Guides · Updated 2026-09-30
US passport online renewal photo: size, file limits and tips
For online passport renewal you upload a digital photo between 54 KB and 10 MB, in JPG, PNG, HEIC or HEIF format, taken by someone else (not a scan of a printed photo), showing your head and shoulders on a plain white or off-white background. You may crop it, but you must not use filters, retouching or AI. Remove glasses; a neutral expression or natural smile without showing teeth is fine.
The official rules
The State Department's page on uploading a digital photo lists the file size (54 kilobytes to 10 megabytes) and formats (JPG, PNG, HEIC, HEIF), and says you can reposition or crop the photo in the application — it suggests leaving a little extra room around your face.
Background: white or off-white, plain, with no shadows, texture or lines. No glasses. Hats off unless worn for religious or medical reasons, and then one colour without patterns, with the full face visible.
Do not use any filter or retouching tool, and do not generate or edit the photo with AI.
Tips
Have someone take the photo from about 1–1.5 m away at eye level; selfies at arm's length distort the face.
Frame head and shoulders with space above the head, then crop. pixtidy's online renewal photo maker crops and checks the photo and exports a JPG inside the size window.
Common reasons for rejection
The State Department's own examples of unacceptable photos include shadows on the face or background, photos that are too dark or overexposed, blurry or pixelated images, glasses, a tilted head, a smile showing teeth, and any filter or digital alteration. A scan of an old printed photo is not accepted either.
Make your photo
Sources
Requirements can change — always double-check with the issuing authority.