🧰 ToolPicoAll Tools →

US Passport Photo Maker

Crop and resize any photo to the official U.S. Department of State passport/visa photo size — 2 × 2 inches, 1200 × 1200 px at 600 DPI — with a live head-height guide (1 in to 1 3/8 in), a plain white or off-white background, and a ready-to-cut 4 × 6 in print sheet. Runs entirely in your browser.

🔒 100% in-browser 1200×1200px output 600 DPI print-ready 7 country presets Updated: Jul 19, 2026

🌍 Country / document

🎨 Background

✨ Adjustments

Straighten (rotation)0°
Brightness0
Contrast0

💾 Output format

File-size target

JPEG only — the tool searches for the highest quality that still fits your KB limit.

✓ Photo ready
Generated passport photo preview
—

🖨️ Print sheet — ready-to-cut layout for a photo printer or kiosk

— photos
Quick answer A US passport photo must be 2 × 2 inches, which at 600 DPI print resolution is exactly 1200 × 1200 pixels. The head — chin to top of hair — must measure 1 inch to 1 3/8 inch, on a plain white or off-white background. This tool crops your photo to that exact size, checks your head height live, and lets you download a single photo or a ready-to-cut 4 × 6 in print sheet.
2×2 inOfficial photo size
1200×1200Pixels at 600 DPI
1–1⅜ inHead-height range
6Photos per 4×6 in print
⚙️ Accuracy note: Size and head-height figures are based on the U.S. Department of State's published passport and visa photo requirements (sources below). Requirements can change — confirm the current specification at travel.state.gov before you submit an application. Cropping, background cleanup, and export all happen on your device (Canvas API); no photo is uploaded. Last updated: Jul 19, 2026.
🛂 Passport Photo Maker — ToolPico ↗

How to make a US passport photo online

Six steps from a regular photo to an official-size, print-ready passport photo — all in your browser.

Quick answer Upload a photo, center your face in the square frame, align the head-height guide lines to your hairline and chin, choose a white or off-white background, then click "Generate photo." The tool outputs an exact 1200 × 1200 px (2 × 2 in at 600 DPI) file you can download or print.
1

Upload your photo

Drag it in or choose a file. It stays on your device and is never sent to a server.

2

Frame your face

Zoom, drag, and straighten so your face sits centered in the square frame.

3

Align head height

Drag the two guide lines to the top of your hair and the bottom of your chin. The tool confirms when you're inside the official 1 in–1 3/8 in range.

4

Set background & light

Pick white or off-white, then fine-tune brightness/contrast or use auto-enhance.

5

Generate

The tool renders an exact 1200 × 1200 px JPEG or PNG, with 600 DPI embedded in the file.

6

Download or print

Save the single photo, or build a 4 × 6 in / Letter print sheet with multiple copies and cut lines.

Why do passport photos get rejected?

The most common reasons an application photo is turned down — and how this tool addresses each one.

Quick answer Most rejections come down to the wrong physical size or head height, a background that isn't plain white/off-white, glasses, shadows, or a photo that's too old, blurry, or low-resolution. This tool's live guides and exact 1200 × 1200 px output are built to catch these before you print or submit.
Wrong size or head heightThe photo isn't exactly 2 × 2 in, or the head doesn't measure 1 in–1 3/8 in. This tool locks the output to 1200 × 1200 px and flags head height outside range in real time.
Non-white backgroundPatterned walls, furniture, or shadows behind the subject. Use the white/off-white swatch — the built-in cleanup tool replaces a light, roughly even background automatically.
Glasses or headwearGlasses of any kind have not been accepted since 2016; hats and headphones are also rejected unless worn for religious or medical reasons. Remove them before you shoot the photo.
Shadows or uneven lightingHarsh shadows across the face or background. Shoot facing a window in daytime, and use the brightness/contrast or auto-enhance controls to even out the exposure.
Low resolution or blurA photo that's too small stretches to fill the 1200 × 1200 px frame and looks soft. Start from the highest-resolution photo your camera can capture.
Photo too oldPassport photos should be taken within the last 6 months. This tool can't verify the date — that's up to you when you take the photo.

Printing your passport photo at home or at a kiosk

Most photo printers and drugstore kiosks accept a standard 4 × 6 in print — here's how many official-size photos fit.

Quick answer At the exact 2 × 2 in size, a 4 × 6 in print fits 6 photos (2 columns × 3 rows), and an 8.5 × 11 in Letter sheet fits 20 photos (4 columns × 5 rows). The "Print sheet" button in the tool above generates this layout automatically, with optional cut lines, as a single downloadable file.

Passport photos per print sheet at 600 DPI (2 × 2 in each, edge to edge)
Paper sizeLayoutPhotos per sheetTypical use
4 × 6 in photo paper2 × 36Drugstore / retail photo kiosk
8.5 × 11 in Letter4 × 520Home inkjet/laser printer

US passport & visa photo requirements

The official specification this tool is built around, plus an inch ↔ pixel ↔ DPI reference converter.

The U.S. Department of State requires passport and most visa photos (including the DS-160 online form) to be 2 × 2 inches, taken within the last 6 months, in color, with a neutral expression and both eyes open, against a plain white or off-white background. Glasses are not permitted, and headwear is only allowed for religious or medical reasons.

What is the exact pixel size at print resolution?

Quick answerA 2 × 2 inch photo printed at 600 DPI (dots per inch) works out to 1200 × 1200 pixels — 2 in × 600 dpi = 1200 px on each side. That's the fixed size this tool outputs for every photo.

What counts as the "head height"?

Quick answerHead height is measured from the bottom of the chin to the top of the hair (crown), and must fall between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inch within the 2 × 2 inch frame — roughly half to two-thirds of the photo's height. This tool's two draggable guide lines measure this live as you position your photo.
Official U.S. passport/visa photo specification
RequirementValue
Physical print size2 × 2 in
Pixel size at 600 DPI (this tool's output)1200 × 1200 px
Head height (chin to top of hair)1 in – 1 3/8 in
BackgroundPlain white or off-white
Photo ageWithin the last 6 months
GlassesNot permitted
Typical digital upload range (e.g. DS-160)600×600 – 1200×1200 px, JPEG, ~<240 KB

Inch ↔ pixel ↔ DPI converter

Enter a physical size and a DPI to see the exact pixel dimensions — the same math this tool uses to lock its output to 1200 × 1200 px.

Note: file size (KB) depends on JPEG compression quality, not just pixel dimensions — it can't be derived from size alone.

Passport photo terms glossary

Short definitions of the terms used throughout this tool.

Head heightThe distance from the bottom of the chin to the top of the hair, measured within the 2 × 2 in frame. Must be 1 in–1 3/8 in for a US passport photo.
DPI (dots per inch)How many pixels a printer packs into one physical inch. 1200 px at 600 DPI prints at exactly 2 inches; the same pixels at 300 DPI print at 4 inches.
Off-white backgroundA very light, slightly warm neutral tone accepted as an alternative to pure white for passport photo backgrounds.
Background cleanupAn automatic process that samples the edges of a photo and replaces a roughly even background with a solid white or off-white fill.
Auto-enhanceA one-click contrast stretch that spreads out a photo's tonal range, useful for flat or slightly underexposed images.
Print-ready sheetA single image containing multiple copies of the same 2 × 2 in photo, tiled to fit standard photo paper for one print job.
DS-160The online nonimmigrant visa application form, which requires a digital photo upload meeting its own pixel and file-size limits.
JFIF/DPI metadataA small tag embedded in a JPEG file recording its intended print resolution, read by most photo printers to size the print correctly.

In-depth guides

Longer answers to the questions people ask most before submitting a passport or visa photo.

How to take your own passport photo at home

Lighting: Face a window during the day for soft, even light. Avoid overhead lights, which cast shadows under the eyes and chin.

Background: Stand 4–5 feet in front of a plain, light-colored wall so no shadow falls behind you. A blank white or off-white wall works well with this tool's background cleanup.

Distance & camera: Hold the phone at eye level about 4–5 feet away and use the rear (main) camera — a close-up front camera selfie distorts facial proportions.

Pose: Look straight at the camera with a neutral expression or natural smile, both eyes open, and no glasses or headwear (except for religious or medical reasons).

Then upload the photo above: zoom and drag to frame your face, align the head-height guide lines, choose a background, and generate the exact 1200 × 1200 px file.

Why DPI matters even though the pixel size is fixed

Every photo this tool produces is exactly 1200 × 1200 pixels — but pixels alone don't define a physical size. DPI (dots per inch) tells a printer how many of those pixels to pack into each inch. At 600 DPI, 1200 px prints at exactly 2 inches; the same file printed at 300 DPI would come out at 4 inches, and at 150 DPI, 8 inches — both the wrong size for a passport photo.

That's why this tool writes a 600 DPI tag directly into the JPEG file (in its JFIF header), so photo printers and print-sheet software size the image correctly without any manual setting.

Passport photo vs. visa photo — what's different?

For the vast majority of cases, a US passport photo and a US visa photo (such as for the DS-160 nonimmigrant visa form) share the exact same physical specification: 2 × 2 inches, with a head height of 1 in–1 3/8 in on a plain white/off-white background.

The difference shows up in how the photo is submitted. A passport application typically uses a printed photo mailed in with the paper form, sized with this tool's default 1200 × 1200 px (600 DPI) output. A DS-160 visa application uploads a digital JPEG instead, which historically needed to fall between 600×600 and 1200×1200 pixels and under roughly 240 KB — the top of that range, which this tool's default output satisfies. Always confirm the current digital limits on the portal you're using before uploading.

Frequently asked questions

What size is a US passport photo?
A U.S. passport photo must be 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm), with the head between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inch from the bottom of the chin to the top of the hair. For print quality at 600 DPI, that 2 × 2 inch frame is exactly 1200 × 1200 pixels — the fixed output size this tool produces.
What is the required head size in a passport photo?
The head — chin to top of hair — must measure between 1 in and 1 3/8 in (about 25–35 mm) inside the 2 × 2 in photo. This tool overlays two draggable guide lines and reports live whether your framing is inside that range.
What background does a passport photo need?
A plain white or off-white background with no shadows, patterns, or other people or objects visible. This tool includes one-click white/off-white swatches with automatic background cleanup.
Can I wear glasses in a passport photo?
No. Since November 2016, the U.S. Department of State no longer accepts glasses of any kind in passport photos, except for documented medical reasons. Remove glasses, headphones, and any non-religious/medical headwear before shooting.
Can I take my own passport photo at home?
Yes. Use daylight facing a window, stand a few feet from a plain light wall, hold the phone at eye level with the rear camera, and keep a neutral expression with both eyes open. Then upload it here to crop it to the exact official size.
Is my photo uploaded to a server?
No. Cropping, background cleanup, adjustments, and file export all run locally in your browser via the HTML5 Canvas API. Your photo is never sent to or stored on a server.
How many passport photos fit on a 4 × 6 print?
At the exact 2 × 2 in size, a 4 × 6 in print fits 6 copies (2 columns × 3 rows) edge to edge. The "Print sheet" feature above generates this layout automatically, with optional cut lines.
What's the difference between a passport photo and a visa photo?
The physical specification is identical for most applications: 2 × 2 in with the same 1 in–1 3/8 in head-height range. Online visa applications (like the DS-160) additionally require a digital JPEG between 600×600 and 1200×1200 pixels, typically under ~240 KB — this tool's 1200 × 1200 px output satisfies the top of that range.
Does DPI matter if the pixel size is already 1200 × 1200?
Yes. DPI tells a printer how large to physically print a pixel grid. 1200 × 1200 px at 600 DPI prints at exactly 2 × 2 in; the same file at 300 DPI would print at 4 × 4 in — the wrong size. This tool embeds a 600 DPI tag directly in the JPEG so printers size it correctly.
Can this tool make passport photos for other countries, not just the US?
Yes. The Country / document selector in the tool switches the output size, head-height range, and background suggestion to match the UK (35×45mm), Canada (50×70mm), Schengen/EU (35×45mm), India (2×2in), China (33×48mm), or Australia (35×45mm) specification, in addition to the default U.S. 2×2 in size. Requirements change occasionally — always confirm the current spec on your destination country's official portal before submitting.
How do I hit a file-size limit like DS-160's 240 KB?
Open the File-size target control in the Output format panel and choose the ≤ 240 KB — DS-160 / visa upload preset (or enter a custom KB limit), then click Generate photo. The tool automatically searches for the highest JPEG quality that still fits under your chosen size — no upload, all done in your browser.

Methodology & sources

ToolPico's Passport Photo Maker is a free, independent tool. It crops and resizes any uploaded photo to a fixed 1200 × 1200 px canvas (2 × 2 in at 600 DPI), overlays a draggable head-height guide calibrated to the 1 in–1 3/8 in official range, applies optional background cleanup, brightness/contrast, and rotation, and embeds a 600 DPI tag in the exported JPEG. All processing (image decoding, cropping, pixel-level cleanup, and encoding) runs client-side in your browser; no image or personal data is ever transmitted to a server.

Sources: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs — passport and visa photo requirements (travel.state.gov). Last updated: July 19, 2026. Photo standards can change; always confirm the current requirement on the official portal before submitting an application. This tool does not verify facial expression, photo age, or eyewear — it only assists with sizing, framing, and background.
Explore all ToolPico tools → Free, browser-based tools — more added regularly

🔗 Add this tool to your site

Copy the code below into your own site. The tool is free, always up to date, and runs entirely on your page. No sign-up required.

Preview →
⚡ Built with ToolPico · toolpico.com