How To Make a Passport Size Photo From Mobile—Guide

Is it possible to take a guaranteed-for-acceptance passport photo from your smartphone? 

Although it may seem unlikely that homemade photographs can be approved by the authorities, it is possible to prepare a passport-size photo by yourself using your smartphone. There are ways to make your passport photographs fit the official standards using your mobile phone.

Discover the best tips on how to take your U.S. passport picture from your home, workplace, or even a park, using only your smartphone.

Edit your passport photo

If you prefer to take a passport photo by yourself, make sure your passport image meets all the specifications such as size, pose, or background color. 

The authorities have the right to reject your passport application if the passport photo doesn’t meet the official requirements. 

When completing your passport application applicants can’t edit their photograph in any way. We recommend you use specialized online photo converters for passport pictures, which are readily available on the Internet.

When choosing your online converter, pay attention to applications that:

• ensure a 100% acceptance rate of your passport photograph;
• have the feature to remove the background;
• format the picture according to the correct size and requirements for passport photos.

How to digitally modify a photograph to passport photo criteria

Digital passport photo app for iOS or Android can assist users in the process of taking a passport photo.

The passport picture should represent your current look to prevent identification problems at passport centers or border checks. According to the Department of State, applicants must include a new photo, no older than 6 (six) months on the passport form.

A passport photo should also meet additional criteria, such as:

• Avoid using filters. If you retouch the photo yourself, make sure to keep crucial parts of your face visible, for example – wrinkles, scars, birthmarks, or scratches.
• Take your picture with optimal lighting–natural light is perfect since it gives an even contrast where necessary, avoiding shades on the head and background.
• Flash and “red eyes” are not permitted.
• Keep your back and shoulders straight.
• Look directly at the camera.
• Keep a neutral and calm face, grinning is forbidden.
• Do not wear uniforms, only casual clothing.
• Unless you have a medical reason, sunglasses or non-prescribed glasses with colored lenses are not appropriate.
• Religious or medically related items, such as eyeglasses, hearing aids, or headgear must have a declaration to that extent.

Interested in finding out more about the appropriate clothes for a passport photo?

You can use a digital passport photo application to alter a photograph from your smartphone and adjust it to the needed criteria. There is a wide variety of such apps; some work mostly automatically with minimal user input, others require a skilled hand to be used properly.

Upload the photo to the program and the software takes it from there, converting your ordinary photo into a passport photograph. In the following sections, we explain the process in more detail.

The advantages of taking a passport photo from mobile

Taking passport photos often comes with long lines, wait times, and some degree of uncertainty about the requirements—but it doesn’t need to be this way.

There are significant benefits to resizing passport photographs online such as: 

• No need to go anywhere! You can stay at home and take your passport photo from your favorite spot, whether it is a couch or the wall with your favorite poster.
• You don’t have to waste your time because the process of creating a photo takes only one minute. If you’re in a hurry or the weather is miserable, there’s no need to run to the nearest photo studio and be nervous about how the photo turned out.
• It’s much easier to take a photo of your child as they would be more comfortable lying in bed on their favorite blanket and looking at their parents, rather than in an unknown place, looking at a stranger.
• The editing tool will replace the background and change it to the required one.
• Quite a few digital platforms provide shipping services. If you don’t want to leave the house, your U.S. passport photo will be delivered straight to your door.

How to take a passport photo from mobile with PhotoAiD®

PhotoAiD®–rated 4.5 on Google and 4.2 on the App Store–is compatible with both iOS and Android. Users can download it and get right down to business.

The procedure is straightforward and includes the following 7 steps: 

Step#1: Visit PhotoAiD®’s homepage, or install the application compatible with iOS and Android.

Step#2: Dress casually, and avoid wearing clothes with too bright colors or any kind of uniform.

Step#3: Use good lighting–natural light is perfect since it gives an even contrast, avoiding shadows on the head and in the background.

Step#4: Ask someone to photograph you, preferably from 3 to 6 feet away (1 to 2 meters), and then upload the photos to PhotoAiD®. 

Step#5: Wait until the platform verifies that the U.S. passport photo meets the requirements. The application works perfectly because the AI system automatically scans photos for any inconsistencies with the official requirements. 

Step#6: The app will notify you if your photo meets all the official specifications in under 3 minutes. You can snap a new shot to ensure everything’s perfect.

Step#7: Once the AI system and a human expert have checked your image, it will be available for download in electronic formats. Applicants can either save, print, or upload the photo to their passport application online. We also offer the delivery of printed photos for an additional three dollars.

PhotoAiD® guarantees that the photo will be approved by the authorities. Otherwise, we will repay you 200% of the amount you spent on your U.S. passport photographs.

Available photo formats

With PhotoAiD^®, you cannot only take your U.S. passport photo, but you’ll also be able to take a photo for several dozen documents, whether it’s a baby passport photo, DV lottery photo, identification card, or a U.S. visa photo. You can take an official photo globally, not just for the U.S.

A passport-size photo from mobile—FAQ

In this section, we’ll address a few questions on how to make a passport-size photo on mobile.

How to take a passport-size photo from mobile—final thoughts

Using online photo converters is an effective way to take a high-quality passport photo. We recommend avoiding using Photoshop and Gimp, as these programs require expertise and it’s not so easy to adjust a picture to passport standards without imperfections.

PhotoAiD® will edit your photos to official standards with a 100% guarantee of acceptance by the authorities. All you have to do is take a photo and upload it to a website or app—the rest will be done for you.