Taking Passport Photos

When applying for a passport, you must supply photographs of yourself. If you don’t want to pay for a professional photographer, you can take the photos yourself as long as you follow State Department’s guidelines. Follow the the steps below.

Things You'll Need

• Conventional or high-resolution digital camera
• Thin photo-quality paper and photo processing Software (for digital photographs)

Instructions

1. Take the photographs with a regular or high-resolution digital camera. Blurred or low-resolution images will be rejected. If you use a digital camera and want to print the photos yourself, use thin photo paper.

2. Dress in regular clothing. Don't wear a uniform, hat or dark glasses. If you wear prescription glasses daily, put them on for the photo. You may need to adjust lighting to avoid reflections from the lenses.

3. The background of your photograph should be plain white or off-white. In the 2 -by-2 inch print, the head must be centered and measure from 1 to 13/8 inches in size.

4. Provide only original color photographs no more than 6 months old. The State Department won’t accept other ID photos or copies of photographs. Submit the photos along with your passport application.

Resources

• State Department Passport Photo INformation