Everything You Need to Know About U.S. Passport Photo Requirements

Getting or renewing a passport? Here's what you need to know about photo requirements.

Jillian Dara is a freelance writer, editor, and fact checker for more than a dozen publications in the lifestyle genre.

With routine processing times ranging from 10 to 13 weeks, getting a new passport is a time-consuming and sometimes cumbersome operation. No one wants to prolong it by providing a photo that doesn't quite meet the state department's requirements.

You don't have to buy pricey passport photos from any specific place — not the UPS Store, Walgreens, nor anywhere else — to meet those requirements. You can go the DIY route, but you need to be sure your photo follows a few specific rules. Here's what to wear (and what not to wear), the correct image size, approved backgrounds, and other rules you need to know when submitting a photo for your passport book or card.

Size and Resolution

Getting the dimensions right are arguably the hardest part of providing your own passport photo. What is a passport-size photo? The U.S. Department of State requires a square photo that's two inches long and wide. Your face must take up between one inch and an inch and three-eights from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head.

The photo should show you clearly and without editing — this is a #nofilter zone. Also, selfie photos aren't allowed "because they are often the incorrect size and have the wrong head position." You must have someone else take the photo or take it using a tripod.

Your passport photo should be sharp — not blurry, grainy, or pixelated — and printed on photo-quality paper. It can be matte or glossy, as long as it doesn't have holes, creases, or smudges.

Color and Light Requirements

The Department of State wants the photo in your passport to be in color, but it doesn't stand for too much busyness in the background. Photos must be taken against plain, untextured white or off-white backgrounds with no shadows. You should be well-lit in the photograph, so that your skin tone is accurately represented.

Only Recent Photos Allowed

The rules state that your photo must be taken within six months of submitting it with your passport application. "We verify that the photo looks like you," reads the Department of State website, presumably by comparing your photo to the one on your driver's license or another proof of identity.

Posing for Passport Photos

Save the sultry or silly poses for Instagram. According to the State Department, in passport photos, you should have "a neutral facial expression with both eyes open and mouth closed." No big cheesy grins, no silly faces, no pouts.

In your photo, you should be facing the camera directly with your full face in view. If you are getting a passport photo for a baby or young child, this is harder than it sounds. There is more leniency for baby passport photos, according to the State Department.

What to Wear (and What Not to Wear)

Passport photos are not the place to make fashion statements. The State Department wants your photo to be "taken in clothing normally worn on a daily basis." However, no uniforms or clothing that looks like a uniform. Also, no camouflage attire.

You should not wear a hat or head covering in your photo. If you wear a hat or head covering for a religious or medical reason, you need to submit a signed statement that "verifies that the hat or head covering is part of recognized, traditional religious attire that is customarily or required to be worn continuously in public or a signed doctor's statement verifying the item is used daily for medical purposes," according to the State Department. Even with those signed statements, your full face has to be visible.

Also, no wearing headphones or earpieces. You can, however, wear jewelry, including body jewelry, as long as it doesn't hide your face. "Permanent tattoos are acceptable for passport purposes as well," the guidelines say.

As far as glasses go, the Department of State changed its ruling on those in 2016. It now requires that glasses are removed for the photo, even if you aren't using a flash camera. If you have a passport older than 2016 that includes a photo in which you're wearing glasses, it's still valid. But when you take a new photo for renewal, you'll have to take them off. If you have a medical need that prevents you from removing your glasses for the photo, the State Department requires a signed note from your doctor.