Passport photo at home that gets accepted
A home-made passport photo is accepted as often as a shop one, as long as the photo itself follows the rules. Software can fix the background and the size. It cannot fix a shadow on your face, a tilted head or a blurry shot, and those are what get photos rejected.
What gets photos rejected
- Shadows on the face or behind the head. This is the most common problem with home photos.
- Head too small or too big in the frame. Each country sets a range for the height from chin to the top of the head.
- Not facing the camera: head tilted, turned, or looking away.
- Expression: most countries want a neutral expression with the mouth closed.
- Glasses: the US does not allow them in passport photos at all; many other countries allow them only with no glare and eyes clearly visible.
- Edited faces: filters, beauty modes and retouching are not allowed. Changing the background is fine; changing the person is not.
- Old photos: most countries want a photo taken within the last six months.
Taking the photo
- Face a window in daylight, with the light falling evenly on both sides of your face. Don't use the flash; it causes glare and hard shadows.
- Stand about half a metre to a metre in front of a plain, light wall. Standing away from the wall stops your shadow landing on it.
- Have someone else take it from about 1 to 1.5 metres away, with the camera at eye level. Selfies distort the face because the lens is too close, and many countries reject them.
- Turn off portrait mode and beauty filters. Use the normal photo mode at full resolution.
- Take several shots and pick the sharpest with both eyes clearly open.
Leave space around your head and shoulders. Cropping to the exact size comes later.
Common sizes
| Country | Print size | Background |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 2 × 2 in (51 × 51 mm); digital 600–1200 px square | White or off-white |
| United Kingdom | 35 × 45 mm (online applications take a digital photo) | Plain cream or light grey |
| Schengen / EU countries | 35 × 45 mm | Plain, light; many ask for light grey |
| Canada | 50 × 70 mm | Plain white or light-coloured |
| India | Usually 2 × 2 in for passports, 35 × 45 mm for some other documents | White |
Rules change and each country also sets a head-size range and other details. Always check the official government page for the document you are applying for, and compare your result with its example photos.
Making the photo
- Open the Passport Photo Maker and add your photo. It replaces the background with plain white, on your device.
- Choose the size: US 2×2 in, or 35×45 mm for the UK, EU, India and most other countries. The tool frames the photo on your head and shoulders. For other sizes, such as Canada's 50×70 mm, keep the original framing and crop it yourself with the Image Cropper.
- If your country asks for light grey or cream rather than white, use the Background Replacer with a plain light grey colour instead.
- Check the result against the official head-size rules: the tool does not measure them for you. Also check the edges around your hair at full size; if there is a halo, see our guide to clean cut-out edges.
Printing
Photo counters print a standard 4 × 6 inch (10 × 15 cm) photo cheaply. Place several copies on a 4 × 6 canvas with the Photo Collage Maker or Canvas and Border, making sure the print is set to actual size, not "fit to page", so the photos come out at the right physical size. Measure one with a ruler before you cut them all out. Our DPI and print size guide explains how pixels turn into centimetres.