A passport photo is not just a portrait cropped into a small rectangle. The receiving authority can specify the physical dimensions, the size of the head, the position of the eyes, the background, the expression, the file size, and the way the image must be printed or uploaded.
The easiest way to get a usable result at home is to separate the job into two parts: take a clean original photograph, then format it for the exact passport, visa, or identity-document requirement you are using. MediaBrew's Passport Photo Converter handles the second part in your browser with country presets, measurement guides, exact JPEG dimensions, and print sheets.
Start with the exact document requirement
There is no single worldwide "passport size." A passport photo for one country may have a different rectangle and a different head-height range from a visa photo for another country. Even within one country, a paper photo and a digital upload may have different pixel or file-size rules.
Common examples include:
- US passport or visa paper photo: 51 x 51 mm (2 x 2 inches), with the head approximately 25-35 mm from chin to the top of the head.
- UK paper passport photo: 35 x 45 mm, with the crown-to-chin measurement between 29 and 34 mm.
- Canada passport photo: 50 x 70 mm, with the chin-to-top-of-head measurement between 31 and 36 mm.
- France visa-style photo: the official France-Visas guidance specifies a 35-40 mm photo width and a 32-36 mm face height.
Do not choose a generic "Schengen" size without checking the receiving application. Schengen countries and application channels can publish different instructions. Select a named authority preset when one is available, or use Custom and enter the dimensions from the application instructions.
How to take a better passport photo with a phone
Good formatting cannot rescue a blurry, distorted, or badly lit source image. Take the original carefully before opening the converter.
- Ask another person to take the photo instead of holding the phone at arm's length for a selfie.
- Place the camera at eye level and stand several feet away so the phone's wide-angle lens does not exaggerate the nose or shrink the sides of the head.
- Face a window or use broad, even light. Avoid direct flash, strong side light, and a bright window behind you.
- Use a plain, light-coloured background with enough distance behind your head to reduce shadows.
- Keep the head straight, look directly at the camera, and use a natural neutral expression unless the authority gives a child-specific exception.
- Keep the whole head and shoulders visible. Leave enough space above the hair to make the final crop adjustable.
- Remove sunglasses and avoid glare on glasses. Do not use portrait blur, beauty filters, face retouching, or an AI-generated replacement.
- Use the original camera file rather than a screenshot or a copy downloaded from a messaging app.
If you can, take several frames without changing your position. The sharpest frame with the most even lighting is usually the best starting point.
Format the photo without stretching the person
Open the Passport Photo Converter and follow this workflow:
- Upload a JPEG, PNG, or WebP. The image is decoded in your browser and its camera orientation is applied before positioning.
- Choose the named passport, visa, or ID preset. Check whether it is a paper size or a digital-upload size.
- Run the local face check if you want an automatic starting position. It estimates the face centre, eye line, tilt, and face height in the browser.
- Review the crop manually. Drag the image to centre the face, then zoom until the head and eye guides match the selected requirement.
- Read the review messages, then manually check the expression, eyes, glasses, head covering, shadows, background, and image sharpness.
- Export the single JPEG for an upload, or create a 4 x 6 inch or A4 print sheet for physical photos.
The crop is proportional. It changes the framing and output dimensions without stretching the person's face. Passport mode keeps the original portrait and background instead of applying a beauty filter or automatic background replacement.
US passport and visa photo settings
For a US paper passport or visa photo, use the square 51 x 51 mm preset. The printed head should measure about 25-35 mm from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head, and the head should be centred.
For a US digital image, use the digital square preset when it matches your application. The US Department of State's digital composition template describes a square image, a minimum of 600 x 600 pixels, a maximum of 1200 x 1200 pixels, a head height of 50-69 percent of the image height, and eye height of 56-69 percent from the bottom. A specific application may add a file-size limit, so check that application separately.
Official references:
- US passport photo requirements: https://travel.state.gov/en/passports/apply/help/photos.html
- US digital photo composition template: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/photos/photo-composition-template.html
UK passport photo settings
For a printed UK passport photo, choose 35 x 45 mm and keep the crown-to-chin measurement between 29 and 34 mm. The background should be plain and light-coloured, and the face should be clear, forward-facing, and evenly lit.
For a UK digital application, the current guidance asks for at least 600 x 750 pixels and a JPEG between 50 KB and 10 MB. The online application may crop the image, so a source photo showing the head, shoulders, and upper body is useful. Use the digital preset when you are applying online rather than assuming the paper dimensions are the complete digital specification.
Official references:
- UK photo standards: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/photographic-standards/photo-standards-accessible
- UK digital photo rules: https://www.gov.uk/photos-for-passports
Canada passport photo settings
Canadian passport photos are 50 x 70 mm. The face height from the chin to the top of the head should be 31-36 mm. Canada also specifies original, unaltered photos and professional photo printing requirements, so use the converter for measured formatting and take particular care with the source photograph and final print.
Official reference: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-passports/photos.html
Printing the finished photo at home
If you need physical copies, create a print sheet instead of placing several copies manually in a word processor. The converter tiles the selected photo at its exact pixel size on a 4 x 6 inch or A4 canvas and adds cut guides outside the image area.
When printing:
- Choose 100 percent, Actual size, or a similar setting. Do not choose Fit to page.
- Use the same paper size selected in the tool.
- Print on photo paper if the receiving authority requires it, and follow its matte or glossy instruction.
- Measure one finished copy with a ruler before cutting the whole sheet.
- Keep the cut edges clean and do not trim into the photograph.
The sheet is rendered at 300 DPI, but the physical result still depends on the printer dialog. A printer set to scale the page can change every copy's dimensions even when the image file itself is correct.
Why passport photos are commonly rejected
Before downloading, check the problems that software cannot reliably judge:
- The photo is blurry, grainy, too dark, or overexposed.
- The head is tilted, turned, cropped, or too close to the edge.
- The mouth is open or the expression is not neutral where a neutral expression is required.
- Hair, glasses, glare, a scarf, or another object blocks the eyes or face.
- There is a visible shadow on the face or background.
- Another person, object, pattern, or furniture appears behind the subject.
- A filter, face retouch, background replacement, or other edit changes the person's natural appearance.
- The printed copy is the wrong physical size or has been scaled by the printer.
The face check can help with centring, head size, eye position, and approximate tilt. Treat it as a measuring aid and review the official instructions for the application you are submitting.
Privacy and the MediaBrew workflow
The photo is decoded and rendered in the browser. The first local face check can download the MediaPipe model and WebAssembly runtime needed for analysis, but the image itself is not uploaded to a processing server. The output is a new JPEG or print sheet; the original file is never overwritten.
For an unlisted country or document, use Custom size and enter the dimensions from the official application instructions. Save the source requirements with your application paperwork so you can verify the preset before submitting.