Hair Color on Passport: Options to Put on Application
Published: November 28, 2022
Updated: August 24, 2026
2 min. read

Whether your passport application is an uphill climb or a great adventure, we’re here to help you on your way to a new document. In this article, we’ll share with you how important passport hair color is for your photos and what hair color on your passport application to put.
In Focus
Hair color on passport
Let’s clarify one thing. It doesn’t matter if you have one hair color on your current passport and the other growing on your head. It’s totally acceptable to change the color over the years of the passport’s lifetime. Just the way it makes no difference, if you get a passport photo at a store like Rite Aid or yourself at home.
Border officers identify you primarily from your passport photo. The hair color field is a secondary descriptor in your application record.
It looks like the rules are quite lenient. Are you still puzzled about the hair color to highlight on your passport? Let’s get to the bottom of it.
What to put for hair color on passport?
Get an application first. For example, you can get the required form and take a passport photo at USPS. Now, when you come down to filling up your passport paperwork, it is obligatory to put hair color on the application. It might be a good deal of a riddle to do so, if your hair color is not vividly black, blonde, red, or brown. Shall you put gray hair? It’s a good hair color question too.
There is a wide spectrum of hair hues. And it’s not only genes and melanin that are responsible for the hair color we have to put on the passport application. People love to experiment with their appearance for fun, out of taste, or due to subtle trends. Your hair shades can change over the years too. What if you have no hair at all?
Passport hair color options on passport

When it comes to your application for a new passport, put the color that you think is most characteristic of your current hair. It’ll be a definite yes for the passport officers. If you have a beard, choose the color of your facial hair.
On Form DS-11 or DS-82, pick from the standardized list: Black, Brown, Blonde, Red, Sandy, Gray, White, or Bald. Auburn or ginger hair fits under Red. Choose the option that best matches how you look now. If you are bald or fully shaved, select Bald. If short stubble is still clearly visible, you may choose that color instead.
Passport hair color is gray
You can put any color that is best suited for your hair looks. If your hair is slightly touched with silver locks, you probably shouldn’t worry about putting it on the passport application. If gray hair is your current full look, then you can write it down as such when you submit the passport renewal application or you apply for a new passport.
Hair color on passport application and passport photo
We’ll repeat ourselves here to be crystal clear. If it comes to the moment that you have changed your hair color after you got your passport photos, it’s no trouble at all. You can write down the current hair color that describes your appearance in the best way. That won’t cause any issues with the passport application or passport photo. According to travel.state.gov, coloring your hair is a minor appearance change. You only need a new passport if your appearance changed significantly — for example, major facial surgery, significant weight change, or adding or removing many large facial piercings or tattoos.
You might decide to get a new photo for your passport application to have fewer concerns while traveling, that you don’t look identical to your passport picture. If you’re determined to do so, the quickest way is to leverage PhotoBooth Online and get your new passport photo in seconds. Not only will you receive totally valid passport pictures, but you’ll also get it at the cheapest possible price with our recommendations.
What hair color to put on passport application if dyed?

If you’re a lucky owner of energy hair hues like pink, blue, green, yellow, and the rest funky hair colors, it’s never a fly on the wall. Pick the closest standard option from the form list that matches your current look and your passport photo. If your hair is an unnatural color like pink or blue, choose the nearest listed shade (for example, Red or Brown), not a custom description.
Summing up
Hopefully, your passport application process is a pleasant journey from one destination to another. It makes it easier to know that it is your choice to dye and wear the hair color you prefer before or after the passport is issued. It’s also your call as to what hair color to put on your passport application as well. Try to make it as close as possible to real life.
FAQ
Do I put my natural hair color on my passport?
You can write down your dyed or natural hair shade or in your paperwork for a passport. If your hair is dyed you can put your current hair color in your application or the shade of your facial hair, if you have no hair at the moment.
What to put for hair color on passport?
Put the color that describes your current color best or your natural color. Remember to follow other passport application recommendations for good passport pictures to attach to your application.
What if my hair color is different on my passport?
It’s not a rare occasion and no big deal when people change the color of their hair. The US Department of State does not consider such a change as a drastic alteration of your appearance. Meanwhile, a considerable weight gain or loss, removal or acquisition of numerous facial piercings or tattoos.
When filling passport form, if bald, what do I write for hair color?
To complete a passport application, you can put your natural color or the color of your facial hair. If you apply through a passport agency, get advice to answer that question.
If my natural hair color is brown but going gray what do I put on passport application?
It’s usually your call to decide what color to put on your passport application: blonde, brown hair, current color, or dyed hue, etc. If your gray locks prevail, you can put that color on your passport application.