Images guide
How to Take a Passport Photo at Home (and Get It Accepted)
Take a passport photo with your phone, crop it to your country's exact size and print a 4×6 sheet for a few cents — with the US, UK and Schengen rules.
By M2Toolkit Editorial TeamPublished 6 min read
Quick answer
Stand about 1.2 m from a plain white or light-grey wall, face a window so the light is even, take off your glasses and have someone else take the photo at eye level. Then crop it to your country's size with the head inside the guides — 2×2 inches for the US, 35×45 mm for the UK and Schengen — and print it on a cheap 4×6 sheet.
A studio passport photo costs $15 or more for two prints. The same photo taken at home and printed at a kiosk costs a few cents, and it's accepted as long as it meets the rules. Most rejections come down to four things — shadows, a head that's too big or small, glasses, and a busy background — and all of them are easy to avoid once you know what the officials check.
Set up the shot
- 1Background: a plain white, off-white or light-grey wall with nothing on it. Doors, tiles and wallpaper patterns get rejected.
- 2Light: face a window in daylight, or put two lamps either side of the camera. The aim is no shadows on your face and none behind you.
- 3Distance: stand about 1.2 m (4 ft) from the camera and 0.5 m from the wall, so your shadow falls behind you, not on the wall.
- 4Camera: ask someone to hold the phone at your eye level using the normal 1× lens. Selfies are taken too close and enlarge the nose and forehead.
- 5You: glasses off, hair away from your eyes, a neutral expression with your mouth closed, looking straight at the lens.
Sizes for the most common documents
| Document | Photo size | Head height (chin to crown) | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| US passport & visa | 2 × 2 in (51 × 51 mm) | 25–35 mm | White or off-white |
| UK passport | 35 × 45 mm | 29–34 mm | Cream or light grey |
| Schengen visa | 35 × 45 mm | 32–36 mm | Light grey, blue or white |
| Australian passport | 35–40 × 45–50 mm | 32–36 mm | White or light grey |
| India (abroad), OCI & visa | 2 × 2 in | 25–35 mm | White |
| UAE visa & residence | 43 × 55 mm | About 70–80% of the height | White |
Rules change, and some offices add their own (the UK wants photos taken within the last month, for example). Always check the official page for your application before printing.
Crop it to the exact size
Cropping by eye is where most home photos go wrong: the head ends up too small, or the photo has the wrong shape. Use a tool that knows the official measurements and shows where your chin and the top of your head must sit.
Try the free Passport & ID Photo MakerChoose your country, drag your head between the guides and download the photo or a print sheet.Print it for a few cents
Download the 4×6 inch sheet, which fits several passport photos on one standard print, and order it from a pharmacy, supermarket kiosk or online photo lab. Choose the standard 4×6 (10×15 cm) size and make sure it's printed at 100% scale — never “fit to page”, which shrinks the photos. Then cut them out along the edges.
For online applications you don't need to print at all: upload the single digital photo. If the portal sets a file-size limit, use Reduce Image Size to get it under the limit without changing the dimensions.
Why home passport photos get rejected
- Shadows on the face or the wall — move away from the wall and face the light.
- Wrong head size — your chin and crown must sit inside the official range, not just “roughly centred”.
- Glasses — banned for US, UK and Australian passports; remove them for everything else too.
- Edited photos — no filters, beauty modes or background replacement. Turn off portrait mode.
- Old photos — most countries want a photo taken within the last 6 months.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use my phone to take a passport photo?
Yes. Phone cameras are more than sharp enough. Use the normal lens (not portrait mode or wide-angle), have someone else hold the phone at eye level, and avoid filters.
Can I print passport photos at home?
You can on photo paper at 100% scale, but a 4×6 kiosk print is usually cheaper and more consistent than a home inkjet.
Do passport photos need a white background?
It depends on the country: the US and India want white or off-white, the UK prefers cream or light grey, and Schengen consulates accept light grey, light blue or white.