US Passport Photo Maker, 2x2 inch

Detailed requirements for US passport photos

The US photo is a 2×2 inch square, the format that trips up anyone reusing a 35×45 mm photo from another country. The spec cards above already give the size, background, and head-height numbers, so here are the lines people actually miss:

• Eyes: between 1⅛ and 1⅜ inches from the bottom of the photo
• Expression: a natural smile with mouth closed is allowed — the rule bars exaggerated expressions, not smiling; both eyes open
• Glasses: not allowed (the rule has held since November 2016)
• Recency: taken within the last 6 months, and it has to look like you do now

For an online renewal upload, the digital file must be 600×600 to 1200×1200 pixels and 54 KB to 240 KB.

Steps to take a US passport photo at home

A modern phone camera is good enough. US passport photos fail on framing and lighting far more than on camera quality. Work through the three stages below.

Preparation

Pick a plain white wall and stand 6–8 feet in front of it, with enough gap that you don’t cast a shadow on it. Face a window so natural light hits you evenly from the front; avoid overhead light, which drops shadows under the eyes and chin. Take off glasses, hats, and earbuds before you start.

Positioning

Have someone else take the shot rather than a selfie, which distorts facial proportions and frames the head wrong. Look straight at the camera, neutral expression (or a closed-mouth natural smile), both eyes open, hair clear of your eyes. Square your shoulders to the lens.

Uploading

Crop to the 2×2 square with the head sized to 25–35 mm chin to crown, or upload the shot to a tool that crops and validates head size against the spec for you. For an online renewal you need the 600×600 to 1200×1200 px JPEG; for an in-person application you need a printed 2×2 sheet.

Why photos get rejected

Acceptance facilities and the online renewal photo-check bounce the same handful of problems again and again. Each one, and the fix:

• Glasses left on: still the single most common rejection. Take them off, even prescription glasses.
• Head too large or too small: it must be 25–35 mm chin to crown. Re-shoot from the right distance, or re-crop.
• Shadows: on the face or on the wall behind you. Move away from the wall and light yourself from the front.
• Background not truly white: a cream or grey wall reads as off-spec. Use a white wall or replace the background.
• Smile showing teeth: keep the mouth closed; a slight natural smile is fine.
• Too dark, too bright, or low resolution: even lighting, and a high-resolution file.
• Photo older than 6 months: it must reflect your current appearance.

Head size is the one most people get wrong and can’t eyeball. We built a free checker (/photo-checker/) that measures the chin-to-crown height of a finished photo against this exact 25–35 mm range; in our own testing (June 2026) it catches an off-by-a-few-millimetres head that looks fine to the eye but fails at the counter. Run a photo through it before you submit if you’re unsure.

What to wear (and not wear)

Against a white US background, the wardrobe mistake that bounces the most photos is a white or pale top that blends into the background and softens your outline. Wear a darker, solid color instead.

Avoid: glasses of any kind, hats or caps, headphones or earbuds, uniforms or camouflage, and that white-on-white top.

Fine: normal everyday clothing, light makeup that doesn’t change your everyday look, religious head coverings worn daily (with a signed statement), and medical devices like hearing aids.

Glasses are the trap: many applicants don’t know the no-glasses rule exists, and the State Department treats glasses as an automatic rejection unless you have a signed doctor’s statement.

How to print a US passport photo

For an in-person application you submit two identical 2×2 inch prints on photo paper. Three ways to get them:

At a pharmacy or retailer

Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, and Costco photo counters print a 2×2 passport sheet on the spot, usually same-day. The staff frame and crop it for you, which is the simplest route if you don’t want to handle the spec yourself.

At home from a print sheet

If you make the photo online, download the print-ready 4×6 sheet (it lays out the 2×2 photos for you) and print it on photo paper at a kiosk or home photo printer. A 4×6 drugstore print costs cents and yields two passport photos.

Print finish

Use matte or glossy photo paper, never plain printer paper. The print must be unmarked on the back, uncreased, and uncut beyond the 2×2 size.

Where to get a passport photo

You can get a US passport photo online or in-store. The in-store channels differ in price and whether they guarantee acceptance.

Pharmacies

Walgreens ($14.99) and CVS ($16.99) take and print the photo same-day, no appointment, with an acceptance guarantee. The most common walk-in choice.

Post offices

Many USPS locations (~$15.00) take the photo when you submit a DS-11 in person, usually by appointment. Convenient as a one-stop if you’re already filing there.

Retail & studios

Walmart ($7.44) is the cheapest but does not guarantee acceptance; a photo studio ($25) is priciest and best for tricky lighting or kids.

Online

This site crops any photo to the 2×2 spec, replaces the background, and outputs both the MyTravelGov digital file and a print sheet, for $1 in about two minutes, money-back if rejected.

Creating a digital photo online (MyTravelGov)

If you’re renewing online from the USA, you don’t print anything — you upload a digital passport photo. The file the State Department portal accepts is a JPEG, 600×600 to 1200×1200 pixels, between 54 KB and 240 KB, taken within the last 6 months.

You can create that digital photo from an ordinary shot taken at home: photograph yourself against a plain white wall in even front light, then crop to the 2×2 square with your head at the right size. Doing the crop and the head-size check by hand is where most self-made photos go wrong, so an online tool that crops to the spec and validates head size before you upload removes the guesswork, and outputs both the digital file for the portal and a print-ready sheet for an in-person application.

Babies, kids, and special situations

Infants and toddlers follow the same rules as adults: no pacifiers, no hands or arms in the frame. Lay the baby on a plain white sheet and shoot from directly above. Both eyes open.

Religious head coverings are allowed if worn daily for religious reasons; the face must be fully visible from forehead to chin, and a signed statement may be requested.

Glasses are not permitted, even prescription. If you wear them daily, take them off for the photo. The only exception, recovering from eye surgery for example, requires a signed doctor’s statement.

Medical devices such as hearing aids or oxygen tubes worn daily are fine.