Photo tips

Passport photo eyes open requirements: how to get a clean shot, and what to do if your eyes simply do not open all the way

Of all the rules for a passport photo, "keep your eyes open" sounds like the easiest to follow. It is also one of the most common reasons a home photo fails, and not because people forget. Eyes close for a split second just as the shutter fires. Bright light makes people squint. A flash puts a red glow in the pupils. A fringe or a wisp of hair falls across one eye. And for a smaller group of people, a medical condition or a natural eye shape means the eyes do not open as wide as a checklist seems to expect. This guide covers what the major issuing authorities actually say, the practical fixes for the everyday problems, and the sensible route when the problem is not something you can fix with a retake.

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Keywordpassport photo eyes open requirements

UpdatedOct 1, 2026

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The practical answer

Every market PassSnap supports asks for the same basic thing: both eyes open and clearly visible, looking straight at the camera, with a neutral expression and nothing blocking the eyes. The US State Department says the coloured parts of your eyes must be clearly visible and must not be covered by hair, and it asks for both eyes open and the mouth closed. A natural smile is allowed as long as the eyes are open and the mouth is closed, but exaggerated expressions and open mouths are not. Its published guidance says not to submit a photo with red eye, and that you should adjust or turn off the flash rather than try to fix red eye with editing tools. The State Department's Foreign Affairs Manual, which is the internal guidance for people who review photos, states that both eyes should be visible and open, that the red-eye effect is not acceptable, and that unusual expressions and squinting are not acceptable either. The UK's guidance says your eyes must be open and visible, the photo must not have red eye, you cannot have hair in front of your eyes, and you need a plain expression with your mouth closed. Canada's guidance asks for eyes open and clearly visible, a neutral look with the mouth closed and no smile or frown, and it states that photos showing a red-eye effect or red-eye alterations are not accepted. Where a person wears glasses for a documented reason, the same rules still apply: the eyes must be clearly visible and there must be no glare on the lenses. There is one more pattern worth knowing. The rules for babies are different. The State Department says it is fine if a baby's eyes are not entirely open, while all other children need their eyes open. The Foreign Affairs Manual adds that a newborn's partially or completely closed eyes can be acceptable. That is the only built-in allowance for eyes that are not fully open; everything else relies on the medical exception described below.

Where people get surprised

The first surprise is that squinting counts. People often think of the rule as "eyes open versus eyes closed," but the reviewer's question is whether your eyes are clearly visible and your expression looks natural. A partial squint against bright light narrows the eye opening, hides part of the iris and changes the whole look of the face. The Foreign Affairs Manual names squinting explicitly as unacceptable. The cause is almost always the lighting setup rather than the person. Facing a bright window, or standing outdoors in direct sun, makes anyone squint. Soft, even light from the front, with no glare in your eyes, is the single biggest fix. The second surprise is how red eye happens and how it cannot be repaired. Red eye is caused by flash light reflecting off the back of the eye, and it is much more common in dim rooms where the pupils are wide open. The State Department's guidance is direct: adjust or turn off the camera flash, and do not use editing tools to correct it. This matters more in 2026 than it used to, because altered photos can run into the rules on digital manipulation. The robust fix is to shoot in even daylight or good room lighting with the flash off, so red eye never appears in the first place. The third surprise is hair. A fringe, a loose strand, or hair that has swung forward when you tilted your head can cover part of an eye without you noticing, especially when you check the photo on a small phone screen. The US guidance says your eyes must not be covered by hair, and the UK says you cannot have hair in front of your eyes. Pin the hair back or tuck it behind your ears, then check the full-size image. The fourth surprise is the blink. Most phone cameras take a photo the instant you tap or the instant a timer ends, and a normal person blinks roughly every few seconds. If you take only one or two shots, there is a decent chance one of them catches a blink or half-blink. Taking a burst of shots, or ten shots in a row, makes it far more likely that at least one has fully open, relaxed eyes. The fifth surprise is the one nobody mentions: the screen itself. People often cannot tell from a phone thumbnail whether their eyes are fully open, because a half-closed eye can look fine at a small size. Looking at the photo at full size on a laptop or tablet makes a half-blink obvious immediately.

When your eyes do not open fully for medical or natural reasons

Some people have a condition or a natural feature that means their eyes cannot open wider, or cannot open at all in a given moment. This might be a drooping eyelid, a recovery from surgery, a condition affecting the facial muscles, or something else entirely. The reassuring part is that the rules were written with this in mind, and the practical route is about documentation rather than perfection. The State Department's Foreign Affairs Manual recognises that people with physical or mental disabilities, including loss of muscle control, may not be able to produce a natural or unexaggerated expression. It says that if someone is unable to open one or both eyes because of a medical condition, the photograph may be accepted. It also notes that in ambiguous cases a signed statement from a medical professional may be requested. In other words, the issue is handled case by case, and a medical statement is the usual way to show that what the photo shows is genuinely how you look. The UK's guidance says that disabled applicants can get help with their passport photos and points to a dedicated support page, rather than asking people to submit a non-compliant photo without explanation. Canada's guidance allows applicants who cannot meet the standard requirements to explain their medical reasons in writing as part of the application, and for some medical items it asks for a signed letter of explanation and possibly a letter from a doctor. A few practical points follow from this. Take the best photo you can, with the clearest, most natural look you can manage, in good light. Do not use editing tools to open your eyes digitally or to change their appearance, because altered photos are a separate problem. Include whatever statement the issuing authority asks for, and keep it short and factual. If you are unsure which route applies, contact the passport authority directly before you submit. This guide cannot tell you whether your particular situation qualifies, and neither can PassSnap. Only the issuing authority can decide.

Before you take the photo

Set up soft, even light coming from in front of you, such as a window to one side and slightly forward, or a room with bright overhead and fill light. Avoid facing direct sun or a bare bright window, because glare is the most common reason people squint. Turn the camera flash off. If you are in a dim room, add light rather than turning the flash on, because flash is the usual cause of red eye and red eye cannot be corrected with editing tools. Pin or tuck your hair so that nothing crosses either eye, and check the area around your eyebrows and the sides of your face as well. Then take a moment to relax your face and look straight at the lens rather than at the screen. Take a burst of shots instead of a single one. Use the timer so your hands are not near your face, and take at least ten photos so there is a good chance of one with fully open, natural eyes. Check each candidate at full size on a laptop or tablet. Zoom in on the eyes and confirm that the coloured part of both eyes is clearly visible, with no half-blink and no red glow. A photo that looks fine on a phone thumbnail can still show a half-closed eye. If a medical condition affects how your eyes open, take the clearest natural photo you can and then look up the issuing authority's guidance on medical exceptions before you submit. Add the signed statement or written explanation it asks for, and do not edit the image to change your eyes.

How PassSnap fits

PassSnap's guided capture includes a timer and framing guide so you can stand a proper distance back, look straight at the camera, and take the shot without reaching for the screen. That helps with the practical causes of closed or squinting eyes: you can take several shots in a row, and you can check each one at full size before you choose. The optional AI verify step checks the photo for expression and for problems such as eyes not clearly visible, hair across the eyes, and other issues, so you can retake it before you print or upload. PassSnap does not retouch or beautify your face, and it does not change how open your eyes are. PassSnap cannot grant a medical exception and cannot tell you whether an issuing authority will accept a particular photo. If a medical condition affects how your eyes open, use PassSnap to take the clearest, most natural photo you can, and follow the authority's own process for explaining it.

Passport photo eye visibility checklist

Both eyes open: Verify that both eyes are fully open with the coloured irises clearly visible.

No squinting: Check that facial lighting is diffused and not so bright that it forces involuntary squinting.

Flash turned off: Disable flash entirely to prevent red-eye reflections, which cannot legally be edited out.

Hair pulled away: Ensure bangs, fringes, and stray hairs are pinned back and do not obstruct eyes or eyebrows.

Full-screen inspection: Examine your chosen shot enlarged on a desktop screen to rule out mid-blink eyelid droop.

Document medical conditions: If a physical condition prevents full eye opening, obtain a signed doctor's letter per authority guidelines.

FAQ

Can I smile in a passport photo as long as my eyes are open?

In the US, yes: a natural smile is allowed as long as your eyes are open and your mouth is closed, and exaggerated expressions are not. The UK and Canada ask for a plain or neutral expression with the mouth closed, so a smile is not what they want. If you are applying in more than one country, a relaxed neutral expression with your mouth closed is the safest choice for all of them.

My photo has red eye. Can I fix it with a photo editor?

No. The State Department says to adjust or turn off the camera flash and not to use editing tools, and Canada says it does not accept red-eye effect or red-eye alterations. The way to avoid the problem is to retake the photo with the flash off in good, even light.

My eyelids do not open fully because of a medical condition. What should I do?

Take the clearest, most natural photo you can, with no editing, and follow the issuing authority's process for medical exceptions. The US Foreign Affairs Manual says a photo can be accepted if a medical condition means someone cannot open one or both eyes, and a signed statement from a medical professional may be requested. The UK points disabled applicants to a dedicated support page, and Canada lets applicants explain medical reasons in writing. Contact the authority if you are unsure, because only they can decide.