CleanorTools
U.S. Passport

U.S. passport photo maker

US passport photo size and requirements

A US passport photo is square: 2 by 2 inches, or 600 by 600 pixels at 300 DPI. The head has to measure 25 to 35 mm from the chin to the top of the hair, which is why a photo that is the right size can still be rejected for a head that is too small in it. Glasses have not been allowed since November 2016.

US passport photo size: 600 by 600 pixels, 2 x 2 in (51 x 51 mm), head 25 to 35 mm (1 to 1 3/8 in), which is 50 to 69 percent of the frame
US passport: 2 x 2 in (51 x 51 mm) (600 x 600 px), head 25 to 35 mm (1 to 1 3/8 in), which is 50 to 69 percent of the frame.
Print size2 x 2 in (51 x 51 mm)
Digital size600 x 600 px
Head height25 to 35 mm (1 to 1 3/8 in), which is 50 to 69 percent of the frame
BackgroundPlain, light, uniform, no shadow
ExpressionNeutral, mouth closed, eyes open and visible
Photo ageTaken within the last 6 months
GlassesNot allowed, since November 2016

Source: US Department of State, photo requirements

Details

How to use U.S. passport photo maker

What the tool does, how to run it, and what to expect from the result.

How to make a 2 x 2 inch US passport photo

The State Department's rules are measurements, not aesthetics: a 2 x 2 inch square, a head 1 to 1 3/8 inches tall, and eyes 1 1/8 to 1 3/8 inches off the bottom. The guides on this canvas draw those bands directly.

The preset is locked at 600 x 600 pixels, which is that square at 300 DPI, and the crop runs entirely in the browser.

  • Take or choose a colour photo from the last six months, straight on, no glasses, neutral expression, plain white or off-white wall.
  • Upload it onto the locked 600 x 600 square canvas.
  • Zoom until the head fits between the crown and chin guides, which mark the 1 to 1 3/8 inch band.
  • Drag vertically until the eyes land inside the eye band, 1 1/8 to 1 3/8 inches up from the bottom.
  • Use white cleanup if the background is light but uneven, then export as JPEG under 10 MB for the online application or print it at 2 x 2 inches.

Why U.S. passport photos need a square workflow

U.S. passport photos use a square format that behaves differently from the more common 35 × 45 mm document portrait. The head size still matters, but the crop area and visual balance feel different right away.

A dedicated square preset is useful because it lets people adjust the portrait inside the final frame instead of trying to mentally translate a generic editor into a passport crop.

What this page does well

This workflow is best for people who already have a suitable front-facing portrait and need a U.S.-style crop, visible guides, and a straightforward export without cloud processing.

  • 2 × 2 inch passport-style crops
  • Square document portrait framing
  • White or neutral background cleanup on bright backdrops
  • Private local handling of personal portrait photos
Tips

Getting a better result out of U.S. passport photo maker

Specific settings and thresholds, not general advice.

  • The locked preset is 600 x 600 pixels, which is exactly 2 x 2 inches at 300 DPI, the size the US State Department requires for passport and US visa photos.
  • For an online passport application, the State Department requires a JPEG between 600 x 600 and 1200 x 1200 pixels, under 10 MB, in colour. The 600 x 600 export sits at the bottom of that accepted range, so export as JPG rather than PNG.
  • The head must measure between 1 and 1 3/8 inches from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head, which is 50 to 69 percent of the 2 inch frame. The crown and chin guides drawn on this canvas mark exactly that band.
  • The eyes must sit between 1 1/8 and 1 3/8 inches from the bottom of the photo, which is 56 to 69 percent of the height measured from the top. That is the eye band on screen.
  • Other hard rules the tool cannot check: the photo must have been taken within the last six months, on a plain white or off-white background, with no glasses, no uniform, no headphones, and a neutral expression with both eyes open.
Limits

What U.S. passport photo maker does not do

The honest boundary, so you do not lose time finding it yourself.

  • There is no compliance verdict. No face detection, no automatic head measurement, no accept or reject. The guides are visual references you align to.
  • The white cleanup is an edge flood fill that only affects light, border-connected pixels. Against a coloured or dark wall it does nothing useful, and the State Department rejects non-white backgrounds.
  • It does not lay out a print sheet, so there is no 4 x 6 inch page with two copies tiled for a drugstore print kiosk.
  • It does not embed a DPI tag in the exported file. The 600 x 600 pixel size is what makes it 2 x 2 inches at 300 DPI, and any lab printing it should be told to print at 2 x 2 inches.
At a glance

Who U.S. passport photo maker is for

A quick way to understand who this helps, what it solves, and where it connects next.

Best fit

People preparing U.S. passport and other square U.S. document-style portrait photos from an existing image

Ideal for

Turning one portrait into a 2 × 2 inch U.S. passport-style crop with visible head and eye-line guides

FAQ

Common questions

Short answers for the questions people usually have before trying a utility like this.

What size does this U.S. passport page use?

This page uses a 2 × 2 inch square preset, matching the standard U.S. passport photo format.

Does it guarantee compliance?

No. It helps with crop, guides, and background cleanup, but final acceptance still depends on the exact source photo and submission rules.

Is the processing local?

Yes. The portrait stays in the browser while you align and export it.

What are the exact US passport photo requirements?

A 2 x 2 inch square, in colour, taken within the last six months, on a plain white or off-white background. The head must be 1 to 1 3/8 inches from chin to crown and the eyes 1 1/8 to 1 3/8 inches from the bottom. For online submission, a JPEG of at least 600 x 600 pixels and no more than 1200 x 1200 pixels, under 10 MB.

Is 600 x 600 pixels big enough for the online application?

Yes, it is the minimum the State Department accepts and it corresponds to 2 x 2 inches at 300 DPI. If your source photo is high resolution, that is fine: the export is downscaled to the required square, not upscaled from nothing.

Can I wear glasses in a US passport photo?

No. Glasses have not been permitted since 2016 except with a signed medical statement. Take the photo without them rather than editing them out.

Does this tool confirm my photo will be accepted?

No. It gives you the correct 2 x 2 inch crop and marks the official head-height and eye-height bands, but it does not measure your face or issue a verdict. Compare your export against the State Department's published examples before submitting.

My wall is cream, not white. Is that a problem?

Plain white or off-white is accepted, so a cream wall is usually fine. The white cleanup mode can push a light, even wall toward pure white, but it will not rescue a shadowed or coloured background, and shadows behind the head are a common rejection reason.

Where does the photo go?

Nowhere. It is decoded, cropped and re-encoded on a canvas in your browser. A passport photo is exactly the kind of file that should not be sitting on someone else's server.

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