One photo must be submitted with the passport application.

The photo should be printed on thin photo-quality paper.

Yes, the photo must be in color.

The photo must be no older than 6 months.

The photo must measure exactly 2 inches by 2 inches.

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.

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.

Unless worn daily for religious reasons, all hats or headgear should be removed for the photo. Headgear worn as religious attire is acceptable as long as the face is not obscured.

Dark glasses or nonprescription glasses with tinted lenses are not acceptable unless you need them for medical reasons. A medical certificate may be required.

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.

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.

No, only an original photograph is 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.

No, snapshots, magazine photos, most vending machine prints, or full-length photographs are not acceptable.

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 photo. 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. The image-quality criteria, described on this website, must be met whether the submitted photo is conventional film or digital.

As of November 1st, 2016, customers applying for or renewing their passport must remove glasses for their passport photo. If you must wear eye glasses for medical reasons, you’ll need to obtain and submit a signed statement with your passport application from a medical professional or health practitioner.