US Passport Photo Size — 2 x 2 Inches
The US is one of the few countries that still uses a square photo. Two inches by two inches, 51 mm each way, and the head has to fill between 1 inch and 1⅜ inches of it — roughly half the frame. Almost every rejected application gets rejected on that head measurement rather than on the crop.
The same photo works for a US visa application. Drop a normal photograph into the tool below and it crops to the square, scales the head into the allowed band and prints the measurements it achieved, so you can check the rule is met instead of hoping.
The measurements
- Photo size
- 51 × 51 mm
- Head height
- 25–35 mm
- Background
- Plain white or off-white
- Resolution
- 300 DPI · 602 x 602 px
- Eye line from bottom
- 28–35 mm
Source: U.S. Department of State, travel.state.gov photo requirements
2×2 inches. Taken within the last 6 months. No glasses.
Make your 2x2 photo now
Upload your photoFace the camera, plain background, good light. JPG or PNG.
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How to get a 2x2 US passport photo
- Take a photo facing the camera squarely, in even light, against a plain light wall.
- Upload it below. "United States — Passport" is already selected.
- The crop is applied and the head is scaled into the 25-35 mm band the rule allows.
- Download the single photo for an online application, or the 4x6 print sheet to take to a pharmacy or print shop.
Rules a crop cannot fix
- Taken within the last six months, and it must look like you do now.
- Neutral expression or a natural smile, both eyes open, mouth closed.
- No glasses. The State Department stopped accepting them in 2016, with a medical exemption that needs a signed note.
- No hats or head coverings unless worn daily for religious reasons — then the face must still be fully visible from chin to forehead.
- No uniforms, and no camouflage-patterned clothing.
- Plain white or off-white background with no shadow falling on it.
US passport photo questions
At the required 300 DPI, 2x2 inches is 600x600 pixels. The tool outputs exactly that, so the file is print-ready as well as valid for the online form.
Yes. The Department of State applies the same 2x2 inch specification with the same head-height band to visa applications, so one photo covers both.
Between 1 inch and 1⅜ inches — 25 mm to 35 mm — measured from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head, hair included. The tool reports the height it produced so you can verify it.
No. Glasses have not been accepted in US passport photos since November 2016. The only exception is medical, and it requires a signed statement from a doctor.
White or off-white, plain, with no pattern and no shadow. A white wall in even light is fine; a wall with a visible shadow behind your head is the common failure.
Yes, on photo paper. Download the 4x6 sheet, print it at actual size with no scaling, and cut along the guides. Most drugstores will also print a 4x6 for under a dollar.