> **US Passport Photo Requirements**
>
> ![](media/image1.jpeg){width="2.183333333333333in"
> height="2.303472222222222in"}
>
> **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?\
> **Yes, the photos to must be in color.
>
> **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.
>
> **Are snapshots, magazine photos, or photos from vending machine
> acceptable?              **
>
> No, snapshots, magazine photos, most vending machine prints, or
> full-length photographs are not acceptable.
>
> **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.