US Passport · Updated 2026
How to take a US passport photo at home that won't get rejected
You don't need a studio or an expensive app. You need even light, a plain wall, your phone's rear camera, and a way to check the result against the rules before you submit. Here's the whole process.
The rules in plain English
- Size: 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm). Digital uploads must be square, 600×600 to 1200×1200 px, JPEG.
- Head size: chin to the top of your head must be 50–69% of the photo height (about 1 to 1⅜ inches). This is the single most common geometric failure.
- Background: plain white or off-white, no shadows, no patterns.
- Expression: neutral, both eyes open, mouth closed, facing the camera straight on.
- Glasses: not allowed (since 2016) unless you have a signed medical statement.
- Recency: taken within the last 6 months.
Step by step
1. Set up light, not a backdrop
Stand a couple of feet in front of a plain white wall and face a window. Soft, frontal daylight is the secret to both even skin lighting and a clean white background. Avoid overhead lights — they cast the under-nose and under-chin shadows that get photos bounced.
2. Use the rear camera
If someone can take it for you, use the main rear camera — it's far sharper than the selfie cam. Hold the phone at eye level, about 3–4 feet away. Turn off portrait mode and any beautify setting; in 2026 those count as digital alteration.
3. Frame your head correctly
Fill the frame so your head occupies roughly the middle 60% of the height, with a little space above your hair. Look straight at the lens, neutral expression.
4. Check it against the spec — before you submit
This is the step most people skip, and it's why they end up at the pharmacy twice. Run your photo through a checker that measures head size, background colour, sharpness and framing against the actual specification.
Check your US passport photo free →DIYPassPhoto guides you live and verifies every requirement in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, and it never edits your photo — so it stays compliant with the 2026 rule.
The mistakes that cause rejection
- Background too grey. A white wall often photographs grey or beige because the camera underexposed it. Brighten the scene — don't edit it. (We wrote a whole guide on fixing this.)
- Head too small or too large. Outside the 50–69% band = automatic rejection.
- Shadows. Under the nose, under the chin, or on the wall behind you.
- Smiling or open mouth. Neutral only.
- AI-edited. The new rule's biggest trap — a photo "cleaned up" by an app can be flagged at the State Department's automated check.