Your passport photo must be:

(“Head must be between 1 -1 3/8 inches (25 – 35 mm) from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head”)

NO EYE GLASSES IN PASSPORT PHOTOS

Make sure the photo is taken from shoulders up NOT chest up.

2017 – PHOTOS

CHEST up photos taken have been rejected, and they are giving us new guidelines of shoulders up, Please look at the photos before they are printed at CVS or any other place doing passport photos. They have rejected many photos from the chest up saying the head is too small.

• In color
• Printed on matte or glossy photo quality paper
• 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) in size
• Sized such that the head is between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches (between 25 and 35 mm) from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head. View the Photo Composition Template for more size requirement details.
• Taken within the last 6 months to reflect your current appearance
• Taken in front of a plain white or off-white background
• Taken in full-face view directly facing the camera
• Taken with a neutral facial expression, and with both eyes open
• Taken in clothing that you normally wear on a daily basis:
  
  • Uniforms, clothing that looks like a uniform, and camouflage attire should not be worn in photos except in the case of religious attire that is worn daily.
  • You may only wear a hat or head covering if you wear it daily for religious purposes. Your full face must be visible and your head covering cannot obscure your hairline or cast shadows on your face.
  • Headphones, wireless hands-free devices or similar items are not acceptable in your photo.
  • If you normally wear prescription glasses, a hearing device or similar articles, they may be worn for your photo. Glare on glasses is not acceptable in your photo. (INDIA WILL NOT ACCEPT PHOTOS WITH GLASSES)
  • Dark glasses or non-prescription glasses with tinted lenses are not acceptable unless you need them for medical reasons (a medical certificate may be required).

To see examples of acceptable and unacceptable photos, please visit the Photo Examples page. Photos copied or digitally scanned from driver’s licenses or other official documents are not acceptable. In addition, snapshots, magazine photos, low quality vending machine or mobile phone photos, and full-length photographs are not acceptable.

Want to take a photo of yourself?

While we recommend you use a professional passport photo service to ensure your photo meets all the requirements, you may take the photo yourself. Hand-held self portraits are not acceptable. Photos must not be digitally enhanced or altered to change your appearance in any way. If you take the photo yourself with a digital camera, the digital image must adhere to the following specifications: (“Head must be between 1 -1 3/8 inches (25 – 35 mm) from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head”)

Dimensions:
The image dimensions must be in a square aspect ratio (the height must be equal to the width). Minimum acceptable dimensions are 600 x 600 pixels. Maximum acceptable dimensions are 1200 x 1200 pixels.

Color:
The image must be in color in sRGB color space which is the common output for most digital cameras.

Please review the following technical requirements and references for guidance on taking your own passport photo.

• Photographer’s Guide
• Photo Composition Template

Want to scan an existing photo?

In addition to the digital image requirements, your existing photo must be:

• 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm)
• Scanned at a resolution of 300 pixels per inch (12 pixels per millimeter)
• (“Head must be between 1 -1 3/8 inches (25 – 35 mm) from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head”)

Want to use your own digital photo?

(“Head must be between 1 -1 3/8 inches (25 – 35 mm) from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head”)

Use the Department of State’s free photo tool to:

• select a digital image stored on your computer
• resize and rotate it if necessary
• crop it to a square image of exactly 600 x 600 pixels, and
• save it to your computer for printing

START PHOTO TOOL
This tool requires Adobe Flash Player 10 or later.