How to prepare a photo that passes
A photo taken at home can pass the strictest checks. The difference is nearly always lighting and framing, and both are easy to get right once you know what the reviewer is looking at.
Open the cropper
Pick the size for the country you are applying to, or continue with the size you chose last.
Five steps
- Stand about two steps in front of a plain wall, facing a window or a soft light, so your face is evenly lit and the wall has no shadow.
- Ask someone to take the photo at eye level, with your head and shoulders in the frame and a little space above your head. A phone at arm’s length distorts the face.
- Keep a neutral face: mouth closed, eyes open, no smile, looking straight into the lens.
- Crop in ExactCrop with the country preset, then check the head height and framing against that country’s guide.
- Export at 300 ppi for print or upload, or 600 ppi if the application asks for a high-resolution file.
If you need several copies on one page, switch on the print sheet option and choose 4×6 in, 5×7 in or A4. The tool arranges the copies, adds optional cutting guides and tells you how many fit.
Small things that cause most rejections
- A shadow behind the head. The single most common problem with home photos. Move further from the wall and light the face from the front.
- A background that is off-white. Cream walls and doors photograph grey. Check the individual country page for the colour that is wanted.
- Glasses. Most countries now refuse them, and reflection is refused everywhere.
- Hair over the ears or eyebrows. Several countries, including China, Taiwan and the Philippines, require both ears to be visible.
- Filters and beauty mode. Skin smoothing and background blur are visible to reviewers and count as altering the photo.
More on photo requirements
- The rules that apply everywhereHead size, background, expression, glasses, headwear, lighting and editing: the parts of a passport or visa photo that almost every country checks.
- Print photo or digital photo?Printed passport photos are measured in millimetres, digital ones in pixels and file size. What changes between the two routes, and how to export one file that works for both.