You can wear a religious head covering in a U.S. passport photo if your full face is visible and you include a signed statement explaining that the covering is part of your daily religious practice. The State Department treats this as a religious accommodation and reviews each request individually. Approval usually comes down to two things done correctly: a photo that meets the visibility rules, and a short signed letter that ties the head covering to your ongoing observance.
What the Photo Must Show
Your entire face must be unobstructed: from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead, and from one side of the face to the other. No shadow from the head covering can fall across your eyes, cheeks, or anywhere else on your face. Passport photos feed into facial recognition at border crossings, and shadows or obstructions can cause a mismatch.
The covering itself has to meet material rules that trip up a lot of applicants. It must be a single solid color with no patterns, and the fabric cannot have small holes or perforations. A lace veil or an intricately woven scarf will not pass, even if your face is fully visible underneath. The rules apply to any type of religious garment, whether that is a hijab, turban, kippah, sheitel covering, or other traditional headwear.
What the Signed Statement Must Say
The signed statement is the document that turns a head covering from a photo violation into an approved accommodation. Without it, your application will be returned. It has to verify that your head covering is part of recognized, traditional religious attire that you customarily wear continuously in public. That specific phrasing, drawn from State Department guidance, is worth echoing closely in your own letter.
The statement needs to do two things. First, explain how and why your religious beliefs make it difficult to complete the photo requirement without the head covering. Second, describe your religious practice and how it connects to those beliefs. A few clear sentences covering both points is enough. Something like: “I, [full legal name], wear [garment] daily as part of my religious practice in [faith tradition]. My religious beliefs require me to keep my head covered at all times in public. The head covering in my passport photo is part of recognized, traditional religious attire that I wear continuously.”
Include your full legal name as it appears on the application, and sign it. If the applicant is under 16, a parent or legal guardian signs on the child’s behalf. Plain paper is fine. No notarization, letterhead, or clergy letter is required, and there is no numbered State Department form for this purpose.
How Sincerity Is Evaluated
The State Department reviews accommodation requests case by case, and the signed statement itself is the primary evidence of sincerity. There is no formal religious sincerity test, no interview, and no requirement to prove membership in a specific congregation or denomination. In practice, a clear, specific statement connecting the head covering to daily observance satisfies the requirement for most applicants.
Eyeglasses Still Have to Come Off
Even with an approved head covering, you must remove all eyeglasses for the photo, including prescription glasses, sunglasses, and tinted lenses. If you cannot remove them for medical reasons, include a signed note from your doctor with your application. The old exception for everyday prescription glasses no longer exists.
If the Head Covering Is Medical, Not Religious
The State Department also allows head coverings worn for medical reasons, such as during chemotherapy, with alopecia, or after surgery. The photo rules are the same: full face visible, no shadows, single solid color, no patterns or holes. The paperwork is different. Instead of a personal signed statement, you submit a signed letter from your doctor explaining the medical necessity.
How to Submit the Statement With Your Application
Where the statement goes depends on how you’re applying.
First-Time and In-Person Applications
First-time applicants, those whose previous passport was lost or stolen, and anyone whose last passport was issued before age 16 use Form DS-11 and apply in person at an acceptance facility. Place the signed statement directly behind the application form so it moves through processing together with your photo.
Renewal by Mail
If you’re eligible to renew on Form DS-82, put the signed statement in the envelope with your other renewal materials.
Online Renewal
The State Department now offers online passport renewal at opr.travel.state.gov. Its religious accommodation guidance says the signed statement must be submitted “with your application” but does not describe a specific digital upload path for the statement during online renewal. Until clearer guidance is available, applying by mail or in person is the safer route when you need to include an accommodation statement.
If Your Photo or Statement Is Rejected
If your photo doesn’t meet the visibility rules, or your statement is missing or incomplete, the State Department will send a letter or email asking for more information. You have 90 days from the date of the notice to respond before the application is closed. A closed application means starting over, fees included.
If the accommodation request itself is denied, you’ll get a letter explaining what you need to provide to move forward. Denials aren’t necessarily final. Because each request is reviewed individually, you can resubmit with a more detailed statement or additional documentation addressing whatever the denial letter flagged. The two most common fixable problems are a statement that is too vague about the tie between the head covering and daily religious practice, and a photo where the covering casts shadows the applicant didn’t notice at the time.