Photos for passports and driver’s licenses always seem to highlight our worst features… at least that’s the way it feels.
We can’t do much to improve our odds at the DMV, but we are allowed to use our photography skills to create passport photos. All you have to do is follow a few basic guidelines.
Rules for Passport Photos
The above illustration is from the actual U.S. passport application. When you renew by mail, you staple your 2”x2” photo to the application as shown above. Make sure that the head height from chin to hair is 1 3/8”. This might take a few tries when printing out the picture. But if you start with the 2” square, then position the head as shown above, you’ll probably be close on your first try.
Additional tips include:
Submit one color photo, taken in the last 6 months.
Use a clear image of your face.
Do not digitally retouch or change your photo using computer software, phone apps or filters, or artificial intelligence.
Have someone else take your photo. No selfies.
Take off your eyeglasses for your photo.
Use a white or off-white background without shadows, texture, or lines.
It’s important that you’re facing straight at the camera with your eyes clearly visible. Regarding glasses, even if you wear them every day, they must be removed for your passport photo. You may not wear hats or head coverings, except for religious or medical purposes.
If you don’t have a light background for the picture, find one. You’re not allowed to swap out backgrounds digitally. Photo manipulation is not allowed.
And finally, you can wear jewelry and keep your facial piercings as long as they do not hide your face. Permanent tattoos are acceptable for passport purposes.
Now, if we could only submit our own DMV photos as well.
Good stuff. I've been the passport photo guy for our family and close friends for years. People are always surprised that this can be done at home. I use a cheap Canon printer for this kind of thing and they look great.
I'm glad this only has to be done every ten years. I've found the post-processing challenging to get the sizes correct. I took a lot of pictures, found some good ones, cropped with Aperture (now Photos for Mac), then had them printed at the drugstore. I did get some nice portraits but it was time consuming. Nice article, thanks!