Where to have pictures taken
Photo Dimesions
Examples of acceptable
pictures
Regulations
WHERE TO HAVE YOUR PICTURE
TAKEN
Kinkos, AAA, and Mailboxes Etc are examples of stores
that take passport photos. If you don't have one of these
stores located near you, try looking in your local Yellow
Pages under "Photographers - Passport"
- Find a near you.
- Find a near you
- Find a near you
The following are guidelines set by the U.S. State
Department.
PHOTO DIMENSIONS:
Figure 2. Head Position & Placement
Examples of acceptable photos:
How many passport photos are required to be submitted
with the passport application?
Two (2) identical photos must be submitted with the
passport application.
What type of paper are the photographs to be printed
on?
The photos should be printed on thin photo-quality
paper.
Do the photos have to be in color?
The photos to be submitted can be in black & white or in
color, but both photos should be the same type.
How recent must the photos be?
The photos must be no older than 6 months.
How big must the photos be?
The photos must measure exactly 2 inches by 2 inches.
What pose should the photos show?
The photo should show a clear, front view, full face of
the customer. The customer should be in normal street
attire, without hat or dark glasses against a plain white or
off-white background. The customer should have a natural
expression, mouth closed, and eyes open and looking directly
ahead. Photos in which the face of the person being
photographed is not in focus will not be accepted.
How big should the head be in the photo?
The customer's head, measured from the bottom of the
chin to the top of the hair, should be between 1 inch and
1-3/8 inches. The head should be centered in the photo. The
head of the person being photographed should not be tilted
up, down or to the side. It should cover about 50% of the
area of the photo.
Can hats or religious headgear be worn for the photo?
Unless worn daily for religious reasons, all hats or
headgear should be removed for the photo. In all cases, no
item or attire should cover or otherwise obscure any part of
the face.
Can eyeglasses be worn for the photo?
Eyeglasses worn on a daily basis can be worn for the
photo. However, there should be no reflections from the
eyeglasses that obscures the eyes.
Can sunglasses or tinted glasses be worn?
Dark glasses or nonprescription glasses with tinted
lenses are not acceptable unless you need them for medical
reasons. A medical certificate may be required.
Can work uniforms be worn for the photo?
Uniforms should not be worn in photographs except in the
case of religious attire that is worn daily. Otherwise,
normal street attire should be worn.
Can a parent or guardian appear in the photo of a
minor child?
No, the minor child must be the only subject in the
photo. Nothing used to support the minor child, whether by
mechanical or human means, should be in the camera's frame.
Are photos that are copied from recent driver licenses
or other official documents acceptable?
No, only original photographs are acceptable. Copied or
digitally scanned photos of photos will not be accepted. In
addition, photos must not be retouched to alter the
customer's appearance in any way.
May photos be taken with a digital camera?
If the digital camera has sufficient resolution ÷
capable of capturing and storing images with 1 million
pixels (megapixels) or more ÷ it can be used to take the
photos. However, printing of digital images is best done by
professional photography processing labs because many
off-the-shelf digital printers cannot achieve the
image-quality required for passport and visa photographs. In
any case, the image-quality criteria, described on this
website, must be met in the submitted conventional film
photo and/or the digital image printed photo.
