How to Make a US Passport Photo at Home (2x2)
A 2 × 2 photo with a head of 1 to 1 3/8 inches, or 50-69% of a 600-1200 px square image, and a JPEG of at most 240 kB that is not compressed more than 20:1. Here is how to hit all of it, measured.
The Numbers That Matter
The State Department publishes the size rules in two places: the photo composition template and the digital image requirements. They come down to a few numbers:
| Rule | Printed 2 × 2 in photo | Digital image |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm) | Square, 600 × 600 to 1200 × 1200 px |
| Head, top of hair to chin | 1 to 1 3/8 in (25 to 35 mm) | 50% to 69% of the image height |
| Eye height from the bottom | 1 1/8 to 1 3/8 in (28 to 35 mm) | 56% to 69% of the image height |
| File | — | JPEG, sRGB color, at most 240 kB, compression 20:1 or less |
The two columns are the same rule at two scales: on a 2-inch photo, 50% to 69% of the height is 1 to 1.38 inches. That is why one well-made 600-pixel image works both online and printed at 300 pixels per inch.
Aim for the Middle of Each Range
The ranges are generous, but a photo placed at the edge of one fails if your crop is a few pixels off. Our US Passport & Visa Photo Maker aims for the middle: a head of 62% of the height (1.24 inches on the print) and eyes 62.5% from the bottom (1.25 inches). In our test the downloaded photo measured exactly 62.0% and 62.5%, and so did a photo cut from the printed sheet. You mark three points on your own photo, the top of the head including hair, the chin and the eyes, and the tool scales and places it from those.
The File Rules People Miss
Most attention goes to the 240 kB limit, which a 600-pixel photo rarely comes near: a real photo in our test was 86,580 bytes. The rule that catches people is the other one: the compression ratio should be 20:1 or less, meaning the file should be no smaller than one-twentieth of the raw image. A 600 × 600 color image is 1,080,000 bytes raw, so the JPEG should be at least 54,000 bytes. Our real photo was 12.5:1 at quality 92. A very plain test image compressed to 26.2:1 even at the highest quality, simply because there was little detail to store; the tool raises the quality when a file is over 20:1 and tells you if it still cannot meet the rule. Over-squeezing a photo with an online compressor is the easy way to break it.
Taking the Photo
The composition template asks for the full head from the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin, centered in the frame, with a neutral expression and facing the camera. For visa photos, eyeglasses have not been allowed since November 1, 2016. Use a plain white or off-white background with even light so there are no shadows on the face or the wall; our tool checks that the area around the head looks plain and light and flags a busy background. Photos must not be digitally altered to change your appearance, so crop and size the photo, nothing more.
Printing at Home or in a Store
The tool’s print sheet is a 4 × 6 inch image at 300 pixels per inch with six 2 × 2 inch photos and thin cut lines; the file records its 300 pixels per inch so printing software sizes it correctly. Print it at actual size with no “fit to page” and no borders, on photo paper, then cut along the lines.
Make your passport photo
Mark head, chin and eyes; get a 2 × 2 in photo, a JPEG under 240 kB and a 4 × 6 print sheet.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big should my head be in a US passport photo?
What pixel size should a digital US visa photo be?
What does the 20:1 compression ratio mean?
Can I wear glasses in a visa photo?
How do I print 2 by 2 photos on a 4 by 6 print?
Published Oct 14, 2026 by Derek Giordano