You do not need a photo studio to get a passport photo. A phone picture and an AI passport photo maker can produce a compliant image in minutes — if you know the rules. This guide covers the exact sizes, the requirements that actually cause rejections, and the workflow we use.
Passport photo sizes by country
- United States: 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm), head height 1–1 3/8 in from chin to crown, plain white or off-white background.
- United Kingdom: 35 x 45 mm, face 29–34 mm, light grey or cream background preferred.
- Schengen / most of EU: 35 x 45 mm, face 32–36 mm, neutral expression, plain light background.
- India and several Asian forms: 3 x 4 cm (30 x 40 mm) with the face centred.
- Canada: 50 x 70 mm, face 31–36 mm.
Our passport photo maker crops to these presets automatically — pick your document type and it sizes the frame for you.
The rejection reasons nobody warns you about
Wrong size is rare; most refusals come from these:
- Shadows behind the head. Stand an arm’s length from the wall and face a window. A shadow on the backdrop = automatic reject in most countries.
- Recycled or altered selfies with filters. Smoothed skin, beautify filters and HDR are treated as alterations. A clean, natural photo passes; a filtered one does not.
- Mouth not neutral. Closed mouth, no smile, eyes open and level with the camera.
- Glasses. The US and UK reject all everyday eyewear in passport photos. If you wear them daily, bring a note; otherwise remove them.
- Hair over the eyes or covering the face outline. Tuck it so the full oval of the face is visible.
Workflow: from selfie to accepted photo
- Take the source photo. Someone else holds the phone at eye level, 1.2–1.5 m away, even daylight, plain wall behind you. Crop later — do not crop now.
- Upload it to the AI passport photo maker. Choose the country preset (US 2×2, UK/Schengen 35×45, India 3×4).
- Let AI fix the backdrop. The tool replaces the background with compliant white or light grey and recentres the head to the required proportion.
- Review the free preview. Check the chin-to-crown measurement guidance shown on the preview. Preview before you pay, so nothing is wasted on a version you would not use.
- Download and print at the right scale. Print at 100% / “actual size” with scaling turned off in the print dialog. Matte photo paper, no borders.
Digital submissions: the bigger trap
Many embassies now take a digital upload instead of paper. A scanned print almost never passes — scan quality, moiré and print dots are detected. Generate a fresh digital file from the original photo, keep the file under the stated size (often 240 KB–10 MB), and save the JPEG at maximum quality.
Passport photo vs visa, ID and application photo
Same headshot workflow, different frame: visa photos often match passport specs, national ID cards usually use 35 x 45 mm, and job application headshots are more forgiving — a professional background works there, see our AI headshot generator or the selfie-to-headshot guide. For LinkedIn specifically we wrote a separate LinkedIn profile photo guide.
FAQ
Can I take the photo myself? Selfies usually fail: arm visible, face angle off, lens distortion. Ask anyone to shoot it, or use a timer.
What should I wear? Solid colours that contrast with the background. No uniforms or camouflage.
How old can the photo be? Under 6 months for most documents. If your appearance changed — hair, weight, facial hair — retake it.
Does the AI change my face? No. It crops, recentres and cleans the background only. The facial likeness stays yours, which is exactly what document rules require.
Ready? Open the passport photo maker, pick your country, and check the free preview against the checklist above.