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Passport photo maker

Passport photo maker: your own photo, checked and cropped to the rules

The passport photo maker finds your face, sets a plain white or light grey background, evens the light and sizes your head, then shows country crops side by side, with files and a 4x6 sheet.

Make my passport photo

Your turn

Use the passport photo maker online

Start with one front-facing photo of yourself: glasses off, even light, nothing over your face. Adults only.

Method

How the online passport photo editor works

  1. 01

    Take the photo

    Ask someone to take it, or use the back camera on a timer, rather than a selfie at arm's length. Face the camera, glasses off.

  2. 02

    Select and upload it

    Select the photo and upload it without filters. Only a photo of yourself, and only if you are 18 or older.

  3. 03

    Let the editor work

    The app finds your face, replaces the background with plain white or light grey, evens the light and sizes your head, as each country preset allows.

  4. 04

    Compare the crops and the check

    See the country crops side by side from the same photo, each checked against the rules a photo can show, with what to retake.

  5. 05

    Download or print

    Download the checked digital photo as JPG or PNG for an online application, or print the 4x6 sheet at actual size at home or at a store.

The result

What you get from the passport photo maker

One photo of you, edited only where the country's rules allow and checked against them. Nothing is generated: your face is never changed.

Report outline

A clean photo of you

Your face found, the background replaced with plain white or light grey, the light evened out and your head sized.

Country crops

The same photo in several formats side by side, such as U.S. 2x2 inches and 35x45 mm.

The check

Each rule a photo can show, such as head size, glasses or the background, marked as fine or to retake, with what to fix.

Digital files

A checked digital photo, with JPG and PNG files sized for online applications.

The 4x6 sheet

The crops set on a 4x6 sheet to print at actual size at home or at a store's photo counter.

A U.K. practice check

The U.K. preset leaves a practice photo unedited and marks each GOV.UK digital rule a photo can show, such as a plain light background or eyes open, as fine or to change.

Reference

Passport photo size and background by document

From the issuing governments' own official forms and pages. Each country sets its own rules for its documents: read them before you apply.

Document
U.S. passport, Forms DS-11 and DS-82
Photo size
2x2 inches, in color
Head size
1 to 1 3/8 inches, bottom of the chin to the top of the head
Background
Plain white or off-white
Document
U.K. passport, paper form
Photo size
45mm high by 35mm wide, 2 identical photos
Head size
29mm to 34mm, crown of the head to the chin
Background
Plain cream or light grey
Document
U.K. passport, online
Photo size
At least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall, 50KB to 10MB
Head size
No head size given; on your own device, do not crop (GOV.UK)
Background
Plain and light-coloured

Source: U.S. Department of State (Forms DS-11 and DS-82 instructions); GOV.UK (Get a passport photo), as of

Reference

U.S. 2x2 passport photo requirements on Forms DS-11 and DS-82

What both forms ask of the one color photograph you attach. The United States Department of State notes that U.S. rules may differ from other countries' rules.

Recent

Taken less than six months ago.

Size

One photo, 2x2 inches, in color.

Head

1 to 1 3/8 inches from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head, facing the camera directly with the full face in view.

Glasses

Not acceptable, unless you send a signed statement from a doctor explaining why you cannot remove them.

Head covering

Not acceptable, unless a signed statement says it is part of recognized, traditional religious attire worn continuously in public, or a doctor's statement says it is worn daily for medical purposes.

Clothes

Clothing you normally wear every day; no uniform, nothing that looks like a uniform and no camouflage.

Background

Plain white or off-white.

Paper

Printed on matte or glossy photo quality paper.

Source: U.S. Department of State (Forms DS-11 and DS-82 instructions), as of

Photos

How to take a passport photo at home

The U.S. State Department's photo tool marks these as good and bad examples. Other authorities have their own rules.

Do

  • Mind the distance

    Not too close and not too far from the camera, with your head in the middle of the frame.

  • A neutral face

    Look straight at the camera with a neutral expression, not up and not down.

  • Good lighting

    No shadows on your face, and colours that look true rather than off.

  • A plain background

    Stand in front of a plain wall with nothing else in it.

Don't

  • No glasses

    The photo tool marks glasses as not allowed: take them off.

  • Nothing over your face

    No hat, scarf or hair covering any part of your face, and nothing in your mouth.

  • No blur or grain

    The tool marks blurry and grainy photos as bad: the photo has to be sharp.

Source: U.S. Department of State, Photo Tool (tsg.phototool.state.gov), read 2026-10-27

Reference

U.K. digital passport photo rules: the unedited preset

GOV.UK asks for photos unaltered by computer software, so the U.K. preset leaves your photo unedited: no crop, no light, no background. The online application takes its own photo, so the preset checks a practice photo against these digital rules: a rehearsal, not the photo you submit.

How to get one
From a photo booth or shop, with a code you enter in the application, or taken on your own device during the application, with someone to help you.
Booth or own device
GOV.UK says photos from a booth or shop are more likely to be approved than a photo taken on your own device.
Recent
Taken in the last month; each time you get a new passport you need a new photo, even if your appearance has not changed.
Quality
Clear and in focus, in colour, unaltered by computer software.
File
At least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall, and at least 50KB and no more than 10MB.
Framing
On your own device, include your head, shoulders and upper body. Do not crop the photo: it is done for you.
Background
Plain and light-coloured, in clear contrast to you, with no other objects or people.
Face
Facing forwards, a plain expression, mouth closed, eyes open and visible, no hair in front of the eyes, no shadows on the face or behind you.

Source: GOV.UK (Get a passport photo: digital photos), as of

Note

Renewing a U.S. passport online?

The State Department's photo tool says U.S. citizens should not use it when renewing online: it crops photos only for applications in person or by mail. Online renewal has its own photo requirements on the State Department's site.

State Department photo tool

Reference

A passport photo app that runs in your browser

Nothing to download: the passport photo maker works online, on a phone or a computer.

Your own photo

A front-facing image of yourself, taken by someone else or on the back camera with a timer.

Face found, head sized

The app finds your face and sizes and centres your head for each format, such as 1 to 1 3/8 inches, chin to top of head, for a U.S. 2x2 photo.

Background and light

The background is replaced with plain white or light grey and the light is evened out, where the country's preset allows edits. Your face is never changed.

Country crops side by side

The same photo cropped to several formats at once: U.S. 2x2 inches, 35x45 mm and other national formats.

A check per rule

Head size, face to the camera, glasses, a head covering and the background, each checked against the rules a photo can show, with what to retake.

Files and a sheet

A checked digital photo, JPG and PNG files sized for online applications, and a print ready 4x6 sheet for home or a store's photo counter.

Scope

What the passport photo editor does and never changes

A photo can show

  • Find your face and size your head for each format
  • Replace the background with plain white or light grey and even out the light
  • Crop the same photo to several country formats side by side
  • Check each crop against the rules a photo can show
  • Give a digital photo, JPG and PNG files, and a 4x6 sheet

It does not

  • Change your face, your features or your expression
  • Generate a photo of you
  • Decide whether your photo is accepted: the authority that issues your document does
  • Make passport photos of children or babies

Some passport photo pages promise acceptance. Whether a photo is accepted is decided by the authority that issues your document, so this app follows its published rules and tells you what to retake.

Note

Free passport photo maker: try the form with no card

Trying the passport photo maker here is free. The form asks for no card, no account, no money and no trial, so there is nothing to cancel.

Caution

Only the issuing authority decides

No app can guarantee that a passport photo is accepted. The authority that issues your passport or visa sets the requirements and decides; read its own photo page before you apply.

U.S. State Department photo tool

Rules

Where the passport photo rules come from

Checked

Whether a photo is accepted is decided by the authority that issues your document. The app edits and checks a photo against the published rules; it cannot guarantee acceptance.

FAQ

Passport photo maker questions

Can I take a passport photo at home?

The State Department's own photo tool crops a photo you choose, for U.S. applications in person or by mail. Wherever it is taken, the photo has to meet the rules on Forms DS-11 and DS-82: ask someone to take it against a plain white wall, glasses off.

What size should a passport photo be?

It depends on the document. Forms DS-11 and DS-82 ask for 2x2 inches with the head at 1 to 1 3/8 inches. A U.K. paper application asks for 45mm high by 35mm wide. The table above has the details.

Can I smile in my passport photo?

GOV.UK asks for a plain expression with your mouth closed. The U.S. State Department's photo tool marks a face that is not neutral as a bad example.

How big should my head be in a 2x2 photo?

Forms DS-11 and DS-82 ask for 1 to 1 3/8 inches from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head. The editor sizes your head to fit.

How do I print my own 2x2 passport photo?

Print the 4x6 sheet at actual size, with no fit to page, on matte or glossy photo quality paper. Measure one photo before you cut the others.

How recent does the photo have to be?

For a U.S. passport, taken less than six months ago, Forms DS-11 and DS-82 say. For a U.K. passport, taken in the last month, GOV.UK says.

Can I wear a uniform in my 2x2 photo?

No. Forms DS-11 and DS-82 ask for clothing you normally wear every day: no uniform, nothing that looks like one and no camouflage.

How do I make my own passport photo?

Take a front-facing photo, glasses off, in even light, and upload it. The app finds your face, sets the background and sizes your head, then you fix what the check flags and download the files or the 4x6 sheet.

Is there a free passport photo app?

Trying this passport photo app here is free: no card, no account and no trial. For U.S. applications in person or by mail, the State Department also has its own photo tool that crops a photo.

Can a passport photo generator make my photo for free?

This app generates no face: it edits a real photo of you. On Form DS-82 you certify that the photo is a genuine, current photograph of you, so start from a new photo. Trying the form here is free.

Is the passport photo maker online free to try?

Yes. You make your passport photo online in your browser, and trying the form asks for no card, no email and no money.

Is it legal to use AI for passport photos?

The app generates no face: it edits the background, the light and the crop of your real photo. Some authorities forbid any software edit, GOV.UK among them, so each country preset follows that country's rules.

Will my passport photo be accepted?

No app can guarantee that: whether it is accepted is decided by the authority that issues your document. The check tells you what to retake before you send the photo.

Can I wear glasses in my passport photo?

Not for a U.S. passport, unless a doctor's signed statement explains why you cannot remove them. GOV.UK says not to wear them unless you have to, and never sunglasses or tinted glasses.

Does the passport photo maker change my background to white?

Yes, where the country allows it: the editor replaces the background with plain white or light grey. Forms DS-11 and DS-82 ask for plain white or off-white. The U.K. preset leaves the photo unedited, as GOV.UK asks.

Can I use it for a U.K. passport?

The U.K. preset follows GOV.UK: printed photos must be unaltered and not a cut down version of a larger picture, so it makes no U.K. print. For the U.K. online application, it checks a practice photo against GOV.UK's digital rules.

Can I access my passport photo digitally?

For a U.K. passport, a photo booth or shop can give you a code with your photos, and you enter it in the online application, GOV.UK says.

Is there an app to take digital passport photos?

A U.K. online application lets you take the photo on your own device during the application. This app checks a practice photo against GOV.UK's digital rules beforehand, so you know what to change; it does not alter it.

Should I crop my digital passport photo myself?

Not for a U.K. online application: GOV.UK says not to crop it, because it is done for you. Include your head, shoulders and upper body.

Can I use the State Department's photo tool to renew online?

No: the tool's own page says not to use it for online renewal; it is for applications in person or by mail.

Can I make a passport photo for my child or someone else?

No. The app is for adults only, and only for a photo of yourself: it does not make passport photos of children or babies.

Need a passport photo without a trip to the store?

Take a photo of yourself and let the passport photo maker set the background, size your head and check it before you print.

Make my passport photo