Passport photo guides
When something goes wrong with a document photo, it's almost always one of a handful of known problems. These guides cover the ones that actually cause rejections.
Passport photo rejected? The 8 most common reasons (and how to fix them)
Why passport photos get rejected: shadows, wrong head size, glasses, expression, background, resolution, age of photo and printing errors — with fixes for each.
Updated 2026-07-13
How to take a baby passport photo at home (that actually gets accepted)
Step-by-step guide to taking an acceptable passport photo of a baby or infant at home: positioning, lighting, expression rules and country-specific exceptions.
Updated 2026-07-13
Can you wear glasses in a passport photo? Country-by-country rules
Where glasses are banned (US, Australia), where they're allowed with conditions (UK, Canada, EU) and the reflection/frame rules that cause rejections.
Updated 2026-07-13
Passport photo rules for hijabs, turbans and religious head coverings
How to take a compliant passport photo with a hijab, turban, kippah or other religious head covering: face-visibility rules by country and common rejection causes.
Updated 2026-07-13
Germany's 2025 digital-only passport photo rules, explained
Since May 2025 Germany only accepts digitally transmitted passport photos. What changed, how the QR-code photo process works, and what it means for photos taken at home.
Updated 2026-07-13
Is your passport photo too blurry? A 30-second self-check
How sharp does a passport photo need to be, how to check focus and resolution before submitting, and why compression — not the camera — usually causes blur rejections.
Updated 2026-07-13
Passport photo sizes explained: mm, inches, pixels and DPI
Passport photo dimensions explained: why 35 x 45 mm dominates, how the US 2 x 2 inch format differs, and how to convert between mm, inches, pixels and DPI.
Updated 2026-07-21
How to print passport photos at home (and when not to)
How to print compliant passport photos at home: paper choice, printer settings, the 4 x 6 sheet method, and the cases where home printing gets rejected.
Updated 2026-07-21
Passport photo background rules: white, grey and exceptions
Which background colour each country requires: white, off-white and light grey, the countries that reject white, shadow problems and digital replacement.
Updated 2026-07-21
Visa photo vs passport photo: can you reuse one?
Visa and passport photo rules differ in size, head height and format. Which countries diverge, and when reusing an existing photo actually works.
Updated 2026-07-21
Why your digital passport photo upload keeps failing
Why online passport photo uploads fail: pixel ranges, file size limits, aspect ratio, automated checkers, compression and metadata — with fixes for each.
Updated 2026-07-21