Yes — you need a new passport photo for renewal every time, taken within the last six months, even if your current passport photo still looks like you.1U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Photos You cannot reuse the picture from your expiring book, and you cannot dig up one taken a year ago. The exact specifications also depend on whether you renew by mail or online, so it pays to know the rules before you take the shot.
The Six-Month Rule Is Absolute
The State Department requires a color photo taken within the past six months for every renewal application.1U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Photos There is no exception for renewals where your old photo is still a close likeness. The passport is an identity document, and a decade-old image will not do.
A separate rule kicks in if your appearance has changed significantly since your last passport was issued. Major facial surgery or trauma, large new tattoos or piercings, and substantial weight loss or gain all mean you should apply as a new applicant using Form DS-11 rather than going through the renewal process.1U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Photos Minor changes — growing a beard, coloring your hair, normal aging — do not trigger this, as long as you are still recognizable from your current passport photo.
Size, Background, and Expression
The photo must be in color and measure exactly 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm). Your head, from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head, must fall between 1 inch and 1⅜ inches (25 to 35 mm).1U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Photos The background has to be plain white or off-white, with no shadows, patterns, or textures. Printed photos need matte or glossy photo-quality paper.
The image itself must be sharp, with no blur, graininess, or pixelation. Face the camera directly without tilting your head. Keep a neutral expression, both eyes open, and your mouth closed. Smiling is allowed, as long as your mouth stays closed while you do it.1U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Photos Your full face must be visible, and no hair can cover your eyes.2U.S. Department of State. 8 FAM 402.1 Passport Photographs
What to Wear
Wear normal street clothes. Uniforms are not allowed, and neither is anything that looks like a uniform, including scrubs and camouflage.1U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Photos Because the background is white, skip white or very pale tops. Darker shades like navy, black, or burgundy give the contrast you want. Keep jewelry minimal and make sure nothing reflects light or casts a shadow on your face.
Glasses and Head Coverings
Take off all eyeglasses, sunglasses, and tinted glasses. If you cannot remove them for medical reasons, include a signed doctor’s note with your application, and even then the lenses cannot produce glare or hide your eyes.1U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Photos For most people, the easier option is simply to take the glasses off.
Hats and head coverings are prohibited unless you wear one daily for religious or medical reasons. For religious coverings, submit a signed statement that you wear it as religious attire daily in public. For medical coverings, submit a signed statement from your doctor. Either way, the covering has to be a single solid color with no patterns or small holes, your full face must remain visible, and it cannot cast shadows on your face.1U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Photos
Mail Renewal vs. Online Renewal
The photo itself follows the same rules for both. What changes is how you submit it.
By Mail (Form DS-82)
Attach one printed color photo, 2 × 2 inches, on matte or glossy photo-quality paper. Staple it to your application with four staples, placed vertically in the corners as close to the outer edges as possible.3U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Renewal Application for Eligible Individuals DS-82
Online
Upload a digital photo in JPG, PNG, HEIC, or HEIF format, sized between 54 kilobytes and 10 megabytes.4U.S. Department of State. Uploading a Digital Photo The image has to be square, with minimum dimensions of 600 × 600 pixels and a maximum of 1200 × 1200 pixels.5Travel.State.Gov. Digital Image Requirements The online application has a built-in photo tool that checks the basics and lets you crop or reposition before you submit. If something is off, the tool will flag it.
Don’t Use Filters or AI
Do not alter your photo with software, phone apps, filters, or artificial intelligence.1U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Photos Beauty filters and AI-enhanced portrait modes on newer phones are a fast route to rejection. If your camera has these features on by default, turn them off before shooting.
Photos for Infants and Children
Every child needs their own passport and their own compliant photo. The specs match the adult rules, with one break: an infant’s eyes do not need to be fully open. All older children must have their eyes open.1U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Photos
For the white background behind a baby, the State Department suggests either laying the baby on a plain white or off-white sheet, or draping a plain white or off-white sheet over a car seat and photographing the baby sitting in it.1U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Photos No shadows on the baby’s face, and no other person’s hands or body in the frame. Most parent-taken baby photos fail on exactly those two points — a stray hand steadying the baby, or a shadow from leaning over.
What Rejection Costs You
Bad photos are the single most common reason passport applications get put on hold. When there is a problem, your application stops moving. You get a letter or email marked “Additional Information Needed,” and the file sits until you send a compliant replacement along with a copy of the letter.6Travel.State.Gov. Respond to a Letter or Email
With routine processing running four to six weeks and expedited processing at two to three weeks, a photo rejection can easily tack weeks onto those numbers.7U.S. Department of State. Processing Times for U.S. Passports If you have a trip coming up, that hurts.
Studio Photo or Take Your Own?
Pharmacies, shipping stores, and photo studios all offer passport photo services, and they handle lighting, background, sizing, and cropping for you. Prices generally run about $8 to $20 for a set of prints. Some retailers charge less for a digital file if you are renewing online. For anyone new to this, or anyone who got rejected last time, paying for the service is cheap insurance.
Taking your own is doable but riskier. Stand in front of a plain white wall with even lighting and no shadows behind you. Use a tripod or have someone else hold the camera at eye level; arm’s-length selfies produce awkward angles and uneven framing even when the rules do not explicitly ban them. Check the final image against every requirement before you send it in. Catching a problem at home costs nothing. Catching it later costs weeks.