A passport photo looks simple until it gets rejected. The usual culprits are the wrong size, a shadowy background, or a head that’s too small or too big in the frame. The good news is that you can take a compliant photo at home and print it for very little at any photo kiosk.
This guide covers the two sizes you’ll run into most often, the rules that apply almost everywhere, and how to lay out a 4×6 print so the photos come out at exactly the right size.
One warning up front: photo rules are set by each government and they do change. Use this as a practical starting point, then check the official passport or visa page for the exact document you’re applying for.
Try it: Passport Photo MakerCreate passport, visa and ID photos in the official size (35×45 mm, 2×2 inch and more) with a white or blue background and a printable 4×6 or A4 sheet.
Open tool — freeThe two common passport photo sizes
Most countries use one of two formats. Knowing which one you need is the first step.
35×45 mm
This is the standard size in the UK, across the EU and Schengen area, in Bangladesh, and in many other countries. It’s a portrait rectangle, roughly 1.38×1.77 inches. Specs for this size usually ask for the face, from chin to crown, to fill most of the photo height, often somewhere around 70 to 80 percent.
2×2 inches (51×51 mm)
The United States uses a square 2×2 inch photo, and so does India for passport applications. For a US passport, the head should measure between 1 and 1 3/8 inches from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head.
Visa photos don’t always match the passport photo of the country issuing the visa. A visa for one country might ask for a different size than that country’s own passports, so read the visa instructions specifically.
Rules that apply almost everywhere
The details vary, but the basics are remarkably consistent across countries:
- Plain, light background. White or off-white is the most common requirement. Some countries ask for light gray or cream, and a few accept light blue. No patterns, no shadows, no visible objects behind you.
- Face the camera directly. Head straight, both ears usually visible, eyes open and looking at the lens.
- Neutral expression. Mouth closed, no big smile. A relaxed, natural face is what most officials want.
- Even lighting. No shadows on your face or behind you, no glare, no red-eye.
- No glasses, in many cases. The US stopped accepting glasses in passport photos years ago, and other countries discourage them. Take them off unless you have a medical reason.
- Recent and unedited. Most countries want a photo taken in the last six months. Don’t use beauty filters or retouching. Adjusting brightness is fine; changing your face is not.
- No hats or head coverings unless worn for religious or medical reasons, and even then the full face must be visible.
How to take a good photo at home
You don’t need a studio, but you do need a little setup. Stand about two feet in front of a plain, light-colored wall so your shadow falls away from it. Face a window for soft daylight, or put a lamp on each side of the camera to even out shadows.
Ask someone else to take the picture from four or five feet away, with the camera at your eye level. Selfies at arm’s length make noses look bigger and push the head too close to the edge of the frame. Leave plenty of space around your head and shoulders; you’ll crop later, and you can’t add back what wasn’t captured.
Take a dozen shots and pick the sharpest one with the most even lighting. Check the background closely at full size, since faint shadows behind the ears are a common reason for rejection.
Making the photo with the right size and background
Cropping by hand to an exact head height is fiddly. Our free passport photo maker handles the measurements for you and runs in your browser, so the photo of your face is never uploaded to a server.
- Upload your best photo, ideally a full-resolution original rather than a screenshot or a messaging-app copy.
- Choose the size you need, such as 35×45 mm or 2×2 inch.
- Position and scale the photo so your head sits inside the guide, with your eyes level and your face centered.
- Choose a white or blue background, depending on what your application requires.
- Download a single photo for online applications, or a printable 4×6 or A4 sheet with several copies.
If you only need to trim a photo to a square or rectangle for something less strict, like a membership card, a general image cropper is quicker.
Printing on 4×6 paper at 300 dpi
Printing a 4×6 sheet at a drugstore or photo kiosk is usually the cheapest way to get physical prints. The trick is getting the scale right.
At 300 dpi, a 4×6 inch print is 1200×1800 pixels. A 35×45 mm photo at that resolution is about 413×531 pixels, and a 2×2 inch photo is 600×600 pixels. If your sheet is built at 300 dpi and printed at its true size, every photo comes out at its exact dimensions.
Here’s what goes wrong most often:
- Fit to page or crop to fill. Kiosks and home printers love to resize images. Turn off any “fit” or “fill” option and print at 100% or actual size.
- Wrong paper size. A 4×6 layout printed on a 5×7 or A4 sheet with scaling will shrink or stretch the photos.
- Low-quality home printing. Plain office paper and an ink-starved printer produce streaky, washed-out photos. Photo paper from a lab is worth it.
Once printed, measure one photo with a ruler before you cut. If it’s off by more than a millimeter or so, fix the print settings and try again. Cut carefully with a paper trimmer or a sharp craft knife and a metal ruler.
Digital photos for online applications
More and more applications are done online, where you upload a file instead of mailing prints. These systems often have their own pixel dimensions, file size limits and format requirements, typically JPG. Some reject anything with a visible border or a sheet of multiple copies.
Upload a single photo, not your 4×6 sheet. If the form says the file is too large, resize it to the requested dimensions rather than compressing it heavily, since blocky compression artifacts can cause an automatic rejection.
A quick pre-submission checklist
Before you print or upload, run through this list. It catches nearly every avoidable rejection:
- The size matches the official requirement for this exact document.
- Your head height falls within the stated range.
- The background is plain and the color matches what’s required.
- No shadows, glare, glasses or filters.
- The print measures correctly with a ruler.
- You’ve double-checked the official government page, not a third-party summary.
Get the setup right once, save your original photo, and you can produce a new set of prints whenever another form asks for one. Just remember that most rules ask for a recent photo, so retake it when your appearance changes or the six-month window passes.
Frequently asked questions
What size is a passport photo in the US?
US passport photos are 2x2 inches (51x51 mm), with the head measuring 1 to 1 3/8 inches from chin to top of head. Always confirm the current rules on the State Department website before you print.
Can I take my own passport photo with a phone?
Yes, most countries accept a self-taken photo as long as it meets the size, background, lighting and expression rules. Ask someone else to take it from about 4 to 5 feet away rather than holding the phone at arm's length, which distorts your face.
How many passport photos fit on a 4x6 print?
It depends on the size and the margins left for cutting, but a 4x6 sheet usually holds several 35x45 mm or 2x2 inch photos. Print it at 100% scale so each photo comes out at its exact size.
