United States (passport & visa) photo: size and requirements

Requirements at a glance

Photo size	51 × 51 mm (2 × 2 in)
Pixels at 300 dpi	600 × 600 px
Head size	25–35 mm (1–1⅜ in), chin to top of hair
Background	White or off-white, plain
Digital upload	Square, 600×600 to 1200×1200 px, JPEG (online renewal / DS-160 visa)
Glasses	Not allowed (except rare documented medical cases)
Recency	Taken in the last 6 months

Official source: travel.state.gov. Rules change — always confirm on the official page before you submit.

Things people get wrong

• Since November 2016 glasses are not allowed in US passport photos.
• The same 2 × 2 in format is used for US visas (DS-160); the online form wants a square JPEG between 600 × 600 and 1200 × 1200 px.
• For printed photos use matte or glossy photo-quality paper; do not print on plain paper at home.
• Babies: eyes should be open; a parent’s hand must not be visible.

Make one from a photo you take at home

1. Stand about 1–1.5 m from a plain wall, facing a window so light falls evenly on your face.
2. Have someone else take the photo at eye level (selfies distort the face and are often rejected).
3. Upload it to the StageZap studio, choose the ID photo tab, this size and background.
4. Check the result against the table above, then print at 300 dpi or upload the digital file.

StageZap retouches your own photo (background, framing, lighting). It does not change your face, and we cannot guarantee acceptance by any government or embassy.

Other sizes

Compare every country in our free passport photo size lookup, or read how to take a passport photo at home and common rejection reasons.