DS-82 photo requirements (US passport renewal by mail)

Who can renew with a DS-82

You can renew by mail on a DS-82 if your most recent passport is undamaged and in your possession, was issued when you were 16 or older, was issued within the last 15 years, and was issued in your current name, or you can document your name change. If any of those is not true, you file a DS-11 in person instead.

Children cannot renew by mail. A passport issued before the holder turned 16 always requires a new in-person application.

The photo spec, exactly

The print is 2 x 2 inches square, which is 51 x 51 mm. The head must measure 1 to 1 3/8 inches (25 to 35 mm) from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head including hair, and the eyes must sit 1 1/8 to 1 3/8 inches (28 to 35 mm) up from the bottom edge.

Background is plain white or off-white with no shadow and no visible pattern. Face the camera squarely, both eyes open, neutral expression or a natural smile, everyday clothing, no glasses. Head coverings are only accepted for religious or medical reasons and must not obscure the face.

The photo has to be from the last 6 months and has to look like you now. Print it in colour on matte or glossy photo paper. Cropping and resizing are the only changes allowed to the image.

Nobody checks it before you seal the envelope

This is the real difference between DS-82 and an in-person application. There is no counter agent glancing at the photo, so an off-white wall or a head that sits slightly too low goes into the mail unnoticed. The problem surfaces after processing has already started, as a letter asking you to send a compliant photo, and the wait restarts around that exchange.

Measuring the head band and the eye line before you print costs a minute. Do it against the actual spec rather than by eye, because the head-size band is narrow and it is the check that catches people out most often.

The photo from your current passport will not do

A photo has to have been taken within the last 6 months, so the image in the passport you are renewing is disqualified by age alone, even if you think you look the same. The same applies to leftover prints from the last renewal sitting in a drawer.

If your appearance has changed significantly since the current passport was issued, that is a reason to be careful about the new photo, not a reason to reuse the old one. The photo is meant to show how you look now.

Frequently asked questions