🇺🇸 US Passport photo requirements
Short answer
A US Passport photo must be 51 × 51 mm (600 × 600 px at 300 DPI) with a plain white or off-white background, front-facing, taken recently. Head height (chin to top of head) must be 1 inch to 1⅜ inch (25–35 mm) — roughly 50–69% of the photo height, centered.
Specification
| Size | 51 × 51 mm |
| Pixels (300 DPI) | 600 × 600 px |
| Background | Plain white or off-white |
| Head size / position | Head height (chin to top of head) must be 1 inch to 1⅜ inch (25–35 mm) — roughly 50–69% of the photo height, centered. |
| Expression | Neutral expression or a natural smile, both eyes open, mouth closed preferred. |
Rules & common mistakes
- •2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm), square.
- •Plain white or off-white background, no shadows.
- •Taken within the last 6 months; front-facing, full face visible.
- •No glasses (banned since 2016), no hats or head coverings except for religious reasons.
- •Normal street attire; no uniforms.
Use your real photo — not an AI-generated face. Passport and visa authorities require a genuine, unaltered photograph of you and reject AI-generated portraits. Our free tool below is compliant because it only removes the background and crops your real photo to size — it never synthesizes your face. Still, always verify against the current official spec before submitting.
Make a compliant US Passport photo free
Upload your real photo, remove the background, and export at exactly 600 × 600 px. Select "US Passport" in the tool.
Open the photo tool →