guides · 2026-10-30 · 2 min read
How to make a US passport photo at home (2×2 inch rules)
drugstores charge around $15–17 for two passport photos. you can take the same photo at home with a phone, size it correctly and print it on a 4×6 sheet at a drugstore photo counter for a fraction of the price. the most important part is taking a good photo; the tool handles the size and layout.
the us passport photo rules (short version)
- size: 2×2 inches (51×51 mm)
- head: 1 to 1 3/8 inches (25–35 mm) from the bottom of the chin to the top of the hair
- background: plain white or off-white, with no shadows or patterns
- recent: taken in the last 6 months, in color
- face: looking straight at the camera, neutral expression or natural smile, both eyes open
- no glasses (since 2016), no hats or head coverings unless worn daily for religious or medical reasons, no filters or retouching
see the us 2×2 passport photo page for more detail, and check the official rules at travel.state.gov before you apply; rules can change, and a rejected photo delays your passport.
take the photo
- stand facing a window or with soft, even light on your face. avoid a single ceiling light, which makes shadows under the eyes.
- stand about half a meter (1–2 feet) in front of a plain light wall.
- have someone else take the photo from about 1.2 m (4 feet) away, at your eye level. selfies distort the face and are often rejected.
- take several and pick the sharpest one with your eyes open and shoulders level.
make it the right size
- open passport photo maker and drop your photo.
- choose united states (2×2 in). other sizes include the uk, eu, india, canada and more.
- if your wall is not plain white, tick the ai background option. it replaces the background on your device; the first use downloads the ai model once.
- use zoom and the move sliders until your head fits the guide oval, with the chin and top of the hair inside the lines.
- download the single photo, or pick a 4×6 in print sheet and the number of copies.
the tool does not detect faces or check the rules for you, so compare the result with the list above, especially head size and shadows.
print it
upload the 4×6 sheet to any drugstore or supermarket photo service as a normal 4×6 print (not a "passport" product) and cut along the lines. choose a matte or glossy photo paper print; home inkjet prints on plain paper are not accepted. for online renewals, upload the single digital photo instead of printing.
other countries
the uk, canada, india and the schengen countries all use different sizes and head measurements. see uk, canada and india for their rules.