Start with an acceptable source photo
Current U.S. passport guidance calls for a recent color photo, direct camera-facing pose, neutral expression, full visible head, and plain white or off-white background. Digital edits or filters that alter appearance can cause problems.
Use the official physical size
Printed U.S. passport photos are 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm). The head height should be roughly 1 to 1⅜ inches from chin to top of head. The composition template also provides eye-height guidance.
Digital visa-photo dimensions are square
The State Department digital-image guidance specifies a square image between 600 × 600 and 1200 × 1200 pixels, JPEG format, and no more than 240 KB for that specific digital workflow. Always confirm which application flow you are using.
Print the 4×6 sheet at actual size
A 4×6 sheet can hold six 2×2 images. Printer dialogs often default to Fit or Scale to page; disable scaling and print at 100% / actual size, then physically measure one photo before cutting.
Software does not approve passport photos
Composition overlays can help with cropping, but they cannot judge every government rule. Review the current official examples before submitting the photo.
Official marketplace references
Requirements can change. Review the source before publishing an important listing.
U.S. Department of State passport photo requirements ↗U.S. Department of State digital image requirements ↗U.S. Department of State photo composition template ↗