US Passport Photo (2×2 in)
Crop your photo to the exact 2 × 2 inch size the State Department requires, with guides for head height and eye position.
Drop a photo here
or click to browse — a straight-on head-and-shoulders shot works best
Your photo is processed on your device and never uploaded.
US passport photo rules. 2 × 2 in (51 × 51 mm). Head from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head must be 1 to 1⅜ in (25–35 mm) — 50% to 69% of the image height. Eyes must sit 1⅛ to 1⅜ in from the bottom, which is 56% to 69% of the height. Background: plain white or off-white, no shadows. Photo must be taken within the last 6 months.
- One colour photo, square, in JPEG.
- Glasses are not allowed in US passport photos.
- Neutral expression or a natural smile, both eyes open.
- Head coverings only for religious or medical reasons, with a signed statement.
This tool crops and sizes your photo correctly. It cannot judge your expression, lighting or shadows, and it does not guarantee acceptance — check the official rules at U.S. Department of State before you submit.
How it works
- Drop in a straight-on head-and-shoulders photo taken against a plain white wall.
- Drag and zoom until the top of your head and your chin sit inside the blue lines and your eyes fall between the red ones.
- Download the single photo for an online application, or the 6×4 print sheet to have copies printed.
Frequently asked questions
- What size does a US passport photo have to be?
- Exactly 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm) — square. For digital submission the image must be at least 600 × 600 pixels and no more than 1200 × 1200, in JPEG, under 240 KB. This tool outputs 600 × 600 at 300 DPI and steps the JPEG quality down automatically if the file would exceed the 240 KB cap.
- How big does my head need to be in the photo?
- From the bottom of your chin to the top of your head must measure 1 to 1⅜ inches (25–35 mm), which is 50% to 69% of the image height. Your eyes must sit 1⅛ to 1⅜ inches from the bottom edge — 56% to 69% of the height. Those two bands are exactly what the blue and red guides mark, so you can see whether the crop works instead of guessing.
- Can I wear glasses?
- No. Glasses are not permitted in US passport photos, with only narrow medical exceptions requiring a signed doctor’s statement. Take them off before the photo. Head coverings are allowed only for religious or medical reasons, again with a signed statement, and your full face must still be visible.
- Can I take the photo myself with a phone?
- Yes — that is what most people do. Stand about arm’s length away facing a plain white or off-white wall in even, indirect light, with someone else holding the camera at eye level. Avoid direct flash, which causes shadows behind you, and avoid strong side light, which causes shadows on your face. Shadows on the face or background are one of the most common reasons for rejection.
- How do I get it printed?
- Use the 6×4 print sheet button. It tiles copies of your photo onto a standard 6 × 4 inch photo print with faint cutting guides, and any pharmacy or supermarket photo counter will print one for well under a dollar. Cut along the guides and you have several correctly sized photos for the price of one print.
- Does this guarantee my photo will be accepted?
- No, and be wary of any free tool that says it does. This gets the dimensions, head size and file requirements right, which is the part that is objectively measurable. It cannot judge your expression, lighting, shadows or whether the background is plain enough. Check your photo against the State Department’s own examples before submitting.
About this tool
A US passport photo has to be exactly 2 × 2 inches with your head occupying a specific portion of the frame — and the second requirement is the one people get wrong. Cropping a photo to a square is easy; cropping it so that chin-to-crown lands between 50% and 69% of the height, with the eyes between 56% and 69% from the bottom, is not something you can eyeball. This tool draws those bands directly on your photo as you position it.
The output is 600 × 600 pixels at 300 DPI, which is the minimum accepted digital size and prints correctly at 2 × 2 inches. Because the State Department also caps online submissions at 240 KB, the download steps JPEG quality down until the file fits rather than handing you something the upload form will silently reject.
The print sheet is worth using if you need physical copies. Passport photos at a pharmacy counter typically cost around fifteen dollars for two; the sheet tiles copies of your photo onto a standard 6 × 4 inch print with cutting guides, and the same counter will print that as an ordinary photo for well under a dollar. You get more copies for a fraction of the price, and cutting along the guides takes a minute.
Two honest limits. First, this tool sizes and crops — it cannot assess lighting, shadows, expression or background, which is where most rejections actually come from, so photograph yourself against a plain white wall in even indirect light and compare the result against the official examples. Second, glasses are not allowed and the photo must have been taken in the last six months, regardless of whether you look the same. Everything runs in your browser, so your photograph is never uploaded — which matters for an image that is, by definition, government identification.