US passport photo requirements in 2026: every rule, updated for current State Department guidance

The essential specifications

**Photo size:** 2×2 inches (51×51mm) for printed photos. Square format — 1:1 aspect ratio. **Digital size:** For online renewal: minimum 600×600 pixels; for DS-160 visa and DV Lottery: minimum 600×600 pixels, maximum 240KB, JPEG only. **Background:** Plain white or off-white. No shadows, no texture, no objects visible. **Head size:** The head must be between 1 inch and 1⅜ inches from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head — 50 to 69 percent of the 2-inch frame height. **Eye position:** The centre of the eyes should be between 1⅛ and 1⅜ inches from the bottom of the photo — 56 to 69 percent of image height from the bottom. **Expression:** Neutral expression with both eyes open, mouth closed, looking directly at the camera. A natural closed-mouth smile is technically permitted but the neutral expression is the lower-risk choice. **Glasses:** Not permitted since November 2016. No exceptions for prescription strength, frequency of wear, or frame style. The only exception is a documented medical condition preventing removal, requiring a signed doctor's statement. **Recency:** Taken within the last 6 months of the application date. **Colour:** Colour photos only. Black and white is not accepted. **Paper (for prints):** Matte or glossy photo-quality paper. Standard printer paper and copier paper are not accepted. **Digital alteration:** None permitted. The January 2026 AI ban explicitly prohibits AI-generated photos, AI-enhanced photos, beauty filters, background replacement, and any post-capture digital modification.

Background requirements in full

The most common background failure is a shadow on the wall behind you, caused by standing too close to it. The fix is to stand 2 to 3 feet away from any wall and use even lighting. A plain white or off-white background means no shadows, no visible texture, no objects, no furniture edges, and no colour cast from warm lighting. Two specific background problems produce the majority of background rejections. The first is a shadow behind the head and shoulders — caused by standing too close to the wall and by ceiling lights as the primary light source. The fix: stand at least one metre from the background and use front-facing natural daylight from a window. The second is a cream or yellow colour cast — caused by incandescent or warm LED room lighting that shifts the white background toward cream in the photo. The fix: use natural daylight or daylight-balanced LED bulbs (5000–6500K) as the primary light source. Background colour must be white or off-white. The State Department updated its online-photo guidance on May 4, 2026 and its paper-photo guidance on March 24, 2026. Both say to use a real plain white or off-white background, and if the background is wrong, to fix the lighting and retake the photo rather than replacing the background digitally.

Head size and positioning

The head must be vertically centred. The face from chin to the top of the head must measure between 1 inch and 1⅜ inches in the 2-inch frame. This is 50 to 69 percent of the frame height. Too small is the most common error — the instinct to step back from the camera to fit the whole head comfortably in frame regularly produces a face below the 50 percent minimum. The eye position is a separate requirement: the eyes must be between 56 and 69 percent of the photo height measured from the bottom. This constraint is automatically satisfied when the face is the correct size and centred with appropriate space above and below — a correctly sized, centred face will have the eyes in the correct vertical position. Camera distance of 1.5 to 2 metres from the subject, using the rear camera in standard Photo mode (not Portrait mode, not selfie camera), produces a face at approximately the correct proportion. Taking a test shot and cropping to the 2×2 proportions in the camera roll confirms the face is within the required range before committing to the full session.

Glasses

Since November 1, 2016, the US State Department does not allow glasses in passport photos. This includes prescription glasses, reading glasses, and any other eyewear. The ban was implemented after glasses caused over 200,000 processing delays in 2015 due to glare, reflections, and frames obscuring facial features used by biometric matching systems. The only exception is a medical condition that genuinely prevents the applicant from removing their glasses. This requires a signed statement from a medical professional confirming the medical necessity and must accompany the application. The exception is narrow — strong prescription strength, preference, or frequency of wear do not qualify. Clear corrective contact lenses are permitted. Coloured or tinted contact lenses are not permitted. Transition (photochromic) glasses — even when they appear clear indoors — are not accepted because any residual tint may affect the photo quality check.

Expression

A neutral expression is the State Department's primary guidance — and the lower-risk choice for most applicants. Neutral means: jaw relaxed, mouth closed, both eyes open naturally, face muscles not actively engaged in any expression. Not blank or tense, but resting. A natural closed-mouth smile is officially permitted. The State Department's guidance says to have "a neutral facial expression or a natural smile with both eyes open." The qualification is "natural" — a forced or wide smile that shows teeth, changes the cheek position significantly, or narrows the eyes fails the expression check. A genuinely natural slight upward movement at the corners of the mouth may be acceptable; a manufactured smile produced on command rarely is. Smiling is rejected when it is too pronounced. If you genuinely cannot keep a neutral expression, take 20 photos and pick the one where your default smile is least pronounced.

Clothing and accessories

Uniforms, clothing that looks like a uniform, and camouflage attire are not permitted. No hats or head coverings except for documented religious or medical reasons. Wireless earbuds and AirPods must be removed. Hearing aids and cochlear implants are permitted without any documentation. For clothing, wear what you normally wear on a daily basis. There is no specific requirement for formal attire, and the standard that applies is the daily appearance principle — the photo should represent how you typically look, not a specially assembled version of yourself. Jewellery is permitted, but large or reflective pieces near the face that create glare or shadows are worth removing for the session. Small earrings, a simple necklace, and typical facial piercings are generally fine.

The 2026 AI ban

The State Department significantly increased enforcement against digitally altered passport photos since January 2026. Photos processed with beauty filters, AI face-editing tools, background replacement apps, or any form of digital retouching will be rejected. The automated screening system can detect AI-generated modifications, and submitting an altered photo may delay your application by weeks. The specific AI features on smartphones that trigger rejection: Photographic Styles on iPhone (any setting other than Standard), Portrait mode background blur on any phone, Samsung Scene Optimizer and Beauty mode, Google Pixel Face Unblur. These are automatic features that many people have never knowingly enabled, but which are active by default on most phones. The fix is simple and takes under two minutes before the session: on iPhone, set Photographic Styles to Standard in Settings → Camera → Photographic Styles; confirm the camera is in standard Photo mode, not Portrait. On Samsung, disable Scene Optimizer and set Beauty to zero in the Camera app settings. On Pixel, disable Face Unblur in Camera → More Settings. Use standard Photo mode on any phone. AI background replacement — using apps to replace a non-white background with white — is specifically prohibited and produces detectable artifacts at the subject boundary. Use a real white background.

Paper applications vs online renewal

Paper applications (DS-11 and DS-82): Two identical 2×2 inch printed photos on photo-quality paper (matte or glossy), submitted with the application. The two prints must be identical — same session, same composition. For DS-11 first-time applications: applied for in person at a passport acceptance facility. For DS-82 renewals: submitted by mail. Online renewal through MyTravelGov (opr.travel.state.gov): One digital photo uploaded to the portal. For online renewal: JPEG, PNG, HEIC, or HEIF format; minimum 600×600 pixels; file size between 54KB and 10MB. The portal includes a repositioning and cropping tool that lets you adjust the framing after uploading. A State Department employee still reviews the photo after submission — the automated portal check is not the final review. Online renewal eligibility (as of July 21, 2026): your most recent passport was valid for 10 years and you were at least 25 when it was issued; it expires within one year or expired less than five years ago; you are not changing name, sex, date of birth, or place of birth; you are not traveling within the next six weeks; you are applying from within the United States and have the passport in your possession. DS-160 visa applications and DV Lottery: JPEG only, minimum 600×600 pixels, maximum 240KB.

Self-taken photos

The State Department explicitly allows self-taken passport photos. Their official position: "You may take the photo yourself. The photo can be taken by a friend or colleague, or you may take a self-portrait." The self-timer method — mounting the phone on a stable surface at eye level, setting the timer to 2–3 seconds, and standing 1.5 metres away — eliminates the camera motion from pressing the shutter button and produces better results than holding the phone at arm's length. Selfies taken at close range with the front camera produce wide-angle distortion that affects the apparent facial proportions.

Children and infants

Every child, including newborns, must have their own passport. The same 2×2 inch specification applies at every age. For infants: it is acceptable if an infant's eyes are not completely open (unlike adults). No other people can be visible in the photo — no hands, arms, or other people. The flat-sheet method — laying the baby face-up on a white sheet on the floor and photographing from directly above — keeps adult hands and presence out of the frame while supporting the baby's head with the floor surface. For children over twelve months through to about age four, the eyes must be open. For children five and older, the full adult expression standard applies.

How PassSnap fits

PassSnap's US Passport photo type applies all current State Department specifications: 2×2 inch crop at the correct face proportion, white background guidance, real-time head-size feedback during guided capture, and the optional AI verify step that checks the exported photo for background uniformity, expression, and glasses compliance before the file is exported. No AI enhancement or retouching is applied to the exported photo — the output is the original camera capture, consistent with the 2026 AI ban.

Common rejection causes and how to avoid them

Wrong background (31% of rejections): Stand at least one metre from the background wall, use front-facing natural daylight, turn off room ceiling lights.

Head size error (24% of rejections): Camera at 1.5 metres, rear camera in standard Photo mode (not Portrait). Check the face proportion in the 2×2 crop — not the full frame — before printing or uploading.

Shadows (18% of rejections): Same fix as background — distance from wall and front-facing light eliminates both background shadows and face shadows from overhead lighting simultaneously.

File format or size error (14% of rejections): For online renewal, JPEG/PNG/HEIC/HEIF, 54KB–10MB. For DS-160/DV Lottery, JPEG only, maximum 240KB. Don't share the photo through messaging apps before uploading — they recompress files and can produce files outside the accepted range.

AI editing (8% of rejections): Disable AI features before the session. Retake, don't try to de-process.

FAQ

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