ID Photos Frequently Asked Questions
How many passport photos
are required to be submitted with the passport application?
Two (2) identical photos must be submitted with the passport application.
How many photographs
are required to be submitted with the visa application?
One (1) photograph of the visa applicant must be submitted with each
visa application (following the instructions in this Photography Guide).
What type of paper are
the photographs to be printed on?
The photos should be printed on thin photo-quality paper.
Do the photos have to
be in color?
Yes, the photos to must be in color.
How recent must the
photos be?
The photos must be no older than 6 months.
How big must the photos
be?
The photos must measure exactly 2 inches by 2 inches.
What pose should the
photos show?
The photo should show a clear, front view, full face of the customer.
The customer should be in normal street attire, without hat or dark
glasses against a plain white or off-white background. The customer
should have a natural expression, mouth closed, and eyes open and
looking directly ahead. Photos in which the face of the person being
photographed is not in focus will not be accepted.
How big should the head
be in the photo?
The customer''s head, measured from the bottom of the chin to the
top of the hair, should be between 1 inch and 1-3/8 inches. The head
should be centered in the photo. The head of the person being photographed
should not be tilted up, down or to the side. It should cover about
50% of the area of the photo.
Can hats or religious
headgear be worn for the photo?
Unless worn daily for religious reasons, all hats or headgear should
be removed for the photo. A signed statement from the applicant must
be submitted with the application verifying the item is worn daily
for religious reasons. In all cases, no item or attire should cover
or otherwise obscure any part of the face.
Can eyeglasses be worn
for the photo?
Eyeglasses worn on a daily basis can be worn for the photo. However,
there should be no reflections from the eyeglasses that obscures the
eyes.
Can sunglasses or tinted
glasses be worn?
Dark glasses or nonprescription glasses with tinted lenses are not
acceptable unless you need them for medical reasons. A medical certificate
may be required.
Can work uniforms be
worn for the photo?
Uniforms, clothing that looks like a uniform, and camouflage attire
should not be worn in photographs except in the case of religious
attire that is worn daily. Otherwise, normal street attire should
be worn.
Can a parent or guardian
appear in the photo of a minor child?
No, the minor child must be the only subject in the photo. Nothing
used to support the minor child, whether by mechanical or human means,
should be in the camera''s frame.
Are photos that are
copied from recent driver licenses or other official documents acceptable?
No, only original photographs are acceptable. Copied or digitally
scanned photos of photos will not be accepted. In addition, photos
must not be retouched to alter the customer''s appearance in any way.
Are snapshots, magazine
photos, or photos from vending machine acceptable?
No, snapshots, magazine photos, most vending machine prints, or full-length
photographs are not acceptable.
May photos be taken
with a digital camera?
If the digital camera has sufficient resolution — capable of
capturing and storing images with 1 million pixels (megapixels) or
more — it can be used to take the photos. However, printing
of digital images is best done by professional photography processing
labs because many off-the-shelf digital printers cannot achieve the
image-quality required for passport and visa photographs. In any case,
the image-quality criteria, described on this website, must be met
in the submitted conventional film photo and/or the digital image
printed photo.
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