Passport Photo Maker
Make a US passport or visa photo at the exact size from your own photo, with a print sheet for a lab or home printer.
By Syed Mubashir Ali · Last updated
Photo sizes this tool knows
These come from the issuing government's own documents, checked on 27 October 2026; the tool links to each one. Rules change, so look at the official page before you apply.
| Document | Photo | Head height | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| US passport | 2 × 2 in (51 × 51 mm), printed on photo paper | 1 to 1⅜ in (25 to 35 mm), chin to top of head | Plain white or off-white |
| US visa | Square JPEG upload, 600 to 1200 px, up to 240 kB; some applicants also need a 2 × 2 in print | 50% to 69% of the image height | Plain white or off-white |
Taking a photo that passes
Stand a step or two in front of a plain white or very light wall, so your shadow doesn't fall on it, and face a window or a soft light so both sides of your face are evenly lit. Have someone else take the photo from a few feet away at eye level, rather than a selfie at arm's length, which makes the nose look bigger and the ears smaller. Look straight at the camera with a neutral expression, both eyes open and your mouth closed.
For a US passport, take off your glasses and any hat, and keep hair away from your eyes. Use the largest, sharpest version of the photo, since a small or blurry picture can't be fixed by enlarging it, and don't use filters or retouching.
- HEIC to JPG: turn an iPhone HEIC photo into a JPG before you add it.
- Image Compressor: get a photo under another form's file-size limit.
How to Use Passport Photo Maker
- 1Choose the photo you need: US passport, US visa, or Custom size for another form, where you type the size and head height it asks for.
- 2Add a photo taken straight on against a plain white or light wall, with even light and no shadows on the face or behind it.
- 3Drag the photo so the top of the head touches the red line, then zoom until the chin falls in the green band. Use Straighten if the head is tilted.
- 4Download one photo at the exact size, the 600 × 600 upload file for a US visa, or a print sheet: a JPEG for a photo lab or a PDF for your own printer.
- 5Print on photo paper at actual size, measure one photo with a ruler, and cut along the thin grey lines.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my photo be accepted?
This tool gets the size and the head position right. Acceptance also depends on the photo itself: even light with no shadows, a neutral expression with both eyes open, a plain white or off-white background for US documents, no glasses for a US passport, and taken in the last six months. The issuing office checks every photo and has the final say.
Can I print the photos at home or at a store?
Yes. The US passport form asks for a photo printed on matte or glossy photo-quality paper. Order the 4 × 6 JPEG as a normal photo print at a pharmacy or photo kiosk, with no cropping, or print the PDF on photo paper at 100% (Actual size). Measure one photo before you cut: it should be exactly 2 × 2 inches.
Can I use it for a UK, Canadian or Indian passport?
No. GOV.UK asks you not to crop a digital passport photo, because its service does that, and says a printed photo mustn't be cut down from a larger picture. Canada requires photos from a commercial photographer with the studio's details on the back. For an Indian passport your photo is taken at the Passport Seva Kendra, so you don't bring one. The tool links to each rule.
What about other countries, visas and ID cards?
Use Custom size. Type the photo size from the official form, and the head height if it gives one, and the guides will show it. Shortcuts cover common sizes such as 35 × 45 mm. Check that form's own rules on background colour, editing and who may take the photo, because they vary from one country and document to the next.
Should I replace the background?
Only where the rules allow it. For US passports and visas, the State Department says photos must not be changed with software, apps or filters, so take the photo against a plain white wall instead; the tool warns you if you switch it on. The option is there for ID cards, badges and forms that accept an edited background.
What is the upload version for a US visa?
US visa applications ask for a square JPEG between 600 × 600 and 1200 × 1200 pixels, no larger than 240 kB and compressed no more than 20:1. The upload version is 600 × 600, saved at the highest quality that fits under 240 kB, and the tool tells you the file size it reached.
About Passport Photo Maker
Passport Photo Maker turns a photo you took into one that meets the size rules: the frame is the exact shape of the document's photo, and guide lines show where the top of the head and the chin must fall. The downloads are made at 300 dpi with the resolution written into the file, so a lab or printer prints them at their true size.
It has presets for the US passport and US visa, using the sizes in the State Department's form instructions and its visa photo requirements (checked on 27 October 2026), and a custom size for any other form. It deliberately has no preset for documents whose rules don't accept a photo cropped from your own picture.
Everything happens in your browser. Your photo isn't uploaded or stored, and if you replace the background, the AI model that finds the person runs on your device too.