How to Make a Passport-Size Photo at Home

What you need

• A smartphone (the rear camera gives better results than the front one).
• A plain, light-coloured wall or a hung white bedsheet — no patterns or pictures in shot.
• Soft natural daylight: face a window during the day, or shoot in open shade. Avoid direct sun and overhead indoor lights.
• A helper, a tripod, or a stack of books. A helper is best — they frame the shot while you keep a natural expression.

Set up the shot

Stand about 1 to 1.5 metres from the background so your shadow does not fall on the wall. Face the light directly — window light should fall evenly across both sides of your face. Keep the camera at eye level, 1 to 2 metres away; avoid wide-angle close-ups, which distort facial proportions.

Remove hats and sunglasses; if you wear glasses, avoid glare so your eyes stay clearly visible. Avoid white tops against a white background — officials need to see where your shoulders end and the wall begins.

Framing and expression rules

Most passport photo rejections are about the face, not the size:

• Neutral expression, mouth closed. No smiling, no frowning — a relaxed, natural look.
• Eyes open, looking straight at the camera. Both eyes fully visible.
• Head straight, not tilted. Keep shoulders square to the camera.
• Head size matters. For the common 35 × 45 mm format, the head (chin to crown) should typically occupy about 70–80% of the photo height. Leave a small margin above the head — do not crop into the hair.
• No shadows on the face or the background. If you see a shadow, move further from the wall or reposition the light.
• Recent photo. Most authorities require a photo taken within the last six months that reflects your current appearance.

The sizes: 35 × 45 mm vs 2 × 2 in

The two most common standards:

• 35 × 45 mm — used by most of Europe, the UK, Pakistan, India, China, and much of Asia and Africa.
• 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm) — the United States standard, square format.

Confirm the exact dimensions on your application form or the issuing authority's website before you crop.

Crop to size in your browser (3 steps)

1. Take the photo with room to spare. Shoot a little wider than needed — you can always crop in.
2. Open the passport photo tool. Go to our passport photo maker, load your picture, and select your target size (35 × 45 mm or 2 × 2 in). Position the crop frame so the head sits correctly with the right margins.
3. Download and check. Save at full quality, then zoom in and verify: no blur, no shadow, head correctly proportioned, background plain and even.

If an online application limits upload size, compress the image gently — but keep the resolution high enough that the photo stays sharp. If the crop needs fine adjustment, our crop image tool gives you free-form control.

Printing at home or at a shop

For physical prints, export at 300 DPI if the tool offers it, and print on matte or glossy photo paper — never on plain printer paper. Tell the print shop the exact finished size and ask them not to "fit to page," which silently changes the dimensions.

Common rejection reasons to avoid

• Background not plain or not light enough.
• Shadow across the face or on the wall behind.
• Head too small, too large, or cropped at the top.
• Smiling, tilted head, or eyes not on the camera.
• Heavy filters or background replacement — visibly edited photos get rejected.

When in doubt, take three or four shots with slightly different positioning and pick the cleanest one.