US passport photo requirements

Paper application or online renewal?

This guide covers the printed photo for a paper application. Online renewal has its own upload process; a 2 × 2 inch print sheet is not the file to upload. Choose the route before ordering an output.

Check the person as well as the dimensions

Remove glasses unless a documented medical exception applies. Religious and medical head coverings have separate documentation requirements. The official examples explain child and disability exceptions; use those examples when a standard pose is difficult.

Check the final print at actual size

Merodim tip: print one sheet first, with automatic scaling disabled. Measure a single finished photo and check the face at close range before cutting the remaining copies. A correct page size does not prove the individual portraits printed at the intended scale.

Problems and practical fixes.

Use the issue you can see to choose your next step.

The sheet prints smaller than expected

Check whether the printer applied “fit to page” or added margins. Reprint from the original print file at actual size.

The face looks soft or grainy

Go back to the camera original. A screenshot or compressed message attachment gives the processor less detail to work with.

The background is unsuitable

Retake against a suitable wall. Merodim recommends the original-background route; optional replacement is an edited version, not evidence of compliance.