How to Take a Passport Photo at Home With Your Phone

Yes. US rules do not require a professional photographer. A passport photo taken at home is accepted if it meets every U.S. Department of State rule for size, background, lighting, expression and quality.

For online renewal, the State Department says to have someone else take your photo. That is good advice for any passport photo: an arm's-length selfie distorts your face and makes the head size hard to get right. A helper, or a phone on a tripod with the timer, solves both problems.

A few countries are stricter. Canada requires a commercial photographer, and Australia's Passport Office advises against apps and online services. Check the Canada and Australia pages before you start if you are applying there. For every US rule in one place, see passport photo requirements.

You probably have everything already. Gather these before you start so the shoot takes about 10 minutes.

• A phone with a decent camera. Any recent iPhone or Android phone works.
• A plain white or off-white wall, a door, or a white poster board.
• A window with daylight, or two matching lamps.
• A helper, or a tripod, shelf or stack of books plus the camera timer.
• Everyday clothes in a color that is not white.
• A comb or brush, and a few minutes with your glasses off so the marks on your nose fade.

Your background must be plain white or off-white, with no texture, objects or shadows. A smooth white wall is the easiest choice.

No white wall?

Tape a white poster board (22 x 28 inches is plenty) to a wall or door at head height, or hang a white sheet and pull it tight so there are no wrinkles. Remove anything that would show in the frame: picture frames, light switches, door handles, plants.

Stand away from the wall

Stand 2 to 3 feet in front of the background. Standing right against it creates a shadow behind your head and shoulders. Stepping forward lets the shadow fall out of the frame and keeps the wall evenly lit.

A clean, light background gives the best result. PhotoForPass replaces the background with plain white, but an even starting point keeps the edges of your hair and shoulders crisp.

Soft, even light on your face is the single most important part of a good home passport photo. Daylight from a window is the best light you have.

• Face the window. Stand so the window is in front of you, behind the person holding the phone. Light should fall evenly on both sides of your face.
• Avoid direct sun. Harsh sun makes hard shadows and squinting. An overcast day, or a window that does not get direct sun, is ideal. Sheer curtains soften strong light.
• Flash off. A phone flash causes glare, shiny skin, red-eye and a dark shadow behind your head.
• Turn off mixed lights. A yellow ceiling bulb mixed with daylight gives your skin and the wall an orange or blue cast.
• Fill shadows. If one side of your face is darker, hold a white poster board or foam board just out of frame on that side to bounce light back.
• At night: place two lamps with the same bulb color at head height, one on each side, slightly in front of you.

Set the phone about 4 to 5 feet (1.2 to 1.5 meters) from your face, with the lens level with your eyes. That distance keeps your features in natural proportion and leaves room to crop the photo to the right head size.

Do not fill the frame with your face. In the final 2 x 2 inch photo your head must be 50% to 69% of the height, and the crop happens afterward, so frame your head and shoulders with some space above your hair.

Any recent iPhone can take a passport photo that meets the rules. Use these settings in the built-in Camera app.

1. Open Camera and choose Photo mode, not Portrait. Portrait mode blurs the background and the edges of your hair.
2. Choose 1x, or 2x or 3x if your model has a telephoto lens, and step back to keep the framing.
3. Turn the flash off.
4. Turn on the grid in Settings > Camera > Grid to keep the phone level and your head centered.
5. Touch and hold your face on the screen until AE/AF Lock appears, so focus and brightness stay put.
6. If you are alone, set the 3 or 10 second timer from the camera controls.
7. Do not apply filters or a Photographic Style that changes your skin tone.

iPhones save photos as HEIC by default. HEIC is accepted for online passport renewal, along with JPG and PNG, and any format works if the photo will be sized and printed.

Android camera apps differ by brand, but the settings to check are the same on Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel and other phones.

• Use Photo mode. Turn off Portrait, Live focus or any background blur.
• Turn off beauty, face retouching or auto enhance options. Many phones can smooth skin automatically, which counts as changing your face.
• Set the flash to off.
• Turn on grid lines in the camera settings.
• Use the main lens at 1x, or an optical telephoto lens if you have one. Avoid digital zoom.
• Tap your face to focus. Many phones let you hold to lock focus and exposure.
• If you are alone, use the timer, a voice shutter or a palm gesture.

If your phone saves photos in a high-efficiency format (HEIF), that is accepted for online renewal too.

An arm's-length selfie is the home mistake to avoid most. At 1 to 2 feet, the lens makes your nose look bigger and your face narrower, your head often tilts, and an arm shows in the frame.

With a helper

Have your helper stand 4 to 5 feet away, hold the phone at your eye level with both hands, and take a burst of 10 or more photos. Ask them to keep the top of your head and your shoulders in the frame.

On your own

Prop the phone on a tripod, a shelf or a stack of books at eye level, 4 to 5 feet away. Use the rear camera for the best quality, mark your standing spot on the floor, and set the timer. Take several rounds and check them. If you use the front camera so you can see yourself, keep the same distance.

Stand or sit up straight, square your shoulders to the camera and look straight into the lens.

• Keep your head level, with your chin neither raised nor tucked.
• Keep both eyes open. Blink right before the shot, not during it.
• Use a neutral face or a soft, natural smile with your mouth closed. See can you smile in a passport photo.
• Move hair off your eyes and face. Take off glasses, hats, headphones and earbuds.
• Let your arms hang naturally. No hands in the frame.

Take more photos than you think you need. It is normal to get a few with closed eyes or a turned head. For clothing tips, see what to wear for a passport photo.

Home is often the easiest place to photograph a baby, because you can wait for a calm moment. The same size and background rules apply.

Lay your baby on their back on a plain white sheet and shoot from directly above, or use a car seat covered with a white or off-white blanket. No hands or toys can show in the frame. Newborns and infants may have their eyes partly or fully closed. For toddlers, have one adult hold their attention just behind the camera. See the full baby passport photo guide.

Pick the sharpest shot with even light and open eyes. It then needs to become an exact 2 x 2 inch photo with the head in the official range.

• Check it: the free photo checker tests your photo in your browser before you pay.
• Prepare it: PhotoForPass fixes the lighting, replaces the background with plain white, sizes and crops the photo to the official rules, and checks it against the requirements, keeping your face exactly as it is. Files are ready about 30 to 60 seconds after payment.
• Get the format you need: a digital photo is $16.95, ready for online renewal. Photo + print sheet is $18.95 and includes a 4 x 6 sheet you can print for well under $1 at CVS, Walgreens or Walmart. See how to print passport photos.

Every order includes up to 5 photo checks and 3 free redos per person, plus a 14-day money-back guarantee. Final acceptance is up to the issuing agency.

Most home photos that fail have one of these problems. Each one is quick to fix before you take the next shot.