How to take a passport photo at home
A phone, a plain white wall, daylight and a second person are enough. Take the photo, check it here, then print it as a 4x6 photo.
Check your photo
Your photo is checked in this browser tab and never uploaded.
Results
Check these yourself
Full-size files, one time. The 600 x 600 photo (2 x 2 inches at 300 pixels per inch) and a 4x6 print sheet with two photos, for every photo you check in this browser for 30 days.
Get the full-size filesPayment by Stripe opens in a new tab. Come back to this tab afterwards; your photo is still here. Nothing renews.
What the forms require
- “Use a plain white or off-white background”
- “Head must face the camera directly with full face in view”
- “Head must be 1-1 3/8 inches from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head”
- “No eyeglasses and head covering and no uniforms*” The note says glasses need a doctor's signed statement and head coverings a signed religious or medical statement.
- “Taken less than six months ago”
- “Printed on matte or glossy photo quality paper”
Step by step
These are our tips for meeting those rules at home.
- Find a plain white or off-white wall with nothing on it. Stand about 2 feet in front of it, so your shadow falls behind you and not on the wall.
- Face a window in daylight, or put a soft light in front of you. A lamp from one side or a ceiling light right above you leaves shadows on the face.
- Ask someone to hold the phone at your eye level, about 4 feet away, using the back camera. Turn off filters and beauty or portrait effects.
- Frame your head and shoulders with space above your head. The checker crops the photo to 2 x 2 for you.
- Look straight into the camera with both eyes open and your mouth closed. Take off glasses and hats, and wear everyday clothes.
- Take a few shots and check the best one here. If an item says Fix, change that and take it again.
- Print the 4x6 sheet on photo paper at a store photo counter or at home, then cut out one photo.
Bad examples in the Department's photo tool
The State Department's photo tool shows these as examples of photos to avoid. What our checker does with each:
| Example in the Department's tool | Our checker |
|---|---|
| Subject too close to camera | Checked: not enough space above the head or below the chin |
| Head off centered | Checked: not enough space on one side; otherwise it centers the head |
| Subject too far from camera | Checked: too few pixels for a 600 x 600 file |
| Subject is looking down; Subject is looking up | Checked: head nodded |
| Facial is not neutral | Warning for a big smile or an open mouth |
| Glasses are not allowed | Check yourself |
| Head clothing covers portion of face; Scarf covers portion of face; Hair covering portion of face | Check yourself |
| Shadows on the face | Checked: one side of the face darker |
| Inaccurate color | Checked only for black and white photos; check the colors yourself |
| Background not plain | Checked: patterns, objects, uneven or colored background |
| Blurry photo | Warning when the face looks soft |
| Grainy photo; Object in mouth | Check yourself |
Sources
- Form DS-11, Application for a U.S. Passport (04-2025), U.S. Department of State: https://eforms.state.gov/Forms/ds11_pdf.PDF (read October 24, 2026)
- Form DS-82, U.S. Passport Renewal Application (04-2025), U.S. Department of State: https://eforms.state.gov/Forms/ds82_pdf.PDF (read October 24, 2026)
- U.S. Department of State photo tool: https://tsg.phototool.state.gov/photo?hl=en-US (read October 24, 2026)