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Passport Photo AI

How to take a passport photo with your iPhone for online renewal

Yes, you can take it yourself. US online renewal takes a color photo straight from your phone (JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC or HEIF, 54 KB to 10 MB) as long as it is the original, unedited file. The recommended steps: shoot it with the iPhone camera, check head size, position and light in Passport Photo AI, then upload the original. The State Department's own tool crops it.

4 min read · Updated 2026-08-04

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What the online renewal asks for

This is the State Department's page for the digital photo, as of its last update (May 4, 2026). It is shorter than people expect.

US online passport renewal: digital photo rules
RuleWhat it means in practice
FileJPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC or HEIF, between 54 KB and 10 MB. An iPhone photo is already one of these.
RecentIn color, taken in the last 6 months.
BackgroundPlain white or off-white, no shadows, texture or objects.
FramingSeveral feet from the camera, head centered, the bottom of the photo at your shoulders.
FaceFacing the camera, both eyes open, no teeth showing, no glasses unless for documented religious or medical reasons.
EditingThe original photo: no filters, no retouching, no digital changes.
SourceNot a photo of a printed photo, and not a scan.

The form lets you reposition and crop the photo, and it runs a basic check as you upload. An employee still reviews it later, and if something is wrong they write to you for a new one. Unacceptable photos are, in the State Department's own words, the number one reason applications go on hold.

Why filters and AI-edited backgrounds get rejected

Since January 2026 the State Department does not accept photos changed with apps, filters or artificial intelligence. That includes a replaced background, even a clean white one.

It is the reason Passport Photo AI does not touch the background for a US passport, US visa or Green Card photo: for those it only crops and resizes the photo as you took it. If your wall is not white, the fix is a different wall, not a different app.

Taking the photo: someone else, a few feet away

An arm's-length selfie is too close for "several feet", and it makes the nose look bigger. Ask someone to hold the iPhone at your eye level with the main camera, or put it on a stack of books and use the timer.

  • Stand a step or two in front of a white wall, so your shadow falls behind you.
  • Face a window with indirect daylight and turn off the ceiling light.
  • Glasses off, hair away from the eyebrows, mouth closed.
  • Frame from the top of your head down to your shoulders, with some space above.

Check it in Passport Photo AI before you upload

  1. Open Passport Photo AI, tap Create New Photo and pick the United States and Passport.
  2. Tap Import and choose the photo you just took.
  3. Wait while it finds the face, crops to the 2 x 2 inch spec and measures head size, position, tilt and light. For a US passport it leaves the background alone.
  4. Read Photo Check. If anything under Issues found is critical, take the photo again: Retake Photo is faster than arguing with a rejection letter.
  5. When it passes, upload the original photo from your Photos library to the renewal form, and crop it there.

The check is the useful part here. The usual miss is head size: from a few feet away a face can look fine on the phone screen and still fill only 30% of the photo height, well under the 49.2% minimum the app measures for a US passport.

Original file or the app's 600 x 600 export?

For online renewal, upload the original, because that is literally what the form asks for and its crop tool expects a wider shot. The app's export is cropped and resized to 600 x 600 pixels and nothing else, but it is the file you want for a printed 2 x 2 photo, a mailed application or a visa that asks for an exact size.

Why online renewal photos get rejected

  • Blurry or badly exposed: the two examples the State Department itself publishes as videos.
  • Shadows on the face or on the wall behind it.
  • Glasses, even thin ones, without a documented reason.
  • Filters, beauty modes, Portrait mode or a replaced background.
  • A photo of a printed photo, or a scan.
  • Too close to the camera, with the shoulders cut off.
  • Head tilted or turned. The app flags a tilt over 8 degrees; it does not check smiling, glasses or eyes.

What changes for first-time applications in 2027

On September 29, 2026 the Secretary of State announced that first-time passport applications will move online through America.gov starting in 2027, including taking or uploading the photo. The photo rules for that new process had not been published separately as of this writing, so check the official page when you apply.

Questions and answers

Can I take my own passport photo for online renewal?
Yes, as long as it meets the rules: recent, in color, white or off-white background, several feet away, unedited. A selfie at arm's length is usually too close, so it is easier with a second person or a timer.
Does Passport Photo AI change my background for a US passport?
No. For a US passport, US visa or Green Card photo it skips background replacement on purpose, because the State Department rejects edited backgrounds. It only crops and resizes.
Which file should I upload, the original or the cropped one?
For online renewal, the original photo from your library: the form asks for the unedited photo and crops it itself. Use the app's 600 x 600 export for printed photos and applications that ask for an exact size.
Is the app free?
It is free to download, and checking and exporting a single photo is free. The optional upgrade adds print sheets, converting a photo for another country and no ads.

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