Requirement guide
How to Take a Digital Passport Photo
To take a digital passport photo, use a phone or camera to make a recent color image in even light against a plain white or off-white background. Keep the original file unchanged, then check its format, size, framing, and visual requirements before an eligible online renewal upload.
Official-rule shortcut
Requirements Summary
| Accepted file types | JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC, or HEIF for online renewal upload |
|---|---|
| File size | 54 KB to 10 MB for online renewal upload |
| Quality | Sharp, high-quality color image with no blur, grain, pixelation, printer dots, scans, or text-message compression |
| Background | Plain white or off-white, with no shadows, texture, lines, or objects |
| Pose and framing | Face camera directly, keep head centered and fully visible, and include the shoulder edge near the bottom of the frame |
| Expression | Neutral expression or natural smile with both eyes open; avoid showing teeth |
| Accessories | Remove eyeglasses, hats, lanyards, and anything covering the face unless a documented religious or medical exception applies |
| Edits | Original unedited photo only: no filters, retouching, red-eye correction, AI changes, scans, or pictures of printed photos |
Reviewed against U.S. State Department passport photo guidance. Last reviewed July 16, 2026.
Fast workflow
How to get it done
- Choose a plain white or off-white background and position the subject several feet away when possible to reduce shadows.
- Use even natural light, face the camera directly, and frame the head and shoulders with both eyes visible and the shoulder edge near the bottom.
- Take several new photos without glasses, hats, lanyards, filters, or retouching, then choose the sharpest original image.
- Keep the camera-original file on the device you will use for renewal; avoid text-message transfers, screenshots, scans, and pictures of printed photos.
- Upload the original to PassportSnapper to check the file type, file size, crop, background, lighting, expression, quality, and edit risks.
- Upload the prepared file to the official .gov renewal application yourself if you are eligible for online renewal.
Rejection risks
Common mistakes
- Taking the photo against a textured, shadowed, gray, or object-filled background.
- Standing too close to the camera or framing only the face instead of including the shoulder edge.
- Sending the original through text message, social media, or another service that may compress it.
- Using a screenshot, scan, photo of a print, filter, retouching, red-eye correction, AI edit, or background replacement.
- Deleting the original and keeping only a cropped or edited copy.
- Assuming the government upload tool or a validator replaces the employee review after submission.
Quick answers
FAQ
How do I take the photo without editing it?
Use even light, a plain white or off-white background, a direct centered pose, and a clear camera-original file. Take a new photo if the background, lighting, or framing is wrong instead of correcting it with software.
Should I keep the original camera file?
Yes. Keep the original file and avoid text messages, screenshots, scans, pictures of prints, and other transfers that can change image quality.
Can I use this page instead of the digital renewal page?
This page explains how to take and preserve the original photo. Use the digital renewal page when you are ready to validate the upload requirements and create the upload-ready JPEG.
Does the online renewal system check photos?
The State Department says the upload tool checks basic requirements, and an employee reviews the photo after submission.
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