Passport and ID photo guides
Plain-English guides to U.S. passport and ID photo rules — sizes, head height, background, glasses, and printing — checked against official government sources.
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How we write our guides
Every guide is researched from official sources such as the U.S. Department of State, and each one links to those sources and shows when it was last updated. When the rules change, we update the guide. Read our editorial policy and content methodology for the full process.
Start here
If you're making a U.S. passport photo, read the requirements checklist first: it covers background, glasses, expression, clothing, and printing in one place. Then use the passport photo editor to crop your photo to the exact size.
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