About three minutes, start to finish

How It Works

From your phone to a compliant photo, checked before you pay

The camera guides you while you take it. Software crops it, sets the background and measures every published requirement for your document. You see every result, and you pay only once the check has passed.

Take or upload a photo
  • Guided cameradistance, tilt and light
  • Every requirementverified before you pay
  • Acceptance guaranteedouble your money back

Your photo is deleted 30 days after delivery and never used to train AI.

A phone showing a passport photo passing every check

How it works

Three steps, about three minutes

Guided by the camera, measured by the software, checked before you pay.

  1. Take or upload a photo

    The camera guides you on distance, tilt and light while you line it up. Or upload a photo you already have.

  2. The AI does the tune up

    It crops to the document's size, sizes the head, sets a plain background and runs the initial check, on screen, in a few seconds.

  3. Pay, and it is yours

    Pay once. The digital file is in your inbox within minutes, as soon as the final automated check passes. Mailed prints arrive in 3 to 5 business days, or 1 to 2 with Express. Or print the emailed sheet yourself at a store near you.

Take or upload a photo
The same man before and after: half in his living room, half on a plain white passport photo background
  • Correct size
  • Head height in range
  • Plain white background
  • Even lighting, no shadows
  • Eyes open, mouth closed
  • Ready to submit

Three tips before you take the photo

Get these three right and the software handles the rest.

  • A woman holding a phone at arm's length, with the distance to her face marked 16 to 20 inches

    Take It As A Selfie

    Hold your phone at arm's length, 16 to 20 inches (40 to 50 cm) from your face. The guide sets the distance.

  • Two photos of a woman side by side, one facing the camera squarely and one turned away

    Face The Camera

    Hold the camera at face height. Keep your head straight and your expression neutral.

  • Two photos of a woman side by side, one lit evenly by a window and one with a hard shadow

    Ensure Even Lighting

    Stand facing a light source, such as an exposed window. Don't worry about the background.

Take or upload a photo

What you get

Choose the format that works best for you.

A woman at a laptop downloading her finished passport photo

DIGITAL PHOTO

A JPEG to the official spec

The file for your document, sized and verified against the official requirements. It reaches your inbox about a minute after you pay, ready to upload.

  • In your inbox in minutes
  • Sized to the official spec
  • Upload it straight away
Upload photo
The AI check

What the software checks, before you pay

Once you take or upload a photo, four things happen in a few seconds, on screen: cropping, removing the background, resizing and checking.

  • Six Checks On Screen

    The "Initial check passed" screen shows your photo cropped to size with the measurement lines, and six checks:

    • Face recognized
    • One face only
    • Minimum size
    • Correct proportions
    • Background can be replaced
    • No red eyes

  • More Than Twenty Measurements

    Behind those six: head height, centering, tilt and rotation, eyes open, mouth closed, glasses, head covering, shadows on the face and the background, exposure, color cast and sharpness. Tap "Show all checks" to see every one.

  • If A Check Fails

    The screen names it and tells you the fix: step forward, more light, take off the glasses. Retake it as many times as you need, free.

  • What You Confirm Yourself

    The one thing software cannot see is when the photo was taken. If you upload a photo, you confirm it is recent enough for your document before you go on: the last 6 months for a US passport or visa, the last month for a UK passport. Each document page lists its own rule.

  • What The AI Never Does

    It never changes your face, your features, your eyes or your expression. Crop, size and background only.

  • Photo Retouching, If You Add It

    Applied at payment: temporary skin blemishes, shadows under the eyes, single stray hairs and dust spots. Nothing that changes a feature. If it cannot be applied, you get the untouched photo and the fee back.

The guarantee

Accepted or double your money back

Our software checks every photo twice against the official rules: once while you take it, and once again on the finished photo before delivery. The Acceptance guarantee makes that second check stricter and adds the double money back promise.

  • What Is Covered

    Orders with the Acceptance guarantee. If the issuing authority rejects the photo, we refund 200% of the order price, including any delivery cost, to the payment method you used.

  • How To Claim

    Email the authority's rejection notice to support@passportphotos.com within 14 days of the rejection, with your order number. One claim per photo.

  • The Full Terms

    The exclusions and the full terms are on the guarantee page.

Safer with PassportPhotos

The camera guides you before you take the photo, then we verify every official requirement before you pay.

A phone showing the camera guide with prompts for face position, lighting and distance

  • Guided before you take it

    The camera helps you with distance, lighting and face position, so the photo is right from the start.

  • Every requirement verified

    We check your photo against the official requirements before you pay, so you know it is right.

  • 200% money-back guarantee

    Double your payment back if your photo is rejected, with the Acceptance guarantee.

  • Image protection

    Your photos are deleted 30 days after delivery and are never used to train AI.

Secure checkout by Shopify. Read the full guarantee

FAQ

Your questions, answered

  • How long does the whole thing take?
    About three minutes to take the photo and check out. The digital file is in your inbox within minutes of paying, as soon as the final automated check passes.
  • Do I need an app?
    No. It runs in your phone's browser. On a computer, scan the code to continue on your phone, or use the computer's camera.
  • Can I use a photo I already have?
    Yes. Upload it and it goes through the same checks. You confirm it is recent enough for your document, for example taken in the last 6 months for a US passport.
  • When do I pay?
    Only after the initial check has passed and you choose what you want. Nothing is charged for retakes.
  • What if the photo fails a check?
    The screen names the problem and the fix. Retake it as many times as you like, free.
  • Do you change my face?
    No. Crop, size and background only. Retouching, if you add it, removes temporary blemishes and dust, never a feature.
  • How do I claim the guarantee?
    Email the authority's rejection notice to support@passportphotos.com within 14 days, with your order number.
  • What happens to my photo afterward?
    It is used to make your photo and for nothing else. Deleted 30 days after delivery, never used to train AI.

Written by the PassportPhotos team.