Passport and visa photo checker

How to check your photo

1. Choose the document you are applying for. The rules differ: a US passport photo is 2 x 2 in with a white background, while a UK or Schengen photo is 35 x 45 mm.
2. Upload the finished photo file, exactly as you will submit it: the file you will upload to the online application, or a scan or phone photo of a printed photo cropped to its edges.
3. Read the result. Each check shows pass, check or fix, what we measured and how to fix it. The guides on the photo show the allowed head height and eye line.

Changing the document re-checks the same photo, so you can see whether one photo works for several applications.

What the result means

• Looks compliant: every check we can run passed. Confirm the rules we cannot see, then submit.
• Check the warnings: something is borderline, or a rule needs your confirmation. Read the warning and decide whether to take a new photo.
• Needs a new photo: at least one rule is clearly not met, for example the head is too small, the background is not plain, or the file is too large for the online form.

We check your photo against the published rules; the passport or visa office makes the final decision.

Common reasons a photo fails

• The head is too small because the photo was cropped too loosely, or too large because it was cropped too tightly.
• The eyes sit too high or too low in the frame.
• The background is gray, patterned or shows shadows behind the head.
• The file has the wrong pixel size or is larger than the portal allows.
• The photo is a screenshot or a copy from a messaging app, and is too small or blurry.

If your photo fails on size, head height or position, you do not need a new photo: make it again with the free photo tool, which crops it to the exact rules. If it fails on lighting, focus, expression or background, take a new photo.

Frequently asked questions

Can this checker tell me my photo will be approved?

No tool can. The passport or visa office makes the final decision, and some rules, such as a photo being recent or taken without filters, cannot be seen in the file. The checker measures what can be measured against the published rules and tells you what to fix, so fewer photos are rejected for avoidable reasons.

Why does the checker not crop or fix my photo?

Because it checks the file you will actually submit. If it changed the photo first, a pass would say nothing about your file. When a check fails, you can crop the photo again yourself, or make a new one with our free photo tool, which crops, sizes and checks it for you.

What does the checker measure?

The pixel size, file size, file format and shape of the photo; the head height from chin to crown and the eye line as shares of the photo height; whether the face is centered, straight and facing the camera; eyes and mouth; the background color and evenness; lighting, exposure and sharpness.

Why does it ask me about glasses and head coverings?

Glasses, hats and head coverings cannot be judged reliably from a photo, so we ask you to confirm the rule for your document instead. Many documents, including the US passport, no longer allow glasses at all, and most allow head coverings only for religious or medical reasons.

My photo passes here but was rejected. Why?

Offices also judge things a checker cannot see, such as whether the photo is recent, whether it was edited or filtered, and whether a printed photo is on proper photo paper without marks. Rules can also change; each document page shows the date we last checked its rules against the official source.

Is my photo uploaded or saved?

No. The photo is opened and checked in your browser, and nothing is sent to our server or stored. The page only remembers which document you chose last, so the photo tool and the print sheet maker can preselect it.