How to Make a 2x2 Passport Photo at Home and Print It
By Ali Hamza · Published · 5 min read
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To make a passport photo at home, take a well-lit, straight-on photo against a plain white or off-white wall, crop it to the required size (2 × 2 inches for the US, 35 × 45 mm for the UK, EU and many other countries), and print it on a 4 × 6 inch photo sheet at 100% / actual size. ToolMany's Passport Photo Maker does the cropping and sheet layout at true print size in your browser.
The cropping is the easy part. Most rejections come from the photo itself: lighting, shadows, expression or head size. So start there.
Check the official rules first
Requirements differ by country and change from time to time. Before you take the photo, read the official page for the passport or visa you're applying for: the US State Department for US passports, GOV.UK for UK passports, or the relevant embassy for a visa. Common requirements:
| US passport | UK passport | Schengen visa (typical) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Print size | 2 × 2 in (51 × 51 mm) | 35 × 45 mm | 35 × 45 mm |
| Head size | 1 to 1⅜ in (25–35 mm), chin to top of head | 29–34 mm, chin to crown | about 32–36 mm |
| Background | White or off-white | Plain light grey or cream | Plain, light |
| Glasses | Not allowed | Not recommended; no glare | Usually not allowed with glare |
| Taken within | Last 6 months | Last month | Usually last 6 months |
Treat this table as a starting point and confirm the current figures on the official site.
Many applications are now online, such as UK passport renewals and some US renewals. These need a digital photo file with its own pixel and file-size rules instead of prints. For those, follow the portal's instructions; our guides on resizing to exact pixels and compressing to a KB limit help with digital uploads.
How to take the photo
- Find a plain wall that is white or very light and evenly lit. Avoid patterned wallpaper, doors and shelves.
- Use soft, even light. Face a window during the day. Avoid overhead lights that cast shadows under the eyes, and don't use the phone's flash directly.
- Stand about half a metre (1.5–2 feet) from the wall so your body doesn't cast a shadow on it.
- Have someone else take the photo from about 1–1.5 metres away, with the camera at your eye level. Selfies distort facial proportions and are often rejected.
- Face the camera directly, with a neutral expression or a natural closed-mouth smile, eyes open, and hair away from your eyes.
- Leave space around your head and shoulders. The tool crops from the centre of the photo, so keep your face in the middle of the frame with room above your head.
Take several shots and pick the sharpest one.
Crop and lay out the sheet with ToolMany
- Open the Passport Photo Maker and choose your photo.
- Pick the size: United States (2 × 2 in), European & Schengen (35 × 45 mm) or 40 × 50 mm (used by some visa applications).
- Choose how many copies to place on the sheet: 2, 4 or 6.
- The tool centre-crops your photo to the right shape and places the copies on a 4 × 6 inch sheet at 300 DPI, so each photo prints at its true physical size. Six US-size photos fill the sheet edge to edge; a thin grey guide line shows where to cut.
- Download the sheet as a PNG.
If your face isn't centred, or there's too much space above your head, crop the original first with the crop function in your phone's Photos app (or Windows Photos or macOS Preview) so your face sits in the middle, then load the cropped photo. Check the head-size rule after cropping: in a 2 × 2 inch photo, the distance from chin to top of head should be roughly half to two-thirds of the photo height.
Printing: the step people get wrong
The sheet is designed for a standard 4 × 6 inch (10 × 15 cm) photo print, the cheapest size at most photo kiosks and online print services.
- Order a 4 × 6 print at "actual size" with no cropping, borders or "fit to page".
- At home, print on 4 × 6 photo paper and set scaling to 100% or "Actual size". A printer that "fits" the image to the page changes the photo size.
- Measure one photo with a ruler after printing. A US photo must be exactly 2 inches square; a UK/EU photo 35 mm wide and 45 mm tall.
- Use photo paper, matte or glossy, not plain office paper.
- Cut carefully along the guides with a paper trimmer or sharp scissors and a ruler.
Reasons passport photos get rejected
- Shadows on the face or behind the head
- Background not plain or not light enough
- Head too small or too large in the frame
- Photo blurry, pixelated, or printed at the wrong size
- Glasses, especially with glare (not allowed for US passports)
- Edited or filtered photos. Don't use beauty filters or retouching apps.
- Expression not neutral, or eyes not clearly visible
Accepting authorities have the final say, so if you're unsure, many pharmacies and post offices will take a compliant photo for a fee.
Frequently asked questions
Can I print passport photos at home?
Yes, if you have a photo printer and 4 × 6 photo paper. Print at 100% or "actual size" and measure the result with a ruler. A cheap 4 × 6 print from a photo kiosk is often easier and gives better quality.
How many passport photos fit on a 4 × 6 print?
Six US 2 × 2 inch photos fit exactly. Six 35 × 45 mm or 40 × 50 mm photos also fit, with small gaps between them.
Can I wear glasses in a passport photo?
Not for US passports. Most other countries recommend removing them because glare and frames covering the eyes cause rejections. Check your country's official rules.
Can I smile in a passport photo?
A natural, closed-mouth smile is accepted for US passports. Many other countries require a neutral expression. Check the official guidance for your application.
Does ToolMany check whether my photo meets the rules?
No. The tool crops and lays out your photo at the correct print size, but it can't verify lighting, expression, background or head size. Compare your photo with the official requirements before you submit it.
