Can I take my own passport photo at home?

Yes. Most countries accept a photo you take yourself, as long as it meets their rules for background, lighting, size and expression. You just need a plain wall, good daylight and the correct crop.

Will a home-made passport photo be accepted?

Yes, provided it follows the official requirements: a plain light background, a neutral expression, even lighting, a recent photo and the correct size. Rejections almost always come from shadows, a busy background or the wrong size, all of which are easy to avoid.

What size should a passport photo be?

It depends on the country. The United States uses 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm); the UK, the EU, Australia and many others use 35 x 45 mm; Canada uses 50 x 70 mm. Always check your government's official requirement, then crop to that size.

What background colour should I use?

A plain, light background, usually white or off-white. Stand away from the wall so you do not cast a shadow on it, and make sure nothing else is in the frame.

Can I smile in a passport photo?

A neutral expression with your mouth closed is always accepted. Some countries allow a natural smile, but if you are unsure, keep it neutral to be safe.

Can I wear glasses in a passport photo?

Most authorities now recommend removing glasses, because glare and frames often obscure the eyes and cause rejections. If you must wear them for medical reasons, make sure your eyes are fully visible with no reflection.

Do I need to print it, or can I upload it?

Many passport and visa applications are online and accept the digital file directly. If you need prints, you can fit several copies on one 4 x 6 photo and print it cheaply at a kiosk or at home.

How to Make a Passport Photo at Home (Free, No Studio)

October 29, 20264 min read

Passport Photo Maker — free & instant

Crop your photo to the exact passport or visa size in your browser — free, private, no uploads.

Make a passport photo now

A passport photo should be the easiest part of any application, yet a quick trip to a shop or pharmacy costs real money for two small prints, and half the time one comes back rejected anyway. The good news: as long as you follow a few rules, you can take and size a perfectly valid passport or visa photo at home for free, using nothing but your phone and a plain wall. This guide walks through exactly how.

A person's compliant passport photo on a plain white background next to a phone taking the shot A valid passport photo needs a plain background, even light and the right size.

You can crop and size the finished photo with our passport photo maker right in your browser, so the picture of your face is never uploaded anywhere.

What makes a passport photo valid

Most countries agree on the basics, even when the exact size differs:

A plain, light background, usually white or off-white, with no shadows behind you.
Your full face, centred and facing the camera, with a neutral expression and both eyes open.
Even lighting, so there are no harsh shadows across your face or behind your head.
A recent photo, taken within the last six months, so it still looks like you.
The correct size and head proportions for the country you are applying to.

Get those right and the rest is just cropping.

Common passport photo sizes

Size is where countries differ, so always check the official requirement for yours. The most common are:

United States: 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm), with the head roughly 1 to 1 3/8 inches tall.
United Kingdom, the Schengen and EU countries, Australia and many others: 35 x 45 mm.
Canada: 50 x 70 mm.

If you are unsure, your government's passport or visa website lists the exact size and head height. Our tool lets you crop to these common sizes directly.

Step 1: Take the photo

You do not need a camera, a modern phone is fine.

Stand about an arm's length from a plain, light-coloured wall with nothing on it.
Face a window so soft daylight falls evenly on your face. Avoid direct sun and overhead lights, which cast shadows.
Have someone take the photo at eye level, straight on, from a step or two back. This avoids the distortion a close-up selfie creates.
Keep a neutral expression with your mouth closed and both eyes open. Some countries allow a natural smile, but neutral is always accepted.
Tie long hair back from your face, and remove hats and, where possible, glasses, since glare and frames are common reasons for rejection.

Step 2: Crop it to the right size

This is the part people get wrong, and it is the easiest to fix. Open our passport photo maker, load your picture, and crop it to your country's size with your face positioned correctly in the frame. The tool handles the exact dimensions, so you do not have to measure anything by hand.

Cropping a photo to the correct passport size in a browser tool Crop to the exact passport or visa size in the browser, with nothing uploaded.

Step 3: Print or upload it

Many applications are now online and simply want the digital file, in which case you are finished. If you need prints, you can place several copies on a single 4 x 6 inch photo and print it at any photo kiosk or at home, for a fraction of the cost of a studio sitting.

Common mistakes that get photos rejected

Shadows on the wall behind you, or across one side of your face.
A background that is not plain, or is too dark.
Smiling broadly, or squinting and half-closed eyes.
The wrong size, or a head that is too big or too small in the frame.
An old photo that no longer resembles you.
Glare on glasses, which is why most authorities now recommend removing them.

No plain wall? Replace the background

If you cannot find a plain, light wall, you do not have to give up. Take the photo against whatever you have, then use our background remover to cut yourself out and drop a clean white background behind you before you crop to size. It gives you the plain backdrop the rules ask for, without rearranging your house.

Do it without uploading your photo

Your passport photo is a picture of your face attached to an official document, so privacy matters. Our passport photo maker runs entirely in your browser, which means the image never leaves your device. There is no account, no watermark and no upload.

The short version

Plain wall, soft daylight, neutral face, phone at eye level, then crop to your country's size and you have a valid passport photo for free. Check your government's official size requirement before you submit, and you will not have to visit a shop again.