Using a country's rules for a different country's document, most often applying the US 2 x 2 inch square where a 35 x 45 mm photo is required.
Photo types and platforms
Passport photo spec
Also called passport photo requirements, passport photo size or visa photo spec. Here is what it means, when it changes what you export, and what people get wrong.
Photo types and platformsRuns on your deviceUpdated 10 August 2026
The short answer
A passport photo spec is the set of rules a government publishes for identity photographs: print size, how much of the frame the head occupies, background, expression and recency. The rules differ by country, so a photo accepted for one passport can be rejected for another without any change in quality.
Updated
The short version
Passport photo spec at a glance
| Quick fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| US print size | 2 x 2 inches, square |
| US digital minimum | 600 x 600 px for the State Department photo tool |
| US head height guidance | 1 to 1 3/8 inches, chin to top of head |
| US background guidance | Plain white or off-white |
| US recency guidance | Taken within the last 6 months |
| Varies by country | Print size, head height, background shade |
Slide the table sideways to see every column.
Why can't one photo satisfy every country?
Because the two things that vary most, print size and head height, are set nationally. The United States uses a 2 x 2 inch square. Many other countries use a 35 x 45 mm rectangle. A square photo cropped to a rectangle changes how much of the frame the head fills, which is itself a measured requirement.
Background, expression and recency rules also differ in detail: some authorities want plain white, others plain light grey or off-white, and rules on glasses, head coverings and infants vary. Always work from the published guidance for the specific country and document you are applying for, and check the current official page before you submit, since these requirements are revised.
What does the United States publish as guidance?
Taking the US as a worked example, the State Department's published guidance for passport photos is:
- Size. 2 x 2 inches, square.
- Head height. Between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head.
- Background. Plain white or off-white.
- Recency. Taken within the last 6 months, so it reflects your current appearance.
- Expression and pose. Neutral expression or a natural smile, facing the camera with both eyes open.
- Glasses. Not worn, other than in documented medical circumstances.
The one hard technical figure is for digital submissions: the State Department's photo tool requires a minimum of 600 x 600 px. That is a floor rather than a target, and a larger square gives you room to crop precisely.
How do print size and pixels relate?
Pixels have no physical size on their own. A 2 x 2 inch print at 300 ppi needs 600 x 600 px, which is where that digital minimum comes from. Print the same 600 x 600 px file at 4 x 4 inches and you are down to 150 ppi, and it will look soft.
So there are two separate questions. For a printed photo, ask how many pixels per inch you will have at the required physical size. For a digital upload, ask whether the file clears the portal's pixel minimum and its file-size and format limits. A dedicated passport photo tool, including the one in Photomop's set, exists to handle the crop, the head-height ratio and the background in one step rather than three.
What gets a passport photo rejected?
- Head sized wrong. Too small in the frame is the single most common failure, usually from cropping by eye rather than to the measured range.
- A background that is not plain. Shadows cast on the wall behind you count as pattern.
- Uneven lighting on the face. Shadows across one side, or red-eye.
- Retouching. Filters, smoothing and beauty modes are treated as alterations.
- Wrong recency. An older photo that no longer matches how you look.
- Glare or obstruction. Reflections, hair across the eyes, or an unsupported head covering.
What people get wrong about passport photo spec
Each one is a real failure mode, not a style preference.
Cropping the head by eye instead of to the published head-height range, which is the most frequent cause of rejection.
Leaving a beauty filter or automatic smoothing enabled on a phone camera, which counts as retouching.
Standing close to a wall so your own shadow lands behind you and breaks the plain background rule.
Questions people ask
Passport photo spec, answered
The follow-up questions people search for once they have the definition.
Can I take a passport photo on my phone?
Yes, provided the result meets the published rules. Use even light with no shadow on the face or the wall behind you, hold the camera at eye level, turn off any beauty or smoothing filter, and crop afterwards to the required size and head height rather than in the camera.
What resolution does a US passport photo need?
For a digital submission, the State Department's photo tool requires a minimum of 600 x 600 px. For a print, 2 x 2 inches at 300 ppi is also 600 x 600 px, so that figure works as a practical floor for both. Larger squares give you cropping room.
Does the background have to be pure white?
In the US the published guidance is plain white or off-white, so it does not need to be exactly 255,255,255. What matters is that it is plain and even, with no pattern, texture or shadow. Other countries specify different shades, so check theirs.
Can I smile in a passport photo?
In the US, published guidance allows a neutral expression or a natural smile, with both eyes open and facing the camera. A broad smile that changes the shape of your face can cause problems with facial recognition. Some other countries require a neutral expression only.
Can I edit the background of an existing photo?
Replacing a cluttered background with a plain one is generally acceptable, since the requirement is about what the background looks like. Editing your face is not: retouching, smoothing and filters are treated as alterations and are grounds for rejection.
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Where the facts on this page come from. Every link opens the specification, standard or documentation the claim was read at.
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