Guide
Why passport photos get rejected
Photo rejections delay applications by weeks, and nearly all of them trace back to the same nine causes. Each one is checkable before you submit.
01Head too large or too small in the frame
Every document defines a band for head height — US: 50–69% of the frame, most 35×45 mm documents: 70–80%. Photo apps that just center your face routinely miss the band, and reviewers measure it.
Fix: Measure, don't eyeball. Our tool shows your head height as a live percentage against the band for your exact document.
02Shadows on the face or background
Overhead lighting throws shadows under the eyes and chin; standing close to the wall throws a hard shadow behind your head. Both are among the most cited rejection reasons worldwide.
Fix: Face a window (or two lamps at 45°), and stand about a metre away from the wall so the background stays evenly lit.
03Wrong background colour — or a busy one
The US wants white or off-white, Germany light grey, France light grey or blue (white is rejected there). A textured wall, doors, or gradient lighting all read as 'not plain'.
Fix: Check your destination's exact colour on its document page, and photograph against the plainest wall you have — the checker measures uniformity and colour.
04The photo is edited
Since 2026 the US State Department explicitly rejects AI-altered photos — background replacement, skin smoothing, filters (8 FAM 402.1). Other countries are following. Automated detection of editing artifacts is getting better every year.
Fix: Don't edit; retake. A honest photo against a real plain wall beats a perfect-looking edited one that gets your application bounced.
05Expression, glasses and eyes
Smiling with teeth, tilted head, closed eyes, hair across the eyes, and glare on glasses all cause rejections. The US and India ban glasses outright.
Fix: Neutral face, mouth closed, both eyes open, hair behind the ears, glasses off unless your destination explicitly allows them.
06Photo too old
Most authorities require a photo taken within the last 6 months that reflects how you look now. Reusing the photo from your previous passport is a classic rejection.
Fix: Take a fresh photo for each application — it costs minutes.
07Wrong pixel dimensions or file size
Portals validate mechanically: the DV lottery wants exactly 600×600 px under 240 KB; India's Passport Seva wants exactly 630×810 px between 10 and 250 KB. Close doesn't count.
Fix: Export at the exact required dimensions and compress under the cap — our paid file does both; the free compress and resize tools handle one-off needs.
08Too little resolution — or heavy upscaling
Cropping a face out of a group photo leaves too few pixels; upscaling introduces blur and artifacts that reviewers and automated checks notice.
Fix: Start from a photo where your head already fills a good part of the frame, shot at your camera's native resolution.
09Printed at the wrong size
A perfectly compliant 35×45 mm photo printed with 'fit to page' comes out the wrong physical size, and the head-height measurement fails with it.
Fix: Print a prepared sheet at 100% scale on 10×15 cm paper — our print sheet includes cut lines and the exact-scale instruction for the shop.
Check your photo against your document
Every measurement above is checked live, free, in your browser:
Compliance, honestly
- We validate 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.
- You get a measured report, not a guarantee — final acceptance always rests with the issuing authority.