iPhone US Passport Photo

How to take a passport photo with an iPhone / iPad?

Taking a photo for your passport is much faster and easier than you think, and all you need is your iPhone. Use our software – available online and not requiring downloads of iPhone apps-and ask somebody to take a picture of you with your iPhone. Upload the picture to either our website or the app, wait 3 seconds while the software edits your picture and get the final result pressing ‘download’. That’s actually all you need to do to take a proper passport photo with an iPhone! 

Taking a passport photo with an iPhone- requirements

There are many official requirements concerning taking a passport photo using an iPhone or any other device. Fortunately the guidelines described below and our Passport Photo editor for iPhone will guide you through the process successfully. The preparations include taking care of proper body positioning, lighting, photo background, and facial expressions. However, when taking a passport photo with an iPhone you also need to consider a few other things, such as what to wear, or what makeup to put on. 

Take a perfect passport photo with your iPhone

Our software will fix some minor issues with your photo, such as deleting the original background. Nevertheless, according to the US Department of State there are some specific passport requirements the photo has to meet:

• You should make sure that the backdrop against which you take your photo is white, blank, and clean (no shadows and no patterns).
• You need to maintain a neutral facial expression
• You should face the camera directly with your full face in view
• You need to wear plain clothing - don't be very extravagant and don’t wear military uniforms.(Religious clothing for passport photos is allowed).
• You should take off your glasses

When applying, you must provide one passport photo. The photo must not be older than 6 months and must be 2 × 2″ (5 × 5 cm). Another requirement is that when viewed vertically, the size of your head in the photo should be between 1″ to 1 3/8″ (2.5 to 3.5 cm). 

Size of passport photo with iPhone

Your iPhone/iPad camera is good enough to take a high resolution photo. Once uploaded, our AI based toolset will automatically crop your photo to the right size, which is 2x2inch for a paper printout or 600x600 px for a digital submission. 

How to take a passport photo with an iPhone at home?

Fortunately, meeting these requirements is not difficult and taking a passport photo with an iPhone is within everyone's reach. To prepare yourself just use our online tool that will guide you through the process and allow you to take a photo that meets the formal guidelines.

Your outfit

While there are no formal prohibitions against wearing something eccentric, even if it's a photo for your passport, take a moment to reflect on your dress code. What to put on when taking a passport photo with an iPhone? Wear a casual but proper outfit and don't bare your shoulders. Avoid black and white clothes that may blend in with the background on one side and disrupt the composition of the photo on the other.

Remove jewellery, glasses and accessories

When taking a passport photo, it is best to remove any jewelry. You cannot wear glasses and hair accessories either - sunglasses, decorative hairpins and headbands are not allowed. Make-up should be subtle, but at the same time reflect your everyday look and accentuate your features. 

Set the light

A passport photo taken at home has to be properly exposed. Flat and even daylight that illuminates the entire face and does not create too much contrasting shadows is best. In order to make the most of natural lighting, stand in front of an open window in the daytime.

Maintain a proper position and face expression

You should keep your back and head perfectly straight and look directly at the camera. Do not smile or frown and do not squint your eyes and remember to keep your mouth closed.

Find a proper background or leave it to our software

Background must be uniformly white and clean, without patterns or shadows. However it can be hard to find a clean white wall in a house, and even more – a professional white roll-up. Our editing tool comes to help and removes the original background automatically when the picture is ready and uploaded.

Getting a Green Card Photo / US Visa Photo with an iPhone

As you probably know a green card or a US Visa Photo has the same standard size - 2x2 inches- as a passport photo. This means that you can use your US passport photo when applying for other official documents requiring a photo of the same format. Those include:

• A drivers licence (depending on the state)
• A Chinese visa photo (33 by 48 mm)
• A Russian visa photo (3,5 cm x 4,5 cm)
• A U.S Green Card Photo (same size as US passport)
• Canadian Visa photo (same size as US passport)

Do I need to download a PhotoAiD app for my iPhone?

In fact, we believe that downloading a mobile app only to get a passport photo is a waste of space in your phone’s memory. This is why our easy Passport Photo Editor for iPhone is available online. All you have to do is to upload your picture using this page, and our tool will do the rest!

By using our online tool you can easily:

• remove the original background
• crop and resize the photo
• check if the photo is correct
• save and download it to your email
• prepare the photo for printing

Can I print a passport photo taken with an iPhone at Walgreens?

You can print your passport photo at Walgreens. Below are instructions to do it and get 2 passport size photos for $0.35:

1. Upload your photo 
2. Download a ready to-print-template
3. Get to the nearest Walgreens
4. Print it out as a 4x6 inch postcard!

Devices supported 

What type of iPhone you currently use does not matter when using our photo editor. You may use our Passport Photo Online App with any iPhone or iPad- including an iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone7, iPhone6, iPad Air, iPad pro and any other Apple device.

Last update: 11/30/22