Passport Photo Sizes

A U.S. passport photo should be 2 × 2 inches, or 51 × 51 mm. At 300 PPI, that is 600 × 600 px.

The U.S. Department of State also specifies head-size and quality requirements, including that the photo must be high-resolution, not blurry, grainy or pixelated, and printed on matte or glossy photo-quality paper.

A printed UK passport photo should measure 45 mm high by 35 mm wide. At 300 PPI, that is about 413 × 531 px.

GOV.UK also states that printed photos must be clear, in focus, in color, printed on plain white photographic paper with no border, and unaltered by computer software.

For inch-based passport photos:

pixels = inches × PPI

For millimeter-based passport photos:

pixels = millimeters ÷ 25.4 × PPI

Example for UK width at 300 PPI:

35 ÷ 25.4 × 300 = 413 px

Example for UK height at 300 PPI:

45 ÷ 25.4 × 300 = 531 px

Do not rely only on pixel dimensions. Passport authorities may also specify:

• head size;
• eye position;
• background color;
• lighting and shadows;
• expression;
• glasses rules;
• age of the photo;
• printed vs digital submission requirements;
• editing or retouching restrictions.

A photo can have the correct dimensions and still be rejected if the composition, quality or editing rules are wrong.

1. Choose the country and application type. 2. Read the official passport authority’s requirements. 3. Crop to the required physical size and ratio. 4. Check head size and position. 5. Export enough pixels for the print or digital upload. 6. Do not retouch, filter or AI-enhance passport photos unless the official authority explicitly allows the specific change. 7. Print or upload according to the official instructions.