How to Take a Passport Photo at Home

A passport photo booth charges real money for two minutes of work you can do at home with a phone and a blank wall. The catch is that the requirements are genuinely strict, and a rejected photo can delay an application by weeks.

Start with your country's actual rules. This guide covers the universal craft — lighting, pose, background — but the specific numbers differ by country, and getting them from a blog rather than the issuing authority is how applications get rejected. Pick your country from the Passport Photo Maker hub, and check the official government requirements for whichever authority is processing your application. Where any source conflicts with your government's own guidance, your government wins — including this page.

For the international baseline, the standard most authorities build on is ICAO Doc 9303, the UN specification for machine-readable travel documents. It's worth understanding what it actually says, because it's routinely misquoted — including, until recently, by us.

Doc 9303 recommends that submitted portraits "should be 45.0 mm x 35.0 mm" — a recommendation, not a mandate, which is why that size turns up almost everywhere. But it also states that the final image ratio "is defined by the application process of the issuer." So the internationally recognised size is a strong convention, and your government has the last word on what it will actually accept. That's not a technicality; it's the reason this guide keeps sending you to your own authority instead of printing a number.

The background

Most rejections start here. You need a plain, evenly lit, uncluttered background — and "evenly lit" is the part people miss.

Stand well away from the wall, at least an arm's length. Standing close casts a shadow onto it, and a shadow behind your head means the background isn't plain any more, however plain the wall is. Distance from the wall is the single highest-leverage thing you can do.

Find a genuinely blank stretch — no light switches, picture rails, skirting, or texture. Required background colours vary by country, so check yours rather than assuming white.

The lighting

Soft, even, front-on light. The easiest source is a large window on an overcast day: face it, with the light falling evenly across your face.

What to avoid:

• Direct flash — harsh, causes red-eye and glare on glasses, and throws a hard shadow behind you.
• Overhead lighting alone — casts shadows into your eye sockets and under your nose.
• Light from one side — half your face in shadow reads as uneven lighting and gets flagged.
• Direct sunlight — too harsh, and it makes people squint.

The pose

Face the camera square-on. Head straight, not tilted. Neutral expression with your mouth closed — no smiling, however unnatural that feels. Both eyes open and clearly visible. Hair back from your face and eyes.

Have someone else take it if you possibly can. An arm's-length selfie distorts facial proportions noticeably — the nose enlarges, the ears recede — and some authorities reject photos that look like selfies. Prop the phone up and use a timer if you're alone.

Glasses, head coverings, and children

These are where rules diverge most between countries, so check yours specifically. Broadly: many authorities now prefer or require no glasses at all, and where they're permitted there must be no glare and no frame across the eyes. Head coverings are typically allowed for religious reasons provided the full face is visible. Babies and children usually have their own separate, more relaxed rules.

Don't infer any of this from a general guide — including this one. Read your authority's own page.

Sizing it correctly

Once you have a good photo, the dimensions have to be exact — and they're country-specific. Most of the world has converged on one common size, but several major countries haven't, and head-height requirements vary even among those that share dimensions. Which is exactly why this guide won't print a number at you.

Rather than measuring by hand, pick your country from the Passport Photo Maker hub and use its page. If you're applying for a visa rather than a passport, the Visa Photo Maker requirements are frequently different again, even for the same country.

Should you remove the background digitally?

Tempting, and risky. Automatic background removal can leave imperfect edges around hair, and an authority reviewing thousands of photos may read that as a manipulated image. Photographing against a real plain wall is more reliable than reconstructing one. If you do use it, inspect the edges closely at full zoom.

If the upload has a size limit

Many application portals cap the file at 50KB or 100KB. Resize before compressing — see our guide on hitting an exact size limit. And check for a stated minimum too; plenty of portals have both.

It all stays on your device

Every babapic tool runs in your browser. Your passport photo — an identity document — is never uploaded to a server for processing.

FAQ

Can I use a selfie?
Technically possible, but arm's-length shots distort facial proportions and some authorities reject photos that look like selfies. Prop the phone up and use a timer.

Can I smile?
Generally no — a neutral expression with a closed mouth is the standard expectation. Check your country's rules.

What size does my photo need to be?
It depends entirely on the country, and this guide deliberately won't guess. Most countries share one common size and several major ones don't — so check your country's page from the Passport Photo Maker hub, and confirm it against your government's own published requirements before you submit. A blog is not an authority on this, including this one.