Free Passport Photo Checker

✓

✕

See all 10 examples↓

All 11 checks, and what each one means

Every one of these runs on the finished photo and appears in your report before payment is mentioned.

Measured, not eyeballed

Most photo checkers show you a green tick and hope. Two of these checks return an actual number: your head height in inches, and where your eye line falls. The report shows the measurement next to the required range, so you can see how much margin you have rather than taking a pass on trust.

The measurement is also taken independently. Rather than assuming the crop we just applied is correct, the finished photo is re-measured from scratch — which is the only way to catch a crop that went wrong. Two further checks are true by construction: your background is replaced rather than assessed, and your face is never repainted, so neither can quietly fail. How we verify.

What happens to the photo you upload

It is encrypted in transit, used only to produce and check your passport photo, and deleted automatically within 24 hours. No account is created, nothing is kept to train anything, and checking costs nothing whether you buy or not.

If the report shows a failure you cannot fix — a shadow, glasses, an expression — take another photo and check again. Retakes are unlimited and also free.

What the checker passes and refuses

Photos that pass

✓ PassesAcceptable

Even frontal lighting, no shadows on the face or the wall, plain white background, neutral expression with the mouth closed, and a mid-tone top that separates cleanly from the background.

✓ PassesAcceptable

A relaxed, closed-mouth smile is fine — the rule is about teeth and exaggeration, not about looking stern. Lighting is even and the background is plain.

✓ PassesAcceptable

Children follow the same rules as adults once they can sit unsupported: eyes open, facing the camera, plain background, nobody else in the frame.

Photos that get refused

✕ RefusedNot accepted — background

The single most common rejection. A bookshelf, lamp and picture frame are all visible, and the warm indoor light has tinted the wall. The background must be plain white or off-white with nothing behind you.

✕ RefusedNot accepted — shadows

Harsh side lighting has thrown a shadow across half the face and a second one onto the wall behind. Both are refused. Face a window on an overcast day, or stand well away from the wall.

✕ RefusedNot accepted — glasses

Glasses have not been permitted in US passport photos since November 2016, and here the glare is obscuring both eyes anyway — which would fail even in countries that do allow them.

✕ RefusedNot accepted — expression

A broad open-mouthed smile with teeth showing, and the eyes have narrowed from smiling. Biometric matching needs a neutral face with both eyes clearly open.

✕ RefusedNot accepted — arm's-length selfie

The phone is far too close, so the nose and forehead are enlarged by lens distortion, and the outstretched arm is in shot. This is why the official checklist says no selfies. Shoot from about six feet instead.

✕ RefusedNot accepted — head covering

Hats are refused outright. Head coverings are permitted only for religious or medical reasons, with a signed statement, and must never shadow the face as this cap does.

✕ RefusedNot accepted — head too small

Framed too loosely, so the head measures well under the required 1 to 1⅜ inches. Too small is far more common than too large, because people instinctively step back.

Illustrative examples — the people shown are AI-generated, so no real applicant appears here as a rejected photo.