How to make and print a 2 × 2 passport photo
- Have someone take your photo against a white or off-white wall with no shadows, facing the camera, glasses off, eyes open and mouth closed.
- Drop the photo into the box above. US passport and the 4×6 in print sheet are already selected.
- Drag the square so your head measures 1 to 1⅜ inches of the 2-inch photo, about half to two-thirds of its height, from chin to top of head.
- Select Download and print the file as a standard 6 × 4 inch photo, at 100% size.
- Cut out one photo along the light grey lines and attach it to your form as its instructions say.
US passport photo requirements
From the State Department's US Department of State passport photo rules, checked 28 Oct 2026.
| Size | 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm) |
|---|---|
| Head | 1 to 1⅜ inches (25–35 mm), bottom of chin to top of head |
| Paper | Matte or glossy photo-quality paper; no photocopies or scans |
| Background | White or off-white, no shadows, texture or lines |
| Taken | In the last 6 months, in colour, sharp and evenly lit |
| Pose | Facing the camera, eyes open, mouth closed; a natural smile is fine |
| Not allowed | Glasses, uniforms or camouflage, headphones, filters or AI edits |
Hats and head coverings are allowed only for religious or medical reasons, with a signed statement, and must leave your full face visible.
Renewing online? Skip this tool
Online renewal works differently. It takes a JPG, PNG or HEIC photo between 54 KB and 10 MB and lets you crop it inside the application, so upload your original photo with some room around your head and shoulders rather than a tight 2 × 2 crop. This tool is for paper applications, such as a DS-11 or a DS-82 renewal by mail, that need a printed photo.
How it works
A 2 × 2 inch photo printed at 300 DPI, the standard resolution for photo prints, is 600 × 600 pixels. The crop box is locked to a square, and your framed area is resampled to exactly that size with a Lanczos3 filter.
The print sheet is a 6 × 4 inch landscape image, 1800 × 1200 pixels at 300 DPI, the standard photo print size at kiosks and print shops. It holds two 2 × 2 copies, centred, with 3 mm margins around the edge and 2 mm between photos so scissors or a trimmer fit, each outlined in light grey. Printing at 100% matters: “fit to page” or borderless settings scale the image, and the photos come out smaller or larger than 2 inches.
The JPEG is saved at high quality with MozJPEG and built from the pixels alone, so it carries no camera or location details. The tool only crops and resizes. It doesn't retouch, and you shouldn't either: the rules forbid filters, apps or AI edits that change your photo.
Common uses
- Renewing by mail. A DS-82 renewal by mail needs one printed 2 × 2 photo. Print the 4×6 sheet at a kiosk for the price of one print instead of paying for a photo service.
- A child's first passport. Babies and toddlers are easier to photograph at home: lay them on a plain white sheet, take the photo, then crop it to 2 × 2 here.
- Spares for other documents. Each print sheet gives two identical 2 × 2 photos, so one print covers your passport form and a spare for a visa or another form that asks for the same size.