Common Passport Photo Rules and the Exceptions
Passport photo rules look universal until two countries sit side by side. The United States wants a 2 × 2 inch square, most of Europe wants 35 × 45 mm, and China wants 33 × 48 mm. The shared elements, a front-facing head on a plain background with a neutral expression, descend from ICAO Doc 9303, the standard that makes a travel document readable by a border gate. Everything past that baseline is national, and the sections below take the rules that hold everywhere first, then the countries and documents that depart from them.
What ICAO Doc 9303 Sets Out
ICAO Doc 9303, Part 3 defines the image geometry that border control systems in every signatory country expect to read. It is a recommendation rather than a passport rule, which is why a national authority is free to depart from it, and several do. Four parts of it survive almost unchanged into national guidance.
- The document recommends a 35 × 45 mm print as the reference frame for machine-readable travel documents.
- Head height. The crown-to-chin measurement should sit between 70% and 80% of the image height, which on a 45 mm frame works out at 32 to 36 mm. Almost every national office states its own millimetre figure instead of the percentage, so the percentage is a starting point and the millimetres are the rule.
- Both eyes have to be visible and open. The document also rules out anything that hides the face, from mirrored sunglasses to heavy flash reflection sitting across the eye area.
- Neutral expression. ICAO asks for a closed mouth and a gaze straight down the lens, which is why a national office can refuse a photo showing teeth.
The UK, Australia and most Schengen states publish numbers within a millimetre or two of that baseline, so a correct 35 × 45 mm file clears their first automated check. The 29 to 34 mm head range in the UK is the tightest in Europe; the EU and Australia both allow 32 to 36 mm.
Sizes That Break From 35 × 45 mm
Three formats cover most applications on the planet, and the outliers are worth knowing before you crop anything. The US, the Philippines and the Green Card all take a 2 × 2 inch square, which is 51 × 51 mm. China runs narrower and taller at 33 × 48 mm. Canada is the one that surprises people: 50 × 70 mm on a passport, then a frame of at least 35 × 45 mm when the same person applies for a visa.
- United Kingdom. 35 × 45 mm with a head height of 29 to 34 mm, narrower than the EU range and the usual reason a photo that passes in France gets refused in London.
- Bangladesh and Japan both sit at 35 × 45 mm.
- Saudi Arabia asks for a 50 × 50 mm square on paper and 35 × 45 mm on the online route, while Malaysia runs taller than Europe at 35 × 50 mm. The document type can carry a different size from the passport sitting in the same envelope.
Background Color Rules by Country
White, off-white or light grey covers most passports, which makes it the safe default when a country's own page is vague about tone. Two national identity documents break the pattern. Malaysia's MyKad is shot against blue, and Indonesia's KTP card uses red where the passport beside it uses white. Australia accepts pale blue and cream as well as white, and Canada asks for plain white or light-coloured with a clear difference between your face and the ground. Read the document type, not just the country name.
Digital Upload Limits: File Size and Pixels
Printed dimensions only matter if you are printing. Uploading adds a second set of limits to the same file. The US State Department accepts JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC or HEIF between 54 KB and 10 MB, taken in the last six months, from 600 × 600 pixels. A US visa upload runs the other way, capping the file at 240 kB, so a photo that passes for a passport fails the visa form. India asks for a square JPEG between 10 KB and 300 KB, 350 to 1000 pixels a side, without spectacles. Read the limit before you compress.
Rules That Apply in Almost Every Country
A short list of requirements survives contact with almost every national checklist, and they all exist for one reason: a border gate needs a face it can match against the copy stored on the chip. The glasses rule is the one applicants get wrong most often, because the direction of travel is not the same everywhere.
- The US stopped accepting eyeglasses in passport photos on 1 November 2016, with no medical exemption, because removing them improves the facial recognition match rate.
- Glasses elsewhere. Where they are still accepted the test is visibility, not the frame itself: clear lenses, no tint, no glare, and nothing crossing the eye area.
- Lighting. One soft source in front, no shadow behind.
- Recency is checked against the date on the form. The US, Canada, Japan and most of the EU ask for a photo taken within the last six months.
Choose your country from the directory above rather than trusting a photo booth's default preset. Every country page carries that authority's published size, head height, background and file limit with a link back to the source, and the sizing runs in your browser, so the original file stays on your device.
Passport Photos for Babies and Infants
Infants are the one group every authority writes a separate rule for, because a newborn cannot hold a head up or close a mouth on cue. The geometry does not change. The tolerance does. The UK waives both the eyes-open and the neutral-expression rules for a baby under one year, which makes it the most forgiving of the major passport offices.
- No supporting hands. Whoever is in the room stays outside the frame; lay the infant on a plain sheet or prop the car seat with something that does not show.
- Bibs, pacifiers, headbands and large bows all come off.
- The face has to be clear from the chin to the top of the forehead in every market. Where a baby cannot sit unaided, the shot is taken from directly above rather than held upright.
Clothing, Hair, Makeup and Jewelry
What you wear is read by eye before it is read by software, and a photo that fails here usually fails a second rule as well. The requirements themselves are narrow. The UK and the EU both refuse anything that reads as a uniform, which covers work dress, sports kit and camouflage.
- Everyday clothing. Work clothes are fine.
- Never match the background. A white shirt on a white ground erases the line of your shoulders and the reviewer will not guess where the neck ends.
- Heavy contouring, false lashes or any filter that changes the shape of your face all break the no-retouching rule that every portal enforces.
- Hair has to clear the eyes and eyebrows. Anything casting a shadow across the face counts as a shadow, so long fringe gets tucked back rather than brushed aside.
- Jewelry. Small studs pass in most markets, but remove anything reflective enough to flare under flash.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I smile in my passport photo?
No. The US State Department, HM Passport Office and IRCC each specify a neutral expression with the mouth closed, and visible teeth are enough for a rejection in all three. A minority of consular posts handling older documents are more relaxed, but no mainstream passport office accepts a smile.
Do I have to take my glasses off?
Only if your country still allows them, and then only with clear lenses, no tint and no glare on the frames. The test every authority applies is whether both eyes stay fully visible, so a heavy browline that drops over the top of the eye gets refused even where spectacles pass. Photochromic lenses are worth watching as well, because they darken in daylight and can read as tinted.
Which countries do not use 35 × 45 mm?
The directory above is the quickest route: pick your country and the exact size, head height and background sit on that page next to the official source. As a rough filter, the 2 × 2 inch square belongs to the United States and the Philippines, the UK and India sit on 35 × 45 mm, and China runs 33 × 48 mm. Anything outside those needs the page open in front of you.
Why was my photo rejected?
Head height is the most common cause, followed by a background that reads as off-white where the rules asked for white, then a shadow on the wall behind you. The notice carries the reason, and it is nearly always a millimetre, a tone or a date rather than anything to do with the camera you used.
Can I take my own passport photo?
Yes, with one condition: somebody else holds the camera. The US, UK and EU rules all exclude photos taken at arm's length, because the wide-angle distortion of a phone changes the proportions the matching software expects. Stand about 1.5 metres back with the lens at eye level, shoot in daylight, and crop afterwards rather than zooming in.
How old is too old for a passport photo?
Six months covers the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia and most of the EU. The UK is the outlier at one month, which catches people reusing a print from an earlier application. Bangladesh also asks for six months, and a few authorities publish no limit at all, so a recent photo is the only answer that never expires.
Do I have to remove a hijab, turban or headscarf?
Not where the covering is worn for religious belief or medical need and your full face stays visible. The United States accepts a signed statement explaining the covering, and the UK allows a head covering worn daily for those reasons. Anything decorative, or any covering that casts a shadow across the face, is refused.
Is it allowed to change the background or retouch my face?
Swapping the background is fine, reshaping your face is not. Every portal draws the line in the same place, and the US State Department is explicit that no retouching tool should be used to change how you look. Keep the original lighting when you change the colour, because a mismatched edge around the hair is what gets a photo rejected.