How to Take a Passport Photo at Home (US 2×2, UK, Schengen and More)
Updated 7 October 2026 · 6 min read
Take a passport or visa photo with your phone, crop it to the right size for your country, and print it as a cheap 4 × 6 photo. Step by step, with the rules that get photos rejected.
A passport photo is just a well-lit photo of your face, cropped to an exact size. You can take one with any modern phone, frame it for free, and print it as an ordinary 4 × 6 inch photo for a fraction of what a photo service charges. What matters is getting the light, background and head size right, because those are what get photos rejected.
1. Check your country's size
| Photo for | Size | Head, chin to crown |
|---|---|---|
| US passport & visa | 2 × 2 in (51 × 51 mm) | 1–1⅜ in (25–35 mm) |
| UK passport | 35 × 45 mm | 29–34 mm |
| Schengen visa | 35 × 45 mm | 32–36 mm |
| Australian passport | 35 × 45 mm | 32–36 mm |
| China visa | 33 × 48 mm | 28–33 mm |
Rules change, and some countries (Canada, for example) only accept photos from a commercial photographer. Always check the official instructions for your application first.
2. Set up the shot
- Background: stand about half a metre in front of a plain white or off-white wall (the UK asks for cream or light grey). No patterns, doors or shadows.
- Light: face a window during the day so your face is lit evenly. Avoid overhead lights that cast shadows under your eyes, and don't use the flash.
- Camera: ask someone to take the photo from about 1.5 metres away, at eye level, using the normal (1×) lens. Selfies held at arm's length distort the face.
- You: look straight at the camera with both eyes open and a neutral expression. Keep your hair off your face and remove hats unless worn for religious or medical reasons.
- Glasses: take them off. The US doesn't allow glasses at all, and reflections cause rejections everywhere else.
3. Crop it to size
Open the Passport Photo Maker, choose your country, and upload the photo. Drag and zoom until your head fills the dashed oval: the top of your hair near the top of the oval and your chin at the bottom, with your face centred on the dotted line. The frame is already the right shape, so nothing gets stretched.
4. Download and print
- For an online application, download the single photo. The US version is 1200 × 1200 px and kept under 240 KB, as the online rules require.
- For printed photos, download the 4 × 6 inch print sheet. It holds 8 photos at 35 × 45 mm, or 2 at 2 × 2 in.
- Order the sheet as a regular 4 × 6 inch (10 × 15 cm) photo print at a pharmacy, supermarket kiosk or online photo service, or print it at home on glossy photo paper.
- Make sure it's printed at 100% size with no cropping or "fit to page", then cut along the grey lines.
Common reasons photos are rejected
- Shadows on the face or on the wall behind you.
- Head too small or too large in the frame.
- Glasses, glare, or hair covering the eyes.
- Filters, beauty modes or edits. Use the plain camera, not portrait or beauty mode.
- An old photo. Most countries want one taken in the last six months.