How to take an ID photo at home

Set up the room and camera

You need a plain light wall, soft light in front of you, and a camera at eye level about 4 feet away. Your head will look small in the camera at that distance — that is expected. Do not move the camera closer, because close-ups distort your face; instead, zoom in afterward (our photo tool’s line-up step) or use your phone’s 2× lens. The official rules for your application decide the final size and crop.

What you need

• A plain white or off-white wall, door, or a white sheet hung smoothly behind you.
• Daylight from a window or a soft lamp in front of you. Avoid one bright overhead light.
• A phone or camera on a tripod, shelf, or stack of books — or a helper to hold it.
• A clean camera lens. Wipe it with a soft cloth.
• A way to zoom without moving closer: the zoom in our photo tool’s line-up step, or your phone’s 2× lens (not pinch-to-zoom).
• Everyday clothing that contrasts with the background — not white, not a uniform, not camouflage.

Take the photo step by step

1. 1

   Confirm the rules for your application

   Find out whether you need a printed photo or a digital upload, the size and file rules, and whether glasses or head coverings are allowed. U.S. passports and visas no longer allow eyeglasses.

2. 2

   Prepare yourself

   Remove glasses, hats, earbuds, and headphones. Move hair away from your eyes and face. Jewelry and facial piercings are allowed if they do not hide your face.

3. 3

   Stand in position

   Stand 2 to 3 feet in front of the wall so your shadow falls on the floor, not behind your head. Face the camera squarely with your shoulders level. Do not move closer to the camera to make your head look bigger: up close, the lens distorts your face. Stay about 4 feet back and use zoom instead — the zoom in our photo tool’s line-up step, or your phone’s 2× lens.

4. 4

   Place the camera

   Put the camera at eye level, about 4 feet away, and use the rear camera if a helper is taking the photo. Use the normal Photo mode — not Portrait, Beauty, or wide-angle — and no flash. If your phone has a 2× lens, you can use it to fill more of the frame; avoid pinch-to-zoom, which only enlarges pixels. It is fine if your head looks small at this distance: you will zoom in when you line up the photo.

5. 5

   Check the light

   Face the light. Both sides of your face should be equally bright with no shadow under the nose, chin, or eyes, and no glare on your skin.

6. 6

   Take several photos

   Use a timer or helper. Look straight into the lens, keep your head upright, eyes open, and mouth closed. A natural smile is fine; avoid big smiles and exaggerated expressions. Take five or more shots. You can use our photo tool’s camera, or take the photos with your phone’s own camera app (usually sharper) and open the best one in the tool to line it up and print it.

7. 7

   Choose and check the best one

   Zoom in on each photo and pick the sharpest one with even light and a clean background. Retake rather than editing — filters, retouching, background removal, and AI edits are not allowed.

8. 8

   Size it correctly

   For a printed passport or visa photo, crop to a square so your head measures 50%–69% of the height, then print at 2 × 2 inches. In our photo tool, use the zoom control in the line-up step until your chin is on the chin line and the top of your head is in the green band. For an online passport renewal, upload the original and use the application’s own crop step.

Do and don’t examples

Each pair changes only one thing. These are illustrations, not official acceptance samples — the State Department’s photo page has official examples. travel.state.gov ↗

• Background

  Fix: Use a plain light wall or a smooth white sheet. Do not cut out or replace the background digitally.

• Shadow on the wall

  Fix: Step 2 to 3 feet away from the wall and put the light in front of you.

• Shadows on the face

  Fix: Face the window or lamp directly. Turn off light coming from one side or straight overhead.

• Too dark or too bright

  Fix: Add soft light in front of you. If the photo looks washed out, move away from direct sun.

• Too close

  Fix: Move the camera back to about 4 feet, then use zoom in the line-up step to size your head. Close-up selfies distort your face.

• Too far

  Fix: Do not move the camera closer than about 4 feet. Instead, use the zoom in our photo tool’s line-up step (or your phone’s 2× lens) so your head fills the correct range.

• Head tilted

  Fix: Keep your head straight and shoulders level. Look straight into the lens.

• Head turned

  Fix: Turn your whole body and face toward the camera.

• Expression

  Fix: Keep your mouth closed. A natural smile is allowed; exaggerated expressions are not.

• Eyes closed

  Fix: Keep both eyes fully open. Take several shots to avoid a blink. (Babies are an exception.)

• Glasses

  Fix: Remove all eyeglasses for U.S. passport and visa photos. A medical exception needs a signed doctor’s statement.

• Hats and head coverings

  Fix: Remove hats. A religious or medical head covering is allowed with a signed statement; your full face must be visible, with no shadows.

• Headphones

  Fix: Remove headphones, earbuds, and wireless hands-free devices.

• Hair over the eyes

  Fix: Pull hair back so both eyes and the outline of your face are visible.

• Clothing

  Fix: Wear ordinary clothing. Uniforms, clothing that looks like a uniform, and camouflage are not allowed.

• Filters and edits

  Fix: Turn off beauty modes and filters. Do not retouch or edit — agencies check for alteration.

• Blurry photo

  Fix: Steady the camera, use the timer, tap your face to focus, and use good light.

• Red-eye

  Fix: Turn off the flash and use daylight or a lamp instead.

Babies, glasses, head coverings, and other special cases

• State Department passport photo rules ↗
• State Department visa photo rules ↗

Printing a 2 × 2-inch photo

U.S. passport and visa interview photos must be exactly 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm), with your head measuring 1 to 1⅜ inches (25–35 mm) from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head.

How many prints? A passport application needs one photo. An immigrant visa (DS-260) or Diversity Visa interview needs two identical photos.

Digital photo uploads

Online applications have their own file rules. Use the original photo from your camera unless the rules below say otherwise.

• Uploading a digital photo for online passport renewal ↗
• Digital visa photo requirements ↗

Final check before you use it

• Taken within the last 6 months and looks like you do today.
• In color, sharp, and not filtered, retouched, or edited.
• Plain white or off-white background with no shadows, texture, or objects.
• Even lighting with no shadows or glare on the face and no red-eye.
• Facing the camera, head upright, both eyes open, mouth closed.
• No glasses, hat, headphones, uniform, or camouflage (unless an allowed exception applies, with the required statement).
• Correct size: 2 × 2-inch print with a 1 to 1⅜-inch head, or the digital file rules for your application.