Guides
Passport photo guides
Written for the moment before you submit, when you want to know whether the photo will hold up. Every figure is cited from the issuing authority and dated.
Why passport photos get rejected
The nine causes behind almost every rejection, from head size and shadows to background, expression, resolution and editing, with the fix for each, plus the country-specific rules that catch people out.
Passport photo sizes by country
35×45 mm covers most of the world; the US uses 2×2 inches. Every size we hold in millimetres, inches and pixels, grouped by format, plus the documents whose portals enforce an exact pixel size and the ones with a minimum file size as well as a maximum.
Which countries reject AI-edited photos
Automatic background removal is the headline feature of most photo tools and a refusal risk in much of the world. The rule for every document we cover, sorted into explicitly prohibited, unclear, and unrestricted.
How big is a passport? Booklet dimensions
Every passport booklet in the world is the same size: 125×88 mm (4.92×3.46 inches), the ICAO ID-3 format. What that means, why page counts differ anyway, and the photo sizes people usually meant to look up.
Where to get a passport photo taken
Booth, pharmacy, studio, post office or your own phone: what each costs, which countries require a professional, and how to tell before you pay whether a photo you take yourself will pass.
How to print passport and licence photos
Any pharmacy photo counter can print a compliant photo for under a euro if the sheet is set up right. Print at 100% on 10×15 cm paper, never 'fit to page', plus the driving-licence and passport cases that differ.
Countersigning: 'I certify that this is a true likeness'
When a UK passport photo needs a countersignature, the exact wording to write on the back, who is allowed to sign, and the countries (Canada, Jamaica) with their own version of someone vouching for your photo.
The French national identity card (CNI)
France's ID card in its two living formats: the credit-card-size carte d'identité électronique issued since August 2021, and the older laminated card, with validity rules, travel rights and the photo specification.
What a green card looks like
The current permanent resident card, issued since January 2023: actually green, Statue of Liberty artwork, photo on both sides, no signature. Every field on the card explained, and which older designs remain valid.
Or just check the photo
The guides explain the rules. The tool measures your photo against them for your exact document, free, without uploading anything.
How we handle compliance
- We check your photo against the official rules. We never retouch your face, and we only normalize the background where the destination country permits it.
- Every requirement is cited from official government sources, with the verification date shown on the page.
- What you get is a report of measurements, not a guarantee. Final acceptance always rests with the issuing authority.