US Passport Photo Requirements (Check your Photo)

The specification

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 Do not publish either figure.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.

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.