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AI checks all ICAO Doc 9303 requirements — face size, background, expression, centering. Get an ICAO-compliant photo in under 30 seconds. Photos never leave your device.
The US Department of State broke records in FY26 with 24.6 million passport applications processed — the highest figure ever. The spec is 2×2 inches (51×51mm) square, 600×600 pixels, white or off-white background, taken within the last 6 months. Here is how the most common options compare.
Adult passport renewals can now be completed entirely online via travel.state.gov for eligible applicants — you upload a JPEG meeting the 600×600 pixel / ≤240 kB / white-background spec and pay the US$130 fee online. The online renewal service launched in 2024 and reached general availability in 2025; about 30% of FY26 renewals went through this channel.
First-time applicants, minors, and replacement applications still require an in-person visit to an Acceptance Facility (most USPS locations, county clerks, and some courthouses) with the DS-11 form, original supporting documents, and one printed 2×2 inch passport photo. The acceptance agent reviews the photo, places it inside the application envelope, and ships everything to a State Department processing centre.
Children under 16 follow the same dimensional spec but with relaxed expression rules — open eyes are not strictly required for infants under 12 months. Both parents must consent, which is why a baby passport photo session often takes 30+ minutes at CVS or Walgreens (positioning the baby is harder than the photo itself).
The State Department banned glasses for passport photos in November 2016 (took effect 2017) and the rule has been strictly enforced ever since. Prescription glasses, sunglasses, reading glasses — all disallowed. There is a medical exemption with a written certificate, but the photo must still be glasses-off whenever possible. This is the single most common rejection because applicants assume "I always wore glasses" is grandfathered in.
State requires plain white or off-white. Patterns, gradients, shadows behind the head, and any visible colour cast (warm yellow, cool blue) are rejected. Selfies taken in dim home lighting frequently fail because the auto white-balance of a phone camera produces a yellow or blue cast on the wall.
The State Department updated guidance in 2016 from "natural expression" to "neutral facial expression with both eyes open and mouth closed." Slight resting smile is sometimes accepted; an active smile, grin, or any visible teeth is rejected. This is enforced more strictly than the older guidance and catches applicants who renewed before 2016.
The head must occupy between 50% and 69% of the photo height — the broadest face-size band of any major passport. Selfies are usually too small (head at 35–45% of frame); studio portraits are often too large (head at 75%+). The AI auto-aligns to the State Department target band.
The State Department requires the photo to be less than 6 months old. There is no embedded date so reviewers compare against visible aging in the application and prior passport. Significant changes in hair colour or length, weight, or facial hair trigger closer review.
The State Department clarified guidance in January 2026 to explicitly reject photos that appear synthetically generated or substantially altered. Background replacement of a real photo (as PassportPic.ai does — keeping the actual face and re-painting only the wall behind) remains permitted. What is rejected: deepfakes, face-swap apps, AI-generated faces, beauty-filter heavy retouching that alters the geometry of the face, and composite photos combining elements from multiple shots. The original facial pixels must be a genuine unaltered photograph.
State requires gloss or semi-gloss photographic paper. Inkjet prints on copy paper are rejected on sight at the Acceptance Facility. CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Costco, USPS retail — all use photographic paper by default. Home printers must use Kodak / Canon / Epson photo paper, not regular A4.
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