Quotations are the State Department’s own words. Everything else is our summary of its pages, which are linked under Sources.
Which application is yours
- Paper application. Form DS-11 (in person) or DS-82 (renewal by mail), with a printed photo attached. The rules are on travel.state.gov: Passport Photos(opens in a new tab) and in the forms themselves: DS-11 (PDF)(opens in a new tab) and DS-82 (PDF)(opens in a new tab).
- Online renewal. You upload a photo file. The rules are on travel.state.gov: Uploading a Digital Photo(opens in a new tab). Online renewal is open only to applicants aged 25 or older, among other conditions (Renew Online(opens in a new tab)). If you do not qualify, use the paper form.
The rules side by side
“Not published” means the State Department’s page for that application gives no such rule. We have not filled the gap with a figure from anywhere else.
| Rule | Paper form (DS-11, DS-82) | Online renewal |
|---|---|---|
| The photo | ||
| Size | “The correct printed size of a passport photo is 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm).” | Not published. Nothing is printed. |
| Head size | “The size of your head in the printed photo must be between 1 -1 3/8 inches (25 - 35 mm) from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head.” The forms give the inches only. | Not published. No measurement. “If you’re not sure, leave a little extra room around your face. You can crop your photo when you upload it.” |
| Eye position | Not published | Not published |
| Background | “Background must be white or off-white, free of shadows, and plain without texture, objects, or lines.” If you use a wheelchair and part of the head support shows, that is acceptable. Add a note explaining it. | Plain white or off-white, with no shadows, texture, lines or objects. |
| Lighting and red eye | No shadows on the background. Do not edit out red eye. Retake the photo with the flash adjusted or off. | No shadows on the background. Do not edit out red eye. Retake the photo in natural light. |
| Expression | Neutral, mouth closed, both eyes open. A smile with the mouth closed is allowed. Avoid exaggerated expressions. | Neutral, or a natural smile without showing teeth. Look directly at the camera. |
| Eyes | Open, with the coloured part of the eyes clearly visible. | Open and not covered by hair. |
| Age of the photo | “Submit 1 color photo taken in the last 6 months.” | “The photo must be in color and taken in the last 6 months.” |
| Babies and children | A baby’s eyes need not be entirely open. All other children must have their eyes open. No other person in the photo. | Does not apply. Online renewal is for applicants aged 25 or older. |
| What you wear | ||
| Glasses | “Take off any eyeglasses, sunglasses, or tinted glasses.” If you cannot remove them for medical reasons, include a signed note from your doctor. | “If you are wearing glasses or a hat, remove them and take the photo without them.” |
| Hats and head coverings | Remove them. A religious or medical head covering is allowed with a signed statement. The full face must be visible, and the covering should be one colour, without patterns or small holes. | “You may wear head coverings for religious purposes. The head covering must be one color, and the material should not have patterns or small holes.” Remove any employee ID badge or lanyard. |
| Clothing and accessories | “You cannot wear a uniform, clothing that looks like a uniform, or camouflage clothing.” No headphones or wireless hands-free devices. No face coverings or medical masks. | Not mentioned on the online renewal page. |
| The print | ||
| Paper and print quality | “Print your photo on matte or glossy photo-quality paper.” No photocopies or scans of a printed photo. No holes, creases or smudges. State publishes no DPI figure. | Nothing is printed. Do not photograph a printed photo or scan one to make the file. |
| The file | ||
| File format | Not published. You hand in a print, so there is no file rule. | “The photo is a JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC, or HEIF file.” |
| File size | Not published | “The file size should be between 54 KB and 10 MB.” Do not send the photo by text message, which lowers its quality. |
| Pixel size, aspect ratio, colour space | Not published | Not published. State does not ask for a square photo. “You can reposition or crop your photo in the application.” |
| Editing | ||
| Edited, filtered or AI photos | “Submit the original, unchanged photo. Do not change your photo using computer software, phone apps or filters, or artificial intelligence.” | “If your photo is unnaturally edited or filtered, we will not accept it. Do not use a photo you created or edited using artificial intelligence or other digital tools.” |
| Resizing | “Do not stretch or compress your image to resize it.” | Not mentioned on the online renewal page. |
Figures that are not passport rules
Some figures quoted online as US passport rules come from other State Department material.
- 600 x 600 pixels. This comes from the US visa programme and from State’s Photo Tool. The tool is for paper applications only: “Photo Tool is intended for cropping your photo only when you are applying in person or by mail.” It tells online renewers not to use it.
- Eye height of 28 to 35 mm. This is a US visa figure. State publishes no eye position for passport photos.
- Colour space, DPI, sharpness. State publishes no colour space, no DPI figure and no numeric limit for sharpness, noise or exposure. It describes the result: “not blurry, grainy, or pixelated”.
How our check treats these rules
The check is automatic. No person looks at your photo unless you ask our support to, and any such view is logged. The report lists every rule with one of four results: “Looks right”, “Needs fixing”, “Needs a closer look” or “Not checked”. You cannot pay while a rule shows “Needs fixing” or a confirmation we asked for is missing.
- Judged. Colour, exposure, sharpness and the background, and for online renewal the file format and size. On the finished photo we also judge head tilt, centring, eye position and, for online renewal, the pixels between the eyes. State publishes no eye position for passports, so on the 2 x 2 in photo we use its Photo Composition Template: eyes 56 to 69% of the photo’s height above the bottom edge. The report names the template as the standard. If a rule could not be measured, the report says so.
- Answered by an image model. Open eyes, a closed mouth and glasses, on the finished photo. With no answer the row shows “Not checked”, and so does head height when it could not be measured. Then compare it with the rules above yourself.
- You confirm before paying. The age of the photo when the file has no capture date, any head covering, and your clothing.
- What we do to the photo. For a paper application we crop and scale it to 2 x 2 in, using only the pixels it has, and lay it out on print sheets. State refuses edited photos, so we replace the background, correct the brightness or contrast, or soften shine on the skin only if you ask for it and confirm that such a photo may be rejected. For online renewal you get your original file back unchanged, with the report. We never change your features or the shape of your face.
- No acceptance guarantee. The State Department decides whether to accept your photo.
The check and the watermarked preview are free. The photo without the watermark costs $9.90, paid once. You can start with the photo checker.
Payments are in test mode. No order on this site can be paid for with real money yet.
Next
- US passport photo for a paper application
- Photo for renewing a US passport online
- The standards we check against
- Check your passport photo
Sources
We last read the two photo pages and the forms on September 20, 2026. State can change them at any time, so check the source before you rely on a detail.
- U.S. Department of State: Passport Photos (paper application)(opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Department of State: Uploading a Digital Photo (online renewal)(opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Department of State: Renew Online(opens in a new tab)
- Form DS-11, rev. 04-2025 (application in person)(opens in a new tab)
- Form DS-82, rev. 04-2025 (renewal by mail)(opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Department of State: Photo Tool(opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Department of State: Photo Composition Template (visa pages)(opens in a new tab)