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How to take a passport photo at home
You can take a U.S. passport photo at home. The things that get photos rejected are ordinary: a shadow, glasses, a tilted head, or standing too close to the wall.
Start with a photo
Drop a photo here, or use the buttons.
JPEG or PNG. The file is read in this browser and is not uploaded.
Live view is mirrored on a front camera. The photo you keep is not.
Drag to move the crop. Arrow keys nudge. Plus and minus zoom.
Compliance check
PassOkay crops and checks. It does not replace the background, apply filters, or retouch the face.
These checks are estimates. They are not an acceptance decision, and PassOkay is not a government site. Head height is guessed from the chin and forehead, so nudge the crop if the guides miss the hair.
Use a white or off-white wall and stand several feet in front of it so your shadow does not land behind you. Put the light in front of your face. A window you are facing works. A window behind you does not. Turn off beauty filters and portrait blur in the camera app. Those are edits.
Have another person hold the phone at your eye level. A selfie from arm’s length makes the nose large and the head huge. If you are alone, use the rear camera with a timer, or the front camera from farther away if the preview is sharp enough. This site can open the camera, but a second person still takes a better photo.
Size and file
| Size | 2 × 2 in (51 × 51 mm) |
|---|---|
| Pixels | 1200 × 1200 px JPEG (600 DPI). 600 × 600 also falls in the usual digital range. |
| Head | 1–1⅜ in (25–35 mm) from chin to top of head, about 49–69% of the frame |
| Background | Plain white or off-white, no shadows or texture |
| File | Color JPEG. Paper applications use a print; online renewal has its own file rules. |
| How recent | Taken in the last 6 months |
| Glasses | No, unless you have a signed medical note |
How to do it
- Set the wall and the light. White wall, you a few feet away, light on your face, no glasses, no hat.
- Shoot straight on. Camera at eye level. Shoulders square. Mouth closed. Both eyes open. Look at the lens, not at the screen beside it.
- Crop on this page. Upload the photo. Adjust until the checks pass. Download the 2×2 file or the 4×6 sheet. If a check warns, shoot again. Do not fix it with a filter.
Questions
Can I take my own passport photo?
Yes for a U.S. passport. Canada and Australia require a commercial photographer for their passport photos. This site will not sell you those.
Can I use a phone?
Yes. Use the highest quality setting. Do not send the photo through a text message before you crop it.
What if my wall is not white?
Hang a white sheet and stand well in front of it. Do not select the background and replace it. U.S. rules reject that.
Specs last checked . Home-photo advice follows the State Department passport photo page.