Your 2 × 2 US passport photo, printed for cents

Before you take it

1. Someone else takes it. No selfies. Your helper stands about 1.5 m away, phone at your eye level.
2. Plain white or off-white wall, no shadows behind you. Face a window for soft, even light.
3. No glasses. Neutral face, mouth closed, both eyes open, looking straight at the camera.
4. Keep your head and shoulders in the photo, with space above your head. We crop it for you.

What we check and do

• One face, no glasses, head straight and facing the camera, eyes open, neutral expression, plain light background, even lighting.
• Head size: chin to top of head between 1 and 1⅜ inches on the 2-inch photo (50% to 69%).
• We crop to 2 × 2 inches at 300 dpi and lay out two copies on a 4 × 6 in sheet, with cut marks.
• We never edit your face or background. The rules forbid it, and edited photos get refused.

What we can't check

• Rimless glasses, glare, small shadows (we only catch a strong shadow on one side), hair covering the eyes: look at the photo yourself.
• Whether the photo is less than 6 months old, and whether it looks like you today.

Our measurements are estimates. Only the US Department of State decides whether a photo is accepted: we help you catch problems, we don't guarantee acceptance.