What to Wear for Your Passport Photo (and What to Skip)

Wear normal clothes you would wear on any day, in a solid color that is darker or brighter than the white background. A navy sweater, a charcoal T-shirt or a deep green blouse all work well.

Skip white and cream tops, uniforms, camouflage, hats, glasses and earbuds. Keep jewelry small and your hair off your face. That covers almost every clothing problem that gets passport photos rejected.

The sections below go through each rule, with the reasons behind them. For every other photo rule, see passport photo requirements.

The U.S. Department of State dress rules are short. Here is everything they cover:

• Wear normal, everyday clothes.
• No uniforms, clothing that looks like a uniform, or camouflage.
• No hats or head coverings, unless worn daily for religious or medical reasons with a signed statement.
• No headphones or wireless hands-free devices.
• No glasses, except with a signed medical statement.
• Jewelry and facial piercings are fine if they do not hide your face.

Everything else, like color, neckline and style, is up to you. Some choices still make a photo much more likely to pass, which is what the rest of this guide is about.

The background must be plain white or off-white, so the best colors are the ones that contrast with it. Pick something solid that also flatters your skin tone.

White is not banned, but a white top can blend into the background and make your shoulders disappear. If white is all you have, add a darker jacket or cardigan.

Any neckline works, as long as your clothes are visible in the frame. Only your head and the top of your shoulders show, so the neckline matters more than the rest of the outfit.

• Crew necks, V-necks, collared shirts and blouses all photograph well.
• Strapless tops and very thin straps can make it look like you are not wearing anything. Choose sleeves or wider straps.
• Turtlenecks and high collars are fine if they do not cover your chin or jaw.
• A scarf draped on the shoulders is fine, but it cannot cover your chin, and it cannot cover your head unless worn daily for religious or medical reasons.
• Hoodies are fine with the hood down.

Uniforms are not allowed in regular US passport photos. That includes military, police and work uniforms, and any clothing that looks like a uniform.

Active-duty service members applying for a regular passport book or card follow the same rule, so wear civilian clothes. Camouflage clothing of any kind is also out. We would also skip medical scrubs and other work outfits that could read as a uniform, since a plain everyday top removes any doubt.

Hats, caps and beanies worn for style are not allowed. Religious and medical head coverings are allowed if you wear them daily, with a signed statement:

• Religious: a signed statement that the covering is religious attire you wear daily in public.
• Medical: a signed statement from a medical professional that you wear it daily for medical purposes.

The covering must not hide your face or cast shadows on it, and under the Foreign Affairs Manual it must be one uniform color with no pattern and no visible perforations. Hijabs, turbans, yarmulkes and similar coverings are accepted under these conditions.

You can wear jewelry and piercings in a passport photo as long as your face stays visible.

• Small earrings and necklaces are no problem.
• Large statement pieces can catch the light or cover your jawline, so keep it simple.
• Facial piercings are allowed if they do not hide your face. If you usually wear them, wear them.
• Tattoos, including facial tattoos, are part of how you look and can show.

If you later add or remove large facial piercings or tattoos, that can count as a major change in appearance, and the State Department may ask you to apply for a new passport.

There is no rule on hairstyle, as long as your full face is visible. Wear your hair the way you normally do.

• Up or down both work. Keep hair off your eyes and away from casting shadows on your face.
• Your ears do not have to show in a US passport photo.
• Skip large clips, bows or hair accessories that could look like a head covering.
• Tall or full hairstyles count toward head height, which is measured to the top of your hair, so leave space above your head in the frame.
• A big change in hair since your last passport is fine. The new photo just has to look like you now.

Everyday makeup is fine. The photo should look like you on a normal day, not a special occasion.

• Matte foundation or powder cuts shine on the forehead and nose.
• Skip heavy glitter or shimmer, which reflects light.
• We recommend clear contact lenses or none, rather than colored lenses that change your eye color.
• Do not plan on retouching. The State Department does not accept photos changed with software, apps, filters or artificial intelligence, so blemishes stay as they are.

PhotoForPass fixes the lighting, replaces the background with plain white and crops the photo to the official size, keeping your face exactly as it is.

Facial hair is allowed. Wear it the way you normally do.

If you usually have a beard and shave it off just for the photo, you may not look like your passport photo when you travel, and the reverse is also true. Head height is measured to your chin, not to the bottom of the beard. If you later change your look a lot, a new photo with your next renewal will keep things simple at the border.

Take off anything on your face or ears before the photo.

• Glasses: banned in US passport photos since November 1, 2016, except with a signed medical statement. See glasses in passport photos.
• Headphones, earbuds and wireless devices: not allowed.
• Face masks and scarves over the face: remove them. Your full face must be visible.
• Sunglasses on your head: take them off completely.

For your expression, see can you smile in a passport photo.

Dress children in a solid colored top that is not white, especially babies photographed on a white sheet. A white onesie on a white sheet can make the baby look like a floating head.

Skip hats, hoods and large bows or headbands, collars that cover the chin, and busy character prints. Newborns can be photographed lying down in a car seat covered with a white blanket. See baby passport photo for more tips.

Run through this list before you take the photo or head to the store.

• Everyday clothes, not a uniform or camouflage.
• A solid, mid or dark color, not white or cream.
• A visible neckline or sleeves, nothing that covers your chin.
• No hat, unless worn daily for religious or medical reasons with a signed statement.
• Glasses, headphones and earbuds off.
• Simple jewelry that does not hide your face.
• Hair off your eyes, no large hair accessories.
• Everyday makeup, no heavy shimmer.

Ready? Follow our passport photo at home guide, then check the result with the free photo checker.