DIY Passport Photo Maker

How to make a passport photo

1. 1

   Add your photograph

   Use a picture taken straight on against a plain wall in even light. It is processed online, so your face is not retained by PilotPDF to anyone.

2. 2

   Crop to the official specification

   Select the country and document type so the crop matches its required dimensions and head size. The head proportion is the part most rejections come down to.

3. 3

   Download and print

   Export a print-ready sheet. Print on photographic paper at the exact physical size — scaling it to fit ordinary paper will make it non-compliant.

The specification is stricter than the picture size

Almost everyone thinks of a passport photo as a size, and the size is the easy part. A UK passport photo is 35 × 45mm, a US one is 2 × 2 inches, and Schengen visa photos are 35 × 45mm — but getting the dimensions right while failing the other requirements is the usual reason a photo comes back. The measurement that matters most is head height: the distance from the bottom of your chin to the top of your head, as a proportion of the frame.

That proportion is specified precisely and differs between countries. The US requires the head to occupy roughly 50–69% of the total height, with the eyes positioned in a defined band. The UK requires the face, from chin to crown, to measure between 29 and 34mm within a 45mm frame. A photograph cropped to the right outer dimensions but with the head too small or too large is rejected, and cropping by eye almost never lands inside the tolerance.

Because the rules genuinely vary — background colour, head size, whether the photo may be printed at home, whether digital submission is accepted — check the current requirements published by the issuing authority for your specific document before you print. Requirements also change, so a specification you used a few years ago may no longer be current.

Taking a photograph that will pass

Most rejections come from how the picture was taken rather than how it was cropped. Face the camera squarely with your head straight, not tilted or turned. Use a neutral expression with your mouth closed — smiling is explicitly not allowed for most documents. Keep both eyes open and clearly visible, with nothing across them. The background must be plain and light, typically white or off-white for most countries, with no pattern, no objects, and no shadow falling on it.

Lighting is what separates a usable photo from a rejected one, and the common failures are consistent: shadows cast on the wall behind, a shadow across one side of the face, glare or red-eye from a flash, and reflections on spectacle lenses. Even, diffuse light from the front solves nearly all of it — facing a window on an overcast day, standing far enough from the wall that no shadow falls on it, is better than any indoor lighting setup most people have. Many authorities have simply stopped accepting photographs with glasses; if yours still permits them, the lenses must be clear and free of reflection.

Practical points on capture and printing. Have someone else take the photo from about a metre and a half away rather than holding the camera at arm's length, since a close lens distorts facial proportions noticeably — this is why selfies are frequently rejected. Head coverings are permitted only for religious or medical reasons and must not obscure the face. When printing, use photographic paper at the exact specified size with no scaling, and check the print for a border, a colour cast, or visible pixellation before submitting it.

From the blog

• Employee ID Card Templates: Make One Online (PDF)

  Make an employee ID badge with a photo, job title and QR code or barcode, print it at the right size, and do a whole team at once from a spreadsheet.

• Student ID Card Size, Templates and Printing Guide

  The standard student ID card size (CR80, 54 × 86 mm), what to put on the card, free student templates, and how to print cards for a whole class.

Related tools