Guides · Updated 2026-09-30

How to get a white background for a passport photo at home (without editing it)

Shoot it, don't edit it. Stand about half a metre to a metre in front of a plain white or off-white wall, door or sheet, face a window so daylight falls evenly on your face, and have someone take the photo from 1–1.5 m away at eye level. The State Department lists photos whose background was cut out with a retouching tool as unacceptable, so an evenly lit real background is the safe route.

Why you shouldn't just remove the background

The State Department's passport photo page says: do not change your photo using computer software, phone apps, filters or artificial intelligence. Its examples mark a photo whose background was cropped out with a retouching tool — changing the outline of the head, face and neck — as unacceptable.

The visa rules say photos must not be digitally enhanced or altered to change your appearance, and UK, Australian and New Zealand rules also ban edited photos (Australia explicitly says not to remove the background). Background-swap apps are a common reason for rejections.

What counts as a white background

For US passports, visas and green cards the background must be white or off-white, without shadows, texture or lines. A cream or very light wall usually passes; patterned wallpaper, tiles, doors with visible panels, or a shadow of your head do not.

How to get one at home

Use the plainest light surface you have: a white wall, the flat side of a white door, a white bed sheet pulled tight and taped to the wall, or a large sheet of white poster board behind your head and shoulders.

Stand 0.5–1 m (2–3 ft) in front of it. Standing against the wall is what causes the shadow behind your head.

Face a window in daylight so light falls evenly on your face and the background. Turn off overhead lights and don't use the flash — both create shadows and hot spots. If one side of the wall is darker, a lamp aimed at the wall (not at you) evens it out.

Have someone else take the photo from 1–1.5 m away with the phone at eye level. Include your whole head, shoulders and some space above your hair; the crop happens later.

Take several shots, then check them: pixtidy's checker measures whether the background is light and even enough, along with head size, eye line and lighting, for free and without uploading your photo.

Make your photo

Sources

Requirements can change — always double-check with the issuing authority.