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Short answer
A US passport photo is 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm). The head must measure 1 to 1⅜ inches from chin to the top of the hair, the eyes sit 1⅛ to 1⅜ inches from the bottom, and digital files run from 600 × 600 to 1200 × 1200 pixels.
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✕Illustrative examples — the people shown are AI-generated.
Every measurement, in one place
The photo is a square: 2 × 2 inches, or 51 × 51 mm. The US is unusual in this — most of Europe, including the UK, uses a 35 × 45 mm rectangle, which is why a photo taken abroad is frequently the wrong shape rather than merely the wrong size.
The head is measured from the bottom of the chin to the top of the hair, not the top of the skull, and must fall between 1 and 1⅜ inches. That is a band of three-eighths of an inch inside a two-inch square — roughly 50% to 69% of the frame height. The distinction between hair and skull matters: a high hairstyle can push an otherwise perfect photo over the limit.
The eye line sits between 1⅛ and 1⅜ inches from the bottom edge. This is the measurement people never think about, and it is why cropping a square out of an ordinary portrait rarely works — sizing the head correctly usually puts the eyes in the wrong place.
Digital dimensions and why bigger is better
For online renewal the file must be square and between 600 × 600 and 1200 × 1200 pixels, in color, without visible compression artefacts. Anything below 600 is refused at upload; anything above 1200 is refused too.
Plenty of services deliver the 600 × 600 minimum. The problem appears later, when the same photo needs printing — for a visa, a second document, or a paper form. At 2 inches wide, 600 pixels is exactly 300 dpi, which is the floor for acceptable print quality with nothing spare.
We produce 1200 × 1200, the maximum allowed. It satisfies the portal identically and prints at 600 dpi, so one file covers both uses.
Print sizes and sheets
A printed passport photo is 2 × 2 inches, but photo kiosks do not print 2 × 2 — they print standard sizes, of which 6 × 4 inches is the cheapest and most universal.
The standard solution is a sheet: a 6 × 4 inch print with the 2 × 2 photos laid out on it and cut lines between them. Ours holds two photos at exactly 2 × 2 with hairline guides, at 600 dpi. Printing it costs about 35¢ at any kiosk, and you cut along the lines.
One thing to watch at the kiosk: decline auto-crop and auto-enhance. Cropping shifts the photos off their measured positions, and enhancement can shift the background away from the required white.
Check your photo against this rule — free
Upload a photo and read the full report on all eleven requirements before paying anything.
Check my photoFrequently asked
What size is a US passport photo?+
2 × 2 inches, which is 51 × 51 mm — a square, unlike the 35 × 45 mm rectangle used across most of Europe.
How big should the head be?+
Between 1 and 1⅜ inches from the bottom of the chin to the top of the hair, which is roughly 50–69% of the frame height.
What pixel size does the digital photo need?+
Square, between 600 × 600 and 1200 × 1200 pixels. We produce 1200 × 1200 so the same file also prints well.
Is 600 × 600 enough?+
It meets the minimum, but at 2 inches wide it is exactly 300 dpi — the floor for print quality with no margin. 1200 × 1200 prints at 600 dpi.
What size paper do I print on?+
A 6 × 4 inch photo print holding two 2 × 2 inch photos, which is what our print sheet is laid out for.