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United States passport photo requirements

A summary of the official United States passport photo rules, with a link to the government source. Last reviewed: 4 November 2026.

Official requirements (verified)

Source: U.S. Department of State — Passport photos. Rules change; the official page always takes priority over this summary.

Printed size: 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm).
Head size: 1 to 1 3/8 inches (25–35 mm) from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head.
One colour photo taken in the last 6 months.
Plain white or off-white background, free of shadows, textures or objects.
Submit the original, unedited photo without filters or digital changes.
Eyeglasses must be removed.
No photocopies or digitally scanned photos.
Online renewals use an uploaded digital photo; see the State Department’s digital photo page.

Important: edited photos and background removal

The U.S. Department of State says not to change a passport photo with software, apps or filters, and shows a photo with a digitally cropped background as an example of what is not acceptable. Passport Room replaces backgrounds with AI, so for this application the safest route is to take a new photo against a plain background that already meets the rules, and use Passport Room only for checking the size and framing, or follow the official source above.

How Passport Room fits in (guidance)

The tool’s US preset renders 2 × 2 in (600 × 600 pixels at 300 DPI). Passport Room does not submit applications and cannot guarantee that any authority will accept a photo; acceptance is decided only by the issuing authority.