Passport Photo Hair Rules

Hair counts toward the head measurement

This is the rule almost nobody knows, and it causes real rejections. Head height is measured from the bottom of the chin to the top of the hair — not the top of the skull. Voluminous, piled-up or naturally tall hair therefore pushes you toward the upper end of the 1 to 1⅜ inch band, and can push you past it.

It is not a reason to flatten your hair. It is a reason to have the photo measured, because a hairstyle that looks perfectly normal can put an otherwise flawless photo outside the specification, and nothing about the picture will look wrong to you.

If you wear your hair very differently on different days, use the version you wear most often. The photo should look like you as people usually see you.

The ears myth

Nothing in the US passport photo requirements mentions ears. They may be covered by hair, entirely and on both sides, and the photo is fine.

The myth is persistent enough that photo counters sometimes ask people to tuck their hair back. It appears to come from a handful of other countries' rules and from older biometric guidance. For a US passport photo it is simply not a requirement.

What is required is that your face is visible from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead, and that your eyes are unobscured.

Fringes, hats of hair, and eyes

A fringe is fine as long as it does not fall across the eyes or cast a shadow over them. This is the one place hair genuinely fails: eyes must be clearly visible, and a heavy fringe under overhead lighting can shade them enough to count as obscured.

Check the actual photo rather than the mirror. Hair that sits above the eyebrows when you look straight ahead often drops when you tilt your chin slightly, which people do without noticing when a camera is pointed at them.

Wigs, extensions, head coverings and facial hair

Wigs, hairpieces and extensions are permitted with no special declaration, provided the photo looks like your normal appearance. The standard is recognisability, not biological accuracy.

Head coverings are a different rule: permitted only for religious or medical reasons, with a signed statement, and they must not shadow the face or cover the hairline.

Beards, moustaches and any facial hair you normally wear are entirely acceptable. If you are about to shave a long-standing beard, take the photo on the side of the change you intend to keep for the next decade.