouth is closed."
Take off any eyeglasses, sunglasses, or tinted glasses. If glasses cannot come off for medical reasons, include a signed note from a doctor. Jewelry and facial piercings are fine as long as they do not hide your face, and hearing devices can stay in, but headphones and wireless hands-free devices cannot.
Wear what you wear on a normal day. A uniform, clothing that looks like a uniform, and camouflage are all barred. Hats and head coverings must come off, with two exceptions: religious attire worn daily in public, with a signed statement, or a medical covering, with a signed doctor's statement. A permitted covering must be one color, without patterns or small holes, and must leave your full face visible with no shadows.
Why passport photos get rejected
The State Department says it plainly: "Unacceptable photos are the number one reason why we put passport applications on hold." The photo is the easiest part of the application to get wrong and the easiest to get right before you file.
Beyond framing and background, the print itself can sink you. Photocopies and digitally scanned photos are rejected, and so are photos with red eye or physical damage: holes, creases, smudges. If you are filing on paper, print on matte or glossy photo quality paper and send an undamaged original. You can check the digital file against the published rules before you print.
If you are renewing online instead of on paper, the rules shift: no print at all, and a different file specification. That route has its own page.
Taking the photo yourself
No published guideline requires a professional photographer; the State Department's own passport picture guidelines describe the self-service route. Stand facing the camera against a plain white or off-white background. If your wall is the wrong color, the State Department's own fix is to hang a white sheet over it and stand several feet in front, so your shadow falls on the floor behind you instead of the backdrop.
Light the face evenly, with no shadows on the face or in the background. Take the photo within 6 months of applying, and submit the original file: no computer software, phone apps, filters, or artificial intelligence, a rule the State Department says it checks every photo against. Then run the file through the checker before you print or upload anything.
Printing the photo at home
Home printing is allowed; the rule governs the output, not who prints it. Print at 2 x 2 inches on matte or glossy photo quality paper. Plain office paper fails the photo quality requirement, and the State Department publishes no DPI figure for passport prints, so sites quoting 300 DPI are inventing a number: what the adjudication manual actually says is that photographs with visible pixels are not acceptable. Sharp, not pixelated, on photo paper is the standard.
Print fresh from the original file. Photocopies and digitally scanned photos are rejected, and so is any damaged print: holes, creases, smudges. If you would rather have it done for you, see what a passport photo costs at US stores before driving; counters charge $7.64 to $19.99 for two prints. If you are filing a DS-11, the form itself carries a sizing template on Application Page 1 to check the head measurement against.
Photographing a baby for a passport
Infants get real carve-outs. It is okay if a baby's eyes are not entirely open; all other children must have their eyes open. The head may be discreetly supported and some head tilt is tolerated. The hard rule comes from the adjudication manual: no parent's face may appear in an infant's photo. Lay the baby on a plain white sheet, shoot from above, and keep your hands out of frame. The full set of infant rules, the at-home method and the visa and DV variants are on the baby passport photo requirements page.
Photo requirements by form
The physical photo is the same for every form below; what changes is whether photos are required at all, how many to send, and the form-specific traps. Jump straight to yours:
DS-11 photo requirements
Application for a U.S. Passport (Form DS-11)
Form DS-11 requires one color photograph, 2 x 2 inches, submitted with the paper application.
| How many photos | 1 |
|---|---|
| Printed size | 2 x 2 inches, printed on matte or glossy photo quality paper |
| Background | Plain white or off-white |
| How recent | Taken within the last 6 months |
What the DS-11 form itself says about the photo
The DS-11 asks for exactly one color photograph, 2 x 2 inches, attached to the application, and lists its own requirements in Section D: taken less than six months ago, head measuring 1 to 1 3/8 inches from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head, head facing the camera directly with the full face in view, no eyeglasses, head coverings, or uniforms, printed on matte or glossy photo quality paper, on a plain white or off-white background. The form even ships its own ruler: a photo template printed on Application Page 1 to check the head measurement against.
Two exceptions are spelled out in the form's footnote. A head covering is acceptable with a signed statement that it is part of recognized, traditional religious attire customarily worn continuously in public, or with a signed doctor's statement verifying daily medical use. Glasses are acceptable only with a signed doctor's statement explaining why they cannot come off, such as during recovery from eye surgery.
Just as interesting is what the form does not say. It publishes no eye-height measurement and contains no retouching or AI language at all; for the full rule set it points to travel.state.gov/photos, which is where the no-software, no-filters, no-AI rule binds from. And you write nothing on the back of a DS-11 photo; for hand-carried applications, the acceptance agent signs the back, not you.
Check a DS-11 photo free against these figures before you file.
Verified against Department of State sources on 2026-08-04
DS-82 photo requirements
U.S. Passport Renewal Application by Mail (Form DS-82)
Form DS-82 requires one color photograph, 2 x 2 inches, mailed with the renewal application. Renewing online instead means uploading a digital photo rather than mailing a print.
| How many photos | 1 |
|---|---|
| Printed size | 2 x 2 inches, printed on matte or glossy photo quality paper |
| Background | Plain white or off-white |
| How recent | Taken within the last 6 months |
The mail-in renewal photo, and the eligibility gate around it
The DS-82 photo spec is word for word the DS-11's: one color 2 x 2 inch print attached to the mailed application, taken less than six months ago, head 1 to 1 3/8 inches from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head, facing the camera directly, no eyeglasses, head coverings, or uniforms (with the same signed-statement religious and medical exceptions), printed on matte or glossy photo quality paper against a plain white or off-white background. Nothing is written on the back.
What actually decides whether you can use this form is not the photo but eligibility. The DS-82 requires submitting your most recent passport, and that passport must have been issued when you were at least 16, issued less than 15 years ago, and not mutilated, damaged, or reported lost or stolen. Fail any of those and the form itself sends you to Form DS-11 in person, same photo spec, different filing.
There is also a third route that skips the print entirely: eligible renewals can be filed online with a digital photo upload instead of a mailed print, under a different file specification. If you would rather upload than mail, that route has its own page.
Check a DS-82 photo free against these figures before you file.
Verified against Department of State sources on 2026-08-04
DS-64 photo requirements
Statement Regarding a Lost or Stolen U.S. Passport (Form DS-64)
Form DS-64 requires no photograph. It is a report of a lost or stolen passport, not an application, the photo is submitted with the replacement application (Form DS-11) instead.
What to do about photos after a lost or stolen passport
The DS-64 itself is only the report; it takes no photo. The replacement passport happens on Form DS-11, and that is where the photo goes: one color 2x2 print, taken within the last 6 months, head 1 to 1 3/8 inches, plain white or off-white background, no glasses, hats, or uniforms, unedited and not AI-altered.
One rule catches people here: a lost or stolen passport can never be renewed by mail on DS-82. The DS-82 states it verbatim: mutilated, damaged, or reported lost or stolen means DS-11. Budget for the in-person route and one fresh photo.
Verified against Department of State sources on 2026-08-04
Questions about the US passport photo
Can I smile in my US passport photo?
- Yes, within a limit the State Department states directly: you can smile as long as your eyes are open and your mouth is closed. A neutral expression is equally acceptable. What fails is teeth showing or eyes squeezed shut.
Can I wear glasses in my passport photo?
- No. The instruction is to take off any eyeglasses, sunglasses, or tinted glasses. The only exception is medical, and it needs a signed note from a doctor included with your application.
Do your ears have to show in a passport photo?
- No. The State Department's adjudication manual says it directly: the photo is a close-up of the head and neck, and the ears do not have to be visible. The visible-ears rule belongs to other countries' passports, not the US. One narrow exception appears on some embassy immigrant-visa pages: if a head covering is worn, the ears and forehead must be clearly seen.
What are the rules for hair in a passport photo?
- There is no rule requiring hair to be pulled back. What the sources require: no hair obscuring the eyes, and hair must not block a portion of the face. Your hair may extend past the boundaries of the photo as long as your entire head is shown, and flat-lying accessories like clips, bobby pins or thin headbands are acceptable. Head height is measured from the top of the head, not the hair.
Can I wear a wig or hairpiece in a passport photo?
- Yes. The adjudication manual allows a wig, hearing device or facial piercing jewelry as long as it does not partially or completely obscure the face. Head coverings worn for medical reasons, including hair loss from medical treatment, can also be acceptable with documentation.
Can I wear earrings or a nose piercing?
- Yes. Jewelry and facial piercings are allowed as long as they do not hide your face. There is no rule requiring you to remove them.
Will a scanned or photocopied photo work?
- No. The State Department rejects photocopies and digitally scanned photos, along with photos showing red eye and prints with holes, creases, or smudges. Submit an original print from an original digital file.
Can my passport photo be edited with an app or AI?
- No. The rule is to submit the original, unchanged photo: no computer software, phone apps, filters, or artificial intelligence, and the State Department states that it checks all photos for AI tools.
Does a passport photo have to be on photo paper?
- Yes, if you are filing on paper. The published requirement is matte or glossy photo quality paper; plain office paper fails it. The visa pages say photo quality paper, and USCIS instructions say thin paper with a glossy finish, so glossy photo paper satisfies all three agencies at once.
Can I print my passport photo at home?
- Yes. The requirement is about the result: a 2 x 2 inch print on matte or glossy photo quality paper, sharp with no visible pixels, undamaged, printed from the original file rather than photocopied or scanned. A home photo printer on photo paper meets that; plain office paper does not.
Do I write my name on the back of a DS-11 photo?
- No. The DS-11 has no instruction for the applicant to write anything on the photo; for hand-carried applications the acceptance agent signs the back. Writing your name on the back is a USCIS-form habit (I-485, I-130, N-400 abroad), not a State Department one.
How do I know my DS-11 photo head size is right?
- The form carries its own ruler: the instructions direct applicants to the photo template printed on Application Page 1 to check head sizing. The head must measure 1 to 1 3/8 inches from chin to top of head. Or check the digital file before you print.
Do I staple the photo to the DS-11?
- Submit one color 2x2 print with the application, undamaged: no holes, creases, or smudges, since damaged prints are rejected. The DS-11 is filed in person, and you sign only when the authorized agent tells you to.
Are the DS-11 clothing rules different from the general passport rules?
- No. Same rules: no eyeglasses, no head coverings, no uniforms, with the religious-attire exception, with a signed statement, and the medical exception, with a signed doctor's statement.
Do I write anything on the back of a DS-82 photo?
- No. The form contains no instruction to write anything on the back of the photo; the print is attached as-is. Writing names on photo backs is a USCIS-form requirement, not a passport one.
Can I renew by mail with DS-82 if my passport was lost or stolen?
- No, and the form says so verbatim: a passport that has been mutilated, damaged, or reported lost or stolen means applying on Form DS-11 instead. DS-82 requires submitting your most recent passport, issued when you were at least 16 and less than 15 years ago.
What photo goes with a DS-82 renewal?
- One color 2x2 print, taken within the last 6 months, head 1 to 1 3/8 inches, plain white or off-white background, no glasses, hats, or uniforms, unedited. The same print spec as the DS-11; the difference is eligibility, not the photo.
Does reporting a lost passport require a photo?
- No. Form DS-64 is a report, not an application. The photo is submitted with the replacement application, Form DS-11.
Can I use an old photo for the replacement passport?
- Only if it is still less than 6 months old and still looks like you. The replacement DS-11 follows the standard passport photo rules, including recency.
Verified against Department of State sources on 2026-08-04 · see every source we cite