Guides to getting a passport photo right
Everything here was written by testing it: photos taken, measured, and in some cases submitted. Where a rule comes from an authority, the source is linked.
How to take a baby's passport photo at home
Babies cannot sit, look at a lens or hold an expression. Here are the two methods that work, the hands rule that causes most rejections, and which rules are relaxed.
7 minute read
Digital passport photo sizes and pixel requirements
There is no single digital passport photo size. Portals differ in kind, not just number, and three widely quoted figures are in no official source.
7 minute read
Photos for driving licences and ID cards
Whether a home photo is worth taking depends on who captures the image. The UK reuses your passport photo for a licence. France, Canada and Germany do not.
7 minute read
Head coverings and religious dress in passport photos
A religious head covering is permitted almost everywhere. Every authority requires the full face to be visible, and several want a signed statement with it.
7 minute read
How to take a passport photo at home
Where to stand, which light to use, and the four camera settings that cause most home passport photos to fail. Plus three checks you can run before you shoot.
7 minute read
Passport photo glasses rules by country
Some countries ban glasses outright, others allow them under narrow conditions, and the reliable answer everywhere is to take them off. What each one publishes.
6 minute read
Which passport photo rules are relaxed for young children
Countries relax the expression and eye rules for small children, but not the framing. Here is what each authority actually publishes, and what stays strict.
6 minute read
Passport photo and visa photo: what is different
A passport photo is often not valid for a visa. The UK says so in writing, US visa rules differ on smiling and glasses, and Schengen now wants live capture.
7 minute read
Printing passport photos: at home or in a shop
What a set of passport photos costs at Walgreens, Timpson and Australia Post as of September 2026, and the two countries where printing at home is not allowed.
7 minute read
Smiling and expression rules in passport photos
Neutral means mouth closed, eyes open and no smile. But the rule relaxes for young children, and what four passport authorities publish is not identical.
6 minute read
What to wear in a passport photo
A white top against a white background is the most common clothing mistake in passport photos. What to wear instead, what to avoid, and a ten-second check.
6 minute read
Why your passport photo should never be uploaded
A passport photo is the exact image an identity thief needs. What uploading one to a photo site really risks, and how in-browser processing removes the risk.
6 minute read
Why passport photos get rejected
The reasons passport authorities actually publish, grouped by cause, with what each one looks like in a real photo and the specific change that fixes it.
7 minute read