If you plan on travelling outside the United States whether by land, air or sea, then you must have proper identification to allow you to leave and re-enter the country. Acceptable travel documents almost always require you to have a passport, which is internationally recognized as proof of identity and citizenship. All passport pictures, including baby passport photos, must follow very specific rules or the U.S. Department of State won’t issue you a passport.
Don’t alter or enhance your photo
Everyone wants their passport photo to look good, not like most mug shots on a driver’s license. However, resist the urge for a glamour shot that’s not going to provide a realistic version of yourself. You can use the red-eye reduction option when taking photos with a digital camera, but you can’t remove the red-eye from the photo itself. You can’t Photoshop your photo to remove blemishes or alter it in any way. Absolutely any type of enhancement or alteration to the photo will make it unacceptable. However, if you alter your personal appearance afterwards, that’s okay, as long as it’s nothing more drastic than changing your hairstyle or hair color.
Front face, eyes open, mouth neutral
With heightened security and better technology, it’s critical that new passport photos follow all requirements completely. Your photo must be less than six months old and include unique, measurable physical characteristics identifiable with biometric facial recognition software. That means that in a 2”x 2” photo, your head, from the chin to the crown, must fill 1” to 1 3/8” of that space. You must be fully-facing the camera with your eyes wide open and have a neutral facial expression. Smile, if you must, but keep it natural!
Choose an expert
If your submitted passport photo doesn’t meet each rule explicitly, then the processing of your passport application may be delayed. If you’re planning a trip in the very near future, you don’t want to miss your grand adventure because you couldn’t get your application approved due to photo issues. To avoid processing delays, it’s recommended you use a professional passport photo service who can streamline the process with expert training in how to get your photo approved the first time.