How to take a passport photo at home

Prepare the room before opening the camera

Use a plain, uncluttered background and face a soft, even light source. Move away from the wall when possible so hard shadows do not appear behind the head.

Check the issuing authority’s current instructions before taking the photo. Requirements can change and the authority makes the final acceptance decision.

• Clean the camera lens
• Turn off beauty filters and portrait effects
• Keep glasses and head coverings consistent with the authority’s rules

Frame the face, head and shoulders

Hold the phone upright at eye level. Keep the head straight, look directly at the camera and leave clear space around the hair, chin and shoulders.

PassportPhoto99’s guide helps with distance and centering. Treat the guide and quality warnings as preparation assistance, then review the crop yourself before checkout.

• Use the manual shutter if auto photo is unavailable
• Retake if the image is blurred or heavily shadowed
• Do not digitally reshape facial features

Review before downloading

Inspect the watermarked preview at full size. Confirm the complete head is visible, the face is centred and the image still looks like the original person.

Choose the single JPEG for digital use or a complete print sheet for home or retail printing. Never allow a print provider to auto-crop a prepared 4 × 6 sheet.