Adopt a neutral expression or a slight, natural smile. Face the camera straight on without tipping the chin up or down. Brush the hair off your face so no part of it is obscured. (If you really can't remove them, get a doctor's note for that too.) Remove any earpieces, hats or unnecessary head coverings. They're only allowed in the photo if they can't be removed for medical reasons even if you can't see without them, take them off. When it's time to take the picture, remove your glasses. Wear any shirt, as long as it's not camouflage, part of a uniform or covering part of the face. The photographer should demonstrate an understanding of the photo requirements and make sure the subject is positioned correctly. Get passport photos taken professionally at a drug store, grocery store, big-box store or other business that offers photo-developing services often such businesses take passport pictures too. It's very unlikely that a photo taken at home will conform to the requirements. If you're pictured wearing something on your head, the NPIC won't accept the photo without that letter of explanation. If it's a medically necessary head covering, the applicant's doctor must write and sign a letter explaining that fact. If it's the former, the letter must explain that the head covering is part of a recognized religious tradition and that it's customary to wear it at all times in public. If, for example, a child's passport application shows that she's 3 years old, but her passport photo shows her at 18 months, it will probably be returned.Īpplicants who are pictured wearing a hat or head covering must submit a letter that documents it as a religious or medical requirement.

Posing in front of a background that is any color other than white or off-white is also grounds for rejection. The distance from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head must measure between 1 and 1 3/8 inches. An acceptable photo is 2 inches by 2 inches. Sometimes, the issue is as simple as the size of the head in the frame. Any photo that doesn't comply with every one of the NPIC's guidelines will be rejected, without exception.

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