U.S. Passport Card Photo Requirements and Maker

The State Department does not publish a separate passport card photo spec. Its forms and the Foreign Affairs Manual (8 FAM 402.1) treat card and book photos the same way, and the manual applies its clothing rules to 'regular passport books and passport cards' together.

So every rule you may know for a passport photo applies here. The image printed on the card is much smaller than 2 x 2 inches, but you still submit a full 2 x 2 inch photo, and the State Department handles the resizing.

The card and the book share a photo, but they do different jobs. Knowing the difference helps you decide whether to order one or both on the same application.

The passport card is a wallet-sized ID for land and sea crossings to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. It cannot be used for international flights. The passport book works for all international travel, including by air. Many people carry the card as everyday federal ID; TSA accepts it at airport security for domestic flights. If you were planning a REAL ID only for flying, our REAL ID photo guide explains how that photo works instead.

Passport card photos get rejected for the same reasons as book photos, plus one that is unique to the card: people assume a small card needs a small photo.

• Printing the wrong size. A 1 inch or wallet-size print will not work. Submit a full 2 x 2 inch photo.
• Reusing an ID photo. A copy of your driver's license or old passport photo is too old, too small and too low quality.
• Work uniform or camouflage. 8 FAM 402.1 bans uniforms, clothing that looks like a uniform and camouflage on cards and books.
• Glasses. Remove them unless you have a medical statement from your doctor.
• Shadows and uneven light. A ceiling lamp creates dark eye sockets; a side lamp creates a shadow on the wall.
• Head too small. Arm's length selfies often leave the head under 1 inch after cropping.
• Filters and beauty modes. Any retouching, including skin smoothing, is not allowed.

Want to test your own photo first? The passport photo checker runs these checks in your browser without uploading anything.

Most passport card applications need a print. First-time applicants use Form DS-11 in person and adults renewing by mail use Form DS-82; both take one printed 2 x 2 inch photo, stapled in the photo box on the form.

If you are eligible to renew online, you can renew a card that way and upload a digital file instead. The online renewal system lists JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC and HEIF files from 54 KB to 10 MB. Our online renewal photo guide covers the upload in detail.

Not sure which route you will take? The Photo + print sheet package gives you both the digital JPG and a 4x6 sheet that fits six 2 x 2 photos borderless, or two with cut guides.

PhotoForPass builds your passport card photo to the same U.S. rules as a book photo and checks it before you pay.

1. Check in your browser. Face size, centering, tilt, open eyes, closed mouth, lighting, shadows, blur and background are checked on your device. Nothing is uploaded until you pay.
2. Fix and format. After payment, our editing tool crops to 2 x 2 inches, sets the head height and eye line inside the official ranges and replaces the background with plain white. Your face is never retouched.
3. Download. The file is ready in 30 to 60 seconds. Choose the Digital photo for $16.95, or Photo + print sheet for $18.95 if you need prints for DS-11 or DS-82.

You get up to 5 photo checks and 3 free redos per person, a 14-day money-back guarantee with no questions asked, and a full refund if the agency rejects the photo. PhotoForPass is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of State, and final acceptance is up to the agency.