Free US Passport Photo Checker
Built and maintained by the 2x2 Passport Photo team · Updated November 4, 2026
This passport photo checker is free and runs in your browser. It tests your photo against the US 2 × 2 inch rules: crop, resolution, head size, eye height, centering and background. Your photo isn't uploaded. It's a pre-check, not an approval: the State Department decides whether a passport photo is accepted.
What the Passport Photo Checker Tests
Each check below shows what the checker measures, the official US rule behind it and where that rule comes from. Where there is no official number, the check is ours and we say so.
Head size, eye height and centering only run on a photo that is already square. On an uncropped photo you'll see a note to crop it first.
| Check | What we measure | Official rule | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resolution | Width and height of at least 600 px. | No pixel count for printed passport photos. 600 px is 2 inches at 300 DPI: our minimum for a sharp 2 × 2 print. (600 × 600 px is the DS-160 visa upload minimum.) | Our check |
| 2×2 square crop | Width and height within 2% of each other. | 2 × 2 inches. | DS-11 / DS-82 instructions |
| Face detected | An on-device model finds a face in the photo. | Head facing the camera directly, full face in view. | DS-11 / DS-82 instructions |
| Head size (estimate) | Chin to top of head as a share of the photo's height; 50–69% passes. Estimated from the face box plus fixed margins for forehead and hair. | 1 to 1⅜ inches from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head. | DS-11 / DS-82 instructions |
| Eye height | Eye line 56–69% of the way up from the bottom edge. | 1⅛ to 1⅜ inches from the bottom of the photo. | State Department photo template |
| Face centered | Face center within 8% of the photo's width from the middle. A miss is a warning, not a fail. | No official tolerance. | Our check |
| Full head visible | Shown only when the estimated top of the head or the chin falls outside the photo. | Full face in view. | Our check |
| White background | Samples the top strip and the upper left and right edges for brightness and color tint. Light but tinted or shadowed gets a warning. | Plain white or off-white background. | DS-11 / DS-82 instructions |
Head size is an estimate
What a result looks like
Example: an uncropped phone photo of 3024 × 4032 px passes Resolution, fails 2×2 square crop (“taller than square”) and, once it finds the face, shows a note that head and eye position will be checked after cropping. The background check runs either way. Each line comes with a short message, and the summary at the top counts the issues found.
What It Can't Check
Some US passport photo rules need a person to look. Before you answer “will my passport photo be accepted”, check these yourself:
Glasses
Not allowed unless you submit a signed statement from a doctor explaining why you can't remove them (DS-11 instructions). See glasses in passport photos.
Expression
The State Department's photo page asks for a neutral expression with both eyes open and the mouth closed.
Shadows on your face
The background check looks at the edges of the photo, not your face.
The photo's age
It must have been taken less than 6 months ago (DS-11 and DS-82).
Edits, filters and AI changes
The State Department's photo page says not to change your photo with software, phone apps, filters or artificial intelligence. The checker can't tell whether a photo was edited.
Head coverings, uniforms and clothing
No uniform or camouflage; head coverings only with a signed religious or medical statement.
Paper and print quality
The print must be on matte or glossy photo quality paper, at exactly 2 × 2 inches.
The full rules are on our US passport photo requirements page, and examples of photos that fail are in rejected passport photos.
Is the Passport Photo Checker Really Free?
Yes. You can check as many photos as you like, with no account and no payment. The check itself never costs anything.
| What | Price |
|---|---|
| Checking a photo, any number of times | Free |
| Preview of a fixed photo in our editor | Free |
| HD download: the 2 × 2 file and a 4 × 6 print layout | $9.99, one time |
No subscription. We don't print or ship photos; you print the 4 × 6 yourself or at a photo counter. See print a 2×2 passport photo.
Your Photo Stays on Your Device
- The check runs in your browser. A face-detection model loads into the page and measures the photo on your device; the image isn't sent to our server.
- Our analytics record that a photo was checked, with the file's size and type. Not the image.
- If you click the button under your results, the photo is kept in your browser's session storage and the editor opens. The editor then processes it on our servers to crop it and make the white background.
Official Photo Tools
State Department Photo Tool
The Photo Tool crops a photo for a passport application in person or by mail. It's a cropping tool, not a pass-or-fail check, and it tells US citizens not to use it when renewing online.
Online passport renewal
If you renew online, you upload a digital photo in the application and the State Department reviews it there. File rules are on its upload page.
Other countries
Our checker is US-only. New Zealand has an official online photo checker for its passports, and the UK publishes its passport photo rules on GOV.UK. Sizes for other countries are in our passport photo size chart.
If Your Photo Fails
One fix per check. Crop and background problems can be fixed in an editor; a missing face, glasses or bad light means retaking the photo.
| Failed check | What to do |
|---|---|
| Resolution | Use the original photo from your phone or camera, not a screenshot or a copy sent through a messaging app, which can shrink it. |
| 2×2 square crop | Crop to a square with the head centered. Our editor does this for you. |
| Face detected | Retake the photo facing the camera, in even light, with nothing covering your face. |
| Head size | Too small: crop tighter or stand closer. Too large: crop wider or step back. Then measure the print: 1 to 1⅜ inches. |
| Eye height | Move the crop up or down until your eyes sit a little above the middle of the photo. |
| Face centered | Re-crop so the same amount of background shows on each side of your head. |
| Full head visible | Leave space above your hair and below your chin, or retake the photo from farther away. |
| White background | Stand a couple of feet in front of a white wall and face a window, so your shadow doesn't fall on the wall. |
Retaking the photo
Passport Photo Checker FAQ
Is the passport photo checker free?
Yes. Checking a photo costs nothing, needs no account and has no limit on how many photos you check. Money only comes in if you choose to open our editor and buy the HD download of a finished photo: free preview, $9.99 HD download.
Is my photo uploaded or stored?
No. The check runs in your browser: a face-detection model loads into the page and measures your photo on your device. The image isn't sent to our server. Our analytics record that a file was checked, with its size and type, not the image. Your photo only leaves your device if you click the button to open the editor, which processes it on our servers to make the final photo.
If my photo passes, will it be accepted?
Not necessarily. The checker is a pre-check of the things software can measure. The State Department decides whether a passport photo is accepted, and some rules, like glasses, expression and the photo's age, are things the checker can't see. We can't guarantee acceptance.
Does it check UK, Canadian or other countries' photos?
No. It checks against the US 2 × 2 inch rules only. A UK, Canadian or Schengen photo has a different size and head size, so it would fail here even if it's correct for its own country. New Zealand runs an official online photo checker for its passports, and the UK publishes its rules on GOV.UK. For sizes by country, see our passport photo size chart.
Can I check a photo for a US visa or green card?
Partly. US visa and green card photos use the same 2 × 2 inch frame, so the crop, head size and background checks still help. But the DS-160 visa photo is a digital upload with its own file rules, and since USCIS's photo policy of December 12, 2025, USCIS takes its own photo for the documents it issues. Check what your form asks for on our USCIS photo requirements page.
Can I check a HEIC photo from my iPhone?
Not yet. The checker accepts JPG, PNG and WebP files. Save or share the photo as a JPG first; on an iPhone, Settings > Camera > Formats > Most Compatible makes the camera save JPGs. The photo editor's upload isn't limited to those three formats.
What is the State Department's photo tool?
The State Department's Photo Tool (tsg.phototool.state.gov) lets you choose a photo, crop it and download the result. It says it is for cropping photos for applications in person or by mail, and tells US citizens not to use it when renewing a passport online. It doesn't describe itself as a compliance check.
More on photos for USCIS forms: USCIS photo requirements (see also the USCIS photo policy announcement).
Updated November 4, 2026. The checks follow the photo rules in the State Department's DS-11 and DS-82 instructions (edition 04-2025) and its passport photo page. Requirements change; read your form's current instructions before you print. We can't guarantee that a passport agency accepts a photo.
Related Guides & Tools
US Passport Photo Requirements
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Why Photos Get Rejected
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