The rules a new photo must meet
A replacement photo is held to the same rules as the first one. These are the numbers and the page they come from.
Source, checked September 28, 2026: Passport Photos, U.S. Department of State.
- The U.S. Department of State sets the printed U.S. passport photo at 2 × 2 in, or 50.8 × 50.8 mm.
- The U.S. Department of State’s passport photo page sets head height at 25.4–34.9 mm (1–1 3/8 in), from chin to top of head.
- A U.S. passport photo needs a white or off-white background.
- Glasses are not allowed in a U.S. passport photo.
- A U.S. passport photo may show a neutral expression or a natural smile with the mouth closed.
- On its Passport Photos page, the U.S. Department of State says: “Do not change your photo using computer software, phone apps or filters, or artificial intelligence”.
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Why photos get rejected
“Unacceptable photos are the number one reason why we put passport applications on hold.”
The State Department doesn’t publish how often each rule is broken, and neither do we. What its passport photo page does publish is the list of rules and a set of refused examples. Each row below is one of them, in the page’s own words where it gives a reason for rejection.
| Rule | What the page says |
|---|---|
| Head size and distance | “Photos that are taken too close or too far away will be rejected.” The head must measure 25.4–34.9 mm (1–1 3/8 in) from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head. |
| Sharpness and paper | “Your passport photo will be rejected if it is too blurry, grainy, pixelated or printed on the wrong paper.” It asks for matte or glossy photo-quality paper. |
| Light and shadows | Uniform light on the face, accurate skin tones, no shadows on the face or the background, and a photo that is neither too dark nor too bright. |
| Background | Plain white or off-white, with no shadows, texture, objects or lines. |
| Glasses and head coverings | Glasses off, and not resting on the head. Hats and head coverings off unless worn for religious or medical reasons, with a signed statement. |
| Pose and expression | Facing the camera with the head straight, eyes open, mouth closed. A smile is fine if the mouth stays closed. |
| Edits | No software, apps, filters or AI. Its refused examples include a retouched background, a stretched image, red eye covered by an editing tool and a photo made with an AI tool. |
| Age of the photo | Taken in the last 6 months. |
If the head size or framing is the problem, the passport photo measurement examples show the head range and the print edge separately. Check both on the replacement photo; fixing one measurement does not check the other rules.
Can I change the background of my passport photo? and Can you use AI for a passport photo? cover the two edit rules in full.
What happens after a rejection
The State Department contacts you by letter, email or phone when it needs more information to finish your application, a new photo included. Its page Respond to a Letter or Email sets out what to expect.
“You must respond to the letter or email within 90 days so we continue processing your application.”
- The date that counts is the one on your letter. The page asks for the information within 90 days of that date.
- The online status for your application changes to Additional Information Needed on the day the letter or email is sent, and to Information Received, In Process Again once your reply arrives.
- For a photo, the page’s advice is to review the photo requirements and make sure the new photo meets them before you send it.
- The page also says your application may be delayed until you respond.
Sending a new photo
Your letter is the instruction. These steps are what the State Department’s page says about answering one.
- Step 1
Read what the letter asks for
The main section of the letter explains what to send. The page says a letter may include an illustration of the requirement, such as the size of a passport photo, and a QR code that leads to instructions on travel.state.gov.
- Step 2
Take a new photo that meets every rule
Don’t send the same photo again, and don’t edit the old one. How to take a passport photo at home covers the wall, the light and the camera, and How to print passport photos on a 4 × 6 sheet covers the print.
- Step 3
Send it the way the letter says
A letter gives a return address in Sterling, Virginia, and the page asks you to send the information to that address exactly as it is listed. It also says not to send anything to the agency’s physical address. It lists USPS, FedEx and UPS as ways to send it, and the letter or email tells you whether you can answer by email instead.
- Step 4
Call if the letter isn’t clear
The letter carries your application number and a phone number for questions about how to respond. Have the number ready when you call.
Online renewal rejections
“An employee will review your photo after we receive your application. If there’s an issue, we will send you a letter or email asking you to send us a new photo.”
Before that review, the application’s own photo tool checks the file when you upload it and tells you what to change. Passing it doesn’t mean the photo has been accepted. The file has to be a JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC or HEIF of 54 KB to 10 MB, taken in the last 6 months, and it can’t be a photo of a printed photo or a scan. U.S. passport renewal online: photo requirements has every rule for the file.
Rejected twice
Each letter explains the information the State Department needs, so the second one is the place to start. Check the new photo against the whole list above, including the rules the first letter didn’t mention. We suggest looking hardest at three that are difficult to judge by eye on a phone screen: the head size, a faint shadow on the wall and a slight tilt of the head.
The head is the hardest of the three to measure at home. On a 2 × 2 in print it has to measure 25.4–34.9 mm (1–1 3/8 in) from the chin to the top of the head. If you can’t measure it, a photo business or an acceptance facility can take the photo for you; the State Department lists both, along with a friend or family member, as places to get it taken.
If we made the photo
If a passport, visa or ID office rejects a photo we made, we refund 100% of the order or make a new photo free. Send us the rejection notice within 60 days of receiving it, and within 6 months of your order. See the full refund terms. To claim, open the support form, choose “My passport or ID photo was rejected”, and reply to our confirmation email with a photo or screenshot of the letter, the email or the message in the online form.
Our U.S. passport photo measures your head against the rule and checks the light, the background and the tiltbefore you pay, and asks you to confirm your glasses are off, so you can see what would fail before you send it. The check is free.