US passport photo (2×2) online, free
The State Department wants a 2×2 inch photo, head 1-1⅜ inch tall, plain white background, taken in the last 6 months: the standard us passport photo size, unchanged for years.
Related: Passport photo API, Canada passport photo.
Last updated: September 2026
Upload any decent photo and PassportNinja does the sizing, the head-height check and the white background (free), with a printable 10×15 cm (4×6 in) sheet.
You don't pay to find out if your photo is valid. The compliance check and the printable sheet are both free. No card, no account.
Cropped on our own server, never passed on to anyone else, and the results wiped within 45 minutes (6 hours with a monthly pass, 24 hours with a Pro pass). Need a different country or a bigger print sheet? Open the full tool.
The official requirements, handled automatically
Requirements last checked: July 2026. Always confirm with the issuing authority.
| Requirement | Rule | PassportNinja |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 2×2 in (51×51 mm) · digital 600×600 px min | ✓ exact, 600 dpi |
| Head height | 1-1⅜ in (25-35 mm), chin to crown | ✓ measured & checked |
| Background | Plain white or off-white | ✓ replaced automatically |
| Position | Centered, facing camera, eyes open | ✓ auto-centered · you check expression |
What you still do yourself
- Neutral expression or natural smile, both eyes open, mouth closed
- No glasses (US rule since 2016), no hats or headphones
- Even lighting, no shadows across the face: daylight facing a window works great
- Have someone shoot from ~5 ft away at chest height (no stretched-arm selfies)
A few things this tool doesn't check, because they are not part of the size and background job: US passport photo hair requirements and bangs aren't measured, so keep hair away from your eyes yourself. Whether you have to show your ears or may wear earrings isn't something this crop tool verifies either. Glossy or matte is a paper choice you make at the print shop, not something the digital file decides.
Applying online for a renewal or the DV lottery? See digital upload vs printed 2×2: what to submit where. Curious why the size and background rules exist at all? Read passport photo requirements explained.
Make it at home in three steps
- Take the shot. Stand about 60 cm (2 ft) in front of a plain wall, face the camera square-on, and have someone photograph you from roughly 1.5 m (5 ft) away at chest height. Fill the frame with your head and the top of your shoulders. Daylight from a window in front of you gives even, shadow-free light.
- Upload it. Drop the photo into the tool and pick the US 2×2 template: the fastest way to convert photo to us passport size if you already have a decent shot on your phone. It finds your face, crops to the exact 2×2 inch square, measures the head at 1-1⅜ inch, and swaps whatever is behind you for regulation white.
- Print or submit. Download the single square JPG (1200×1200 px, well above the 600×600 minimum) for an online renewal, or the 10×15 cm (4×6 in) sheet, which lays out multiple copies with cut lines, for a counter application.
Babies, toddlers and newborns
US infant photos follow the same 2×2 format, with two eased rules: a child under one does not need both eyes fully open, and nobody else may appear in the frame. No arms, hands, chairs or pacifiers. The usual trick is to lay the baby on a plain white sheet and shoot straight down, or seat them in an empty car seat draped in white. Upload that and the tool crops and sizes it like any other photo; expression rules are relaxed for infants, so a natural face is fine. For the full walk-through, see the baby passport photo guide.
Why 2×2 inches? A US quirk
It is a US passport photo tool and a US passport photo checker in one. The same upload works as a US visa photo tool, since visas use the same square. It is also a photo tool US passport applicants can run on a shot they already have before submitting. The US visa photo tool free of charge needs no card, and if your picture needs a photo resize to the right pixels, the upload is cropped to 1200×1200 px automatically.
Read more
Filled in the application form as a PDF and don't want the fields edited after you print or email it? ScanReviver's flatten PDF bakes the answers into the page and removes the editable layer.
Locked the layout in? A US application PDF carries a passport or case number, ScanReviver's protect PDF adds a password before you email it to anyone.
Almost every other country uses 35×45 mm: a taller rectangle. The United States is one of the few that asks for a perfect square, a legacy of the old imperial print sizes American photo labs were built around. That is why a photo cropped for a European passport will not pass for a US one, and vice-versa: the aspect ratio is different, not just the size. Applying from abroad changes nothing: the photo rules are the same at a US embassy as at a post office at home. The tool works as a background remover: it replaces whatever is behind you with plain white, the only passport photo background color it produces. It does not generate a face with AI either: it crops and measures your own photo against the published band, and final acceptance is always the State Department's call. The same square 2×2 spec also covers most US visa photos and the Diversity Visa (green-card) lottery, though the lottery wants a digital file rather than a print. Pick the DV-Lottery template and the tool outputs the square digital format the entry form expects.
The tool sizes and centres your photo for you; what you still do yourself is the expression, the lighting and a plain background.
Sources
- U.S. Passport Renewal Application for Eligible Individuals (DS-82): US passport photo is 2x2 inches with a set head height
Before you upload
Is this accepted for renewals and new applications?
The output follows the published State Department specifications (size, head height, white background). Acceptance is always the authority's decision: follow the checklist above for the things a tool can't judge, like expression and lighting.
Can AI make my passport photo?
Our passport photo AI only finds the face, measures the head and cleans up the background. It does not generate a face, and retouching and filters are not allowed in passport photos anyway.
Can I test my photo before I pay for prints?
Yes. Run a passport photo test by uploading the shot: the size, the head height and the background are checked for free, and you only decide about prints afterwards. Only you can judge expression, lighting and glasses; a passport photo checker tool can measure the square and the head height.
How does the US visa photo crop work?
Keep a US visa photo crop square, so let the template cut the 2×2 inch frame instead of squeezing a wide phone shot into it. Unlike a generic US visa photo cropping tool, this one also measures the head against the 1 to 1⅜ inch band.
What about the DV lottery (green card)?
Pick the "US visa / DV-Lottery: digital" template: it outputs exactly 600×600 pixels under 240 KB, the format the entry form asks for. That makes it a visa photo maker for the lottery as well as a passport tool, and it covers passport pictures for the Green Card lottery without any resizing on your side.
How do I print it, and where?
Download the 4×6 sheet and print it at any drugstore photo kiosk: CVS, Walgreens, Walmart and Costco all do a 4×6 print for well under a dollar. The sheet lays out several 2×2 copies with cut lines, so one print gives you spares. That is also the answer to where to get passport photos printed. To print passport photo copies at home, US Letter and A4 sheets are there too, which gives you spare passport pictures for later visas.
Can I submit the photo online instead of printing?
For an online renewal the single square JPG is what you upload (1200×1200 px, comfortably above the 600×600 minimum): no print needed. A first-time application at an acceptance facility still takes a printed 2×2. Which one you need is covered in digital vs printed. For an online renewal, the passport photo digital requirements come down to a square JPG of at least 600×600 pixels, and the US template delivers 1200×1200.
Where do the exact rules come from?
The passport photo regulations us photo has to follow come from the State Department, not from us: this page just automates them. If you want the us passport photo requirements spelled out in full before you upload anything, see how our checker applies the rules; that same source is where the definition of acceptable us passport photos comes from, not from this tool. For the US passport photo background color, follow the State Department wording in the table above and shoot against a plain wall to begin with.
Is this about the black (diplomatic) passport?
No: a us black passport refers to the cover colour of an official or diplomatic passport book, not the photo. The 2×2 photo and head-height rules on this page are the same no matter which passport type or cover colour you're issued.
Do I have to remove my glasses?
Yes. Since November 2016 glasses are not allowed in US passport photos, except with a signed doctor's statement for a medical reason, so take them off before you shoot. Smiling is a different matter: can you smile for a passport picture? Yes, a neutral expression or a natural smile both pass, as long as both eyes stay open and visible. The same goes for anyone asking can you smile in a passport picture for a renewal.
Can I take my baby's photo the same way?
Yes, same 2×2 format, but the child must be alone in the frame and, if under one, doesn't need both eyes open. A newborn passport photo is measured exactly like an adult's, and only the eyes-open rule is relaxed. A newborn US passport photo is measured that way too, and so is a US passport photo for newborn babies only a few weeks old. A US passport photo infant shot, like any infant passport photo, only needs one thing relaxed: both eyes open. See the baby photo guide for the white-sheet method.
What happens to my photo?
Deleted automatically. Upload right after processing, results within 45 minutes (6 hours with a monthly pass, 24 hours with a Pro pass: that longer window is part of what the pass is for). See privacy.
Is it free to download?
Yes. Upload a straight-on photo and PassportNinja crops it to the 2×2 inch (51×51 mm) US format, checks the head height and whitens the background. The digital file and a printable 4×6 sheet are free to download, with no account and no card. As a passport photo generator free of charge it measures the head height before you download anything, and as a passport photo maker free of watermarks it adds cut lines to every sheet. It is a free passport photo without a catch, and a US passport photo free download is the whole result: the ads on the page pay for the server.
What are the US passport photo regulations on expression and appearance?
The State Department requires a neutral expression or natural smile with both eyes open and visible, no glasses (since 2016), no hats or headphones, and even lighting with no shadows across the face. The photo must have been taken within the last six months and still look like you.
What are the US passport photo specifications for a digital submission?
A square JPG of at least 600×600 pixels. With the US template the tool outputs 1200×1200 at 600 dpi, comfortably above that floor, with the same 25-35 mm head-height rule and plain white background as the printed version; the DV-Lottery template outputs exactly 600×600 under 240 KB. On paper the photo is 5.1 × 5.1 cm. Those are the US passport photo specifications and the passport photo dimensions in one place.
What are the passport photo requirements for the US compared to other countries?
The US asks for a 2×2 inch (51×51 mm) square: most of the world uses a 35×45 mm rectangle with a different aspect ratio. The head-height and white-background rules are broadly similar, but a photo cropped to US proportions will be refused at a European counter and vice versa.
What size is a US passport photo?
2x2 inches (51x51 mm), with the head measuring 1 to 1 3/8 inches (25-35 mm) from chin to crown, on a plain white background. Digital submissions use 600x600 pixels: the us passport photo size in pixels, if that's what you're checking. American passport size is the same 2x2 inches; it's just a different way of saying it, not a separate spec. Cut the sheet along its cut lines before you attach a copy, because the 2x2 size applies to the finished print.
Can I take a US passport photo at home for free?
Yes. Have someone photograph you facing the camera against any background, upload it to PassportNinja, and download a correctly sized 2x2 photo with a white background plus a printable 4x6 sheet: free. You don't need a passport photographer or an appointment: a passport photo do it yourself at home gives the same crop and white background.
Where to take passport photos without a studio or an appointment?
At home. Any plain background works: a phone photo taken from about 1.5 m away gives the tool enough to crop and size correctly. That answers where to take passport picture shots without a studio, and where to get passport photo taken without an appointment: upload it here and download the result right away. You only need a US passport photo near me search for the print, and any drugstore photo kiosk will do. If you would rather have someone else do it, most drugstores with a photo counter will tell you where to get a passport photo taken in store, for a fee.
Is this a complete passport photo service, or just a cropper?
It handles size, head height and background for free; expression, lighting and the no-glasses rule are still yours to check, since the tool can't judge those. Paid passport photo services at a drugstore mainly add the physical print, which you can do yourself from the 4×6 sheet at any photo kiosk for well under a dollar. So it is a passport photo service for the measuring part, not for the judgement part.
Is there an app, or is it a creator and cropping tool in the browser?
It runs in the browser rather than as an installed US passport photo app, with nothing to download. Upload a photo and the passport photo crop, the head-height measurement and the white background happen in one go. So it works as a passport photo creator and a passport photo cropping tool, and you don't need a separate photo cropper. If you already have a shot, the passport photo check measures it against the official band; there is no need to crop photo files for US passport requirements by hand. The America visa size photo uses the same 2×2 inch square, so the same template works for a US visa.
Does it work if my browser isn't in English? (foto pasaporte eeuu, photo passeport américain)
Yes: no language setting needed, since the tool works by measuring your photo. Pick US from the country list, upload a straight-on photo, and it's cropped to the 2x2 inch (51x51 mm) square with a white background automatically, free.
What are the exact criteria and clothing requirements?
The US passport photo criteria are size, head height, background and recency, all covered above. There are no published US passport photo clothing requirements beyond that; plain everyday clothing is the safe default, and this tool doesn't check what you wear.
Is there an example to compare my photo against?
Yes. The diagram near the top is a passport photo example with the correct US proportions: a 2×2 inch square with the head-height guides for the 25-35 mm band. Use it as a sample passport layout to check your framing; as a passport example it is more useful than generic US passport photo examples of someone else's face. After you upload, the preview of your own result is the best example of a passport photo you can get, and the print sheet works as a passport sample with the cut lines marked. For a visa, compare your result with a sample of US visa photo proportions: it is the same 2×2 square, so the same diagram applies.
What are the US rules in short?
The United States passport photo requirements in one line: a 2×2 inch (51×51 mm) square crop, head 25-35 mm from chin to crown, plain white or off-white background, no glasses since 2016, taken within the last six months. So are passport photos 2x2 for every US application? Yes: first passport, renewal, or a visa that borrows the same spec. What is a passport size photograph for the US, then? Exactly that square. It is the picture format for United States of America passport images on paper, and the US passport picture requirements for a digital upload add a minimum of 600×600 pixels.
These US passport photo rules and passport picture rules are in the table above; check the passport photos requirements there before you apply. A United States passport image or passport size picture that follows them is what the tool produces, and that matches the passport photo requirements USA applicants are given in the official passport photo guidelines from the State Department.
What makes a good passport photo beyond the size?
Even lighting, no glasses since 2016, and both eyes open and visible. That is what separates a passport style photo from a regular snapshot. The tool handles the size and background; the rest is on the original shot, and the passport photo application is where expression, lighting and glasses get judged.
Is this the right tool for an i d photo, not a passport?
For a non-passport document, the ID photo maker applies similar size logic: this page is specifically built around the US passport's 2×2 inch spec. Airlines or hotels that ask for a picture of a passport want a scan of the booklet or its data page, not a passport photo like the one this tool makes.
Where can I read the official travel state gov passport photo rules directly?
The State Department's own page is the source behind this template, not a summary we invented. See the link in the rules-explained guide.
Is this a free passport photo editor?
For the parts that matter, yes: it is a passport photo editor free of charge for crop, head height and background. It is not a general free editor, and it shouldn't be: retouching and filters are not allowed in passport photos, so a photo editor online free with beauty filters would only get you refused. To make a passport photo edit, such as a different pose, upload another shot.
Can I get a passport picture online and print it myself?
Yes. You get a passport size photo online free: the digital file for uploads and a sheet to print. A US passport size photo online is simply that digital file; a printed copy is only needed when you apply in person. Want a free US passport photo online without an account? That is how this passport photo online free service works.
By Sam Ridder, I build and run PassportNinja on my own hardware, on my own. Who I am.