Make a Digital Passport Photo Online!

Passport Photo FAQ

1. What to wear for passport photo USA?

   A person’s passport is a vital possession. We show it at many places when we travel across the world. Naturally, we want to have an appealing passport photo (preferably with our best clothes) when applying for a new U.S. passport. And when it comes to official documents, overdressing could affect compliance. Following fashion trends will likely be a problem for the acceptance facility.
    
   So, how do you pick clothes to comply with the required dress code? Fortunately, the dress code can be flexible. There are many things you are allowed to have on photos as long as you’re properly exposed. Exceptions are made for medical or religious reasons.

   Dress casual for your USA passport photo

   When taking passport photos in a photo booth or some other place, make sure you’re dressed casually. As required by the federal laws on photographing, you need to put on your usual simple good clothing.
    
   The software tool will crop the picture according to the official State Department guidelines and display most of your face and neck. So focus on the upper body clothing and keep it clean – stained apparel is a common reason for being rejected, even with adults. The following is accepted for a passport picture: shirt, tank top, blouse (better with a round neck), polo, jacket, vest, suit, blazer, long sleeve, religious attire.

   What cannot be worn in US passport photos?

   Your image may be rejected by the United States Department of State authorities for not complying. Make sure you are dressed per the passport photo requirements listed on the government page. Mind that uniforms and camouflage clothing are not permitted. Obviously, you are prohibited from wearing work outfits or camouflage costumes.
    
   Heavy jewelry, hat, head covering, sunglasses, and similar accessories are not accepted. Also, don’t wear glasses. But there are appearance exceptions. Hats and headcovers can be worn to reflect religious beliefs if the photo displays clear facial features.
    
   As for women’s clothes, it’s recommended not to put on V-neck shirts or blouses because such a passport photo portrait shows only your head and neck. When on camera, wearing a deep V-neck shirt might seem as if you have no dress at all. Select a collar button blouse or round neck shirt instead.

   What is the best color to wear for US passport photos?

   Select dark clothing that clearly shows contrast against a white background. It’s better to have a black, dark blue or green T-shirt.

2. How to take your own U.S. passport photo free online?

   Digital photographs haven’t been accepted for long, so we couldn’t choose between professional shots and DIY passport photo pics. However, things have changed, and now it’s easy to file a passport application online without leaving your home. Let’s walk you through obtaining a picture that can be approved and verified by the State Department. All it takes is our passport tutorial and your phone, no high tech. A smartphone camera or a digital camera on eye level is usually enough.
    

   You have to convert your photo into the correct format, which you can easily do using our fully featured PhotoBooth Online passport photo cropper. Just give us your photo, and our service will resize it if required. You can access our website from any Android smartphone or iPhone.

   Here’s how to take your own US passport photo at home:

   1. Dress casual (see above), no uniform, no glasses
   2. Find a white background
   3. Turn on good lighting to make sure that your face and the background are evenly lit (or use natural lighting)
   4. Maintain a straight pose, no bending or turning
   5. Keep eyes open and visible, smile naturally
   6. Take your pic (in JPEG or PNG format) yourself or ask a friend for quick help
   7. Review your shot to verify it for compliance

    
   Remember, you can’t use any filters, effects, or retouch when you take a full face photo.
    
   Following these relatively easy steps will help you obtain and submit the best 2×2 correct size photograph in just a few minutes.

3. What size is U.S. passport photo?

   When submitting, remember that the US passport photo size is 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm). It’s a square picture print size. The head should occupy 49%-68% of your headshot prints or 1 – 1 3/8 inches (25-35 mm) from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head. Digital image width and height dimensions are minimum 600 x 600 pixels and maximum 1200 x 1200 pixels. A bad-quality, tilted, or pixelated image won’t be suitable.
    
   If your photo is not accepted, you’ll be able to see it in the passport system. Then you have 90 days to submit a new one. Read more.

4. How big is a U.S. passport photo taken with app or service?

   As you know, the passport size photo is 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) and it might vary depending on the digital photo format (JPEG or PNG). Digital PNG files are pretty big, approximately 800 KB, even if their dimensions are only 600 x 600 pixels. JPEG (JPG) passport pictures have relatively small sizes, about 60 KB for a 600 x 600 pixels file.

5. Where can I take passport photo USA?

   Even if you search in your neighborhood, there are likely to be quite a few locations that offer passport photo services. It can be a photo booth, studio, or online tools, so you can have a session at a drug store, post office, store, another nearby location, or at home. Remember that if you give the authorities an inappropriate type of photo, it could cause delays in the application process. This way, you won’t be able to go to your destination without a passport (Learn more using the link).
    
   Now let’s list several places for taking passport-size photographs:
    
   1. Online at Home

   Just load your picture to this website, and we will make the best passport photo online and immediately! You don’t have to commute, check lots of information and details on the government site, read users review, schedule an appointment, show your COVID-19 vaccination certificate, issue a paycheck, or waste your time and pay money for it. Our digital passport photo booth is open 24/7 over weekends and holidays. Save time, and enjoy our fast response!
    
   2. Walgreens, CVS, or Rite Aid pharmacy

   There are more than 8,000 recognized Walgreens stores based in the U.S. and nearly 9,500 CVS pharmacies where you can have a photo session. Don’t forget to save money with promotional coupons. But remember: here you actually go to the place and wait in service line for biometric photos to be taken.
    
   3. Walmart, Costco, Sam’s Club, Target Stores

   There are about 4,700 Walmart locations based in the USA. Many of them offer passport photo printing services. Indeed, there’s a Walmart, Costco, Sam’s Club, or Target company in your area where you can stop by. Keep in mind, such popular places might be crowded with customers.
    
   4. UPS, FedEx, USPS Post offices

   Find and choose between over 4,000 UPS stores and over 1,900 FedEx locations. As for the U.S. Post office, they are known for the most expensive services price and slow equipment for taking passport photos.

6. How to make a U.S. passport photo online free?

   If you apply for your passport by mail as described here, you need a filled-out application and one valid picture. To create a compliant colored photo for your passport, take your photograph against white background and print it using photo quality paper. When making your own US passport photo online at home, place the light source to your right and left in the same direction to avoid issues with shadows.

   Follow the detailed guide below to make perfect pictures (8 steps):

   1. Apply with a new passport photo online or in person (you can also use a biometric photo taken during the last six months)
   2. Find an off white photo background
   3. Ensure proper artificial or natural lighting
   4. Keep your head centered straight, neutral facial expression, eyes open, natural smile, hair mustn’t cover your face
   5. Keep your digital camera directly at your eye level
   6. Take pictures for U.S. passport in high resolution, no filters or visual editing
   7. Review and verify, then submit them at this page (click the button above)
   8. Get a government compliant ready U.S. passport photo online to meet US regulations

    
   The pics uploaded and edited by the app comply with the specifications featured in the government guidelines and other authorities’ information. Check convenient example preview and verify all the selfie details before you fill your US passport form.

7. How to print a passport photo?

   Our site creates correct size photos online. To reproduce them with your home photo printer, download the JPG file. Depending on your gadget, the workflow here might differ. Please note that you’ll need a photo printer and professional quality photo paper. You can’t use an inkjet or laser office printer and ordinary document paper sheets.

   How to print passport photos on Windows 10?

   Want to make your own USA passport photo online and not in an actual photo booth? Here’s tips how to print your US passport pic on Windows 10:
    

   1. Download the printable file which contains two 2 x 2 passport images in it
   2. Right-click on the JPEG file and choose the Print option from the context menu
   3. Select your printing device
   4. Choose 4 x 6 inch photo paper required size (or 10 x 15 cm)
   5. Make it portrait orientation
   6. Select passport photo quantity
   7. Make sure the printout will be colored
   8. Don’t add borders
   9. Click the Print button

    
   Also, you can use other apps to preview and have your passport pictures printed, such as Microsoft Paint or Microsoft Photos. Let’s go through your options. Open the passport photos in MS Paint or Photos, go to the Print > Page setup menu, and go through the wizard. After that, use your printer and reproduce your pictures on matte or glossy photo quality paper.
    

   Finally, take your scissors. Crop and cut out two images from the printed passport picture.

   How to print passport photos on Mac PC/Laptop?

   The photo printing on Apple Macbook has a similar procedure and details as on Windows above. You can use the following instructions for any number of passport pictures.
    
   Select printable US passport photo file and 4 x 6 (10 x 15 cm) format. Check the preview, and if it’s OK, choose the Print option. Don’t scale or resize your image to fit the photo quality paper. Keep your original USA passport photo dimensions, so the uploaded and edited documents go along with the government guidelines as expected.

   How to print passport photos on Android, iPhone, or iPad?

   You’ll need a wireless photo printer connected to your Android or iOS gadget. Printing passport photos online straight from your cell phone isn’t harder than uploading your photo from a PC or Mac. Follow simple tips to make US passport photo printing without nerve-wrecking situations and save money.
    
   Open your printable USA passport photo template in your photo gallery or digital camera roll, tap the Share icon, scroll the sharing options list and choose the Print icon. Select your wireless printer, 4 × 6 inch colored paper format. Turn off the Fit image to the paper option. It will save your original US passport photo size proportions. That’s it, you can have it printed!
    
   Some photo printer manufacturers offer with-no-charge printing apps for Android and iPhone like HP Smart, so you can use them to get yourself a passport photo online at home.

8. What is a passport photo maker?

   A passport photo maker is usually a system, app, or service that offers photo-taking for its users. The most important property to look for in such a solution is compliance. You must be able to produce verified document images that will be 100% accepted by the passport office. Nowadays, this requires professional expertise, efficiency, and state-of-the-art AI technology. When in search of one, be confident you’re getting a high-quality passport photo maker that is reliable, multi-shot-functional, quick, and easy-to-use.
    
   If you haven’t found the maker for your passport photos yet, test our free tool that takes, retakes, scans, crops, and analyzes photos for background, quality, dimensions, and all the guidelines that have been updated by the US Department of State. It produces a quality passport picture ready to transform into a hard copy at home or any local store. To be 100% sure that your snapshot is compliant, check out our passport photo examples.