DS-11 photo requirements (first-time US passport)

Who files a DS-11

DS-11 is the in-person application. You use it if this is your first US passport, if the applicant is under 16, or if your previous passport was lost, stolen or damaged, was issued more than 15 years ago, or was issued before you turned 16. Anyone who does not meet the renewal conditions files a DS-11 rather than a DS-82.

Because it is filed in person at an acceptance facility, an agent will look at your paperwork. That is a weak safety net for the photo: they check that a photo is attached and roughly right, not that the head measures within the millimetre band. A photo that looks fine on the counter can still be rejected later.

The photo spec, exactly

Size is 2 x 2 inches square, which is 51 x 51 mm. Head height from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head, including hair, must be between 1 and 1 3/8 inches (25 to 35 mm). Eye height from the bottom edge must be between 1 1/8 and 1 3/8 inches (28 to 35 mm).

The background must be plain white or off-white, with no shadow falling on it and no pattern or furniture edge visible. Face the camera squarely with both eyes open, a neutral expression or a natural smile, and normal everyday clothing. Glasses are not accepted. Head coverings are only allowed for religious or medical reasons, and your full face must still be visible.

The photo must have been taken within the last 6 months and must look like you do now. Print it in colour on matte or glossy photo-quality paper. Nothing in the image may be digitally altered beyond cropping and resizing.

Children and babies on a DS-11

Every applicant needs their own photo, including newborns, and every child under 16 files a DS-11. No one else may appear in the frame, which means no hands supporting the head and no shoulder of the person holding the baby.

The usual method is to lay the baby on a plain white sheet and shoot from directly above, keeping the camera parallel to the face rather than angled. The eyes should be open if you can manage it, though there is more tolerance for infants than for adults. A dummy or a toy in the frame will fail.

Where DS-11 photos actually go wrong

The recurring causes are a background that is cream, grey or shadowed rather than plain white, a head that is too small because the photo was taken from too far back, glasses left on out of habit, and a print made on ordinary office paper so the face looks flat and dull.

All of those are checkable before you leave the house. Measure the head band and the eye line against the spec, and confirm the background reads as white rather than as a wall you assumed was white.

Frequently asked questions