US Passport Photo Size (2 × 2 in, 600 × 600 px)
In your browser, no upload
600 × 600 px
5.1 × 5.1 cm · 300 dpi
Crop
600 × 600 pxYour photo opens only in this browser. Takes JPEG, PNG, WebP and GIF. A JPEG is cropped by copying its DCT blocks, so it is not re-encoded and the output is byte-identical to jpegtran. PNG, GIF and lossless WebP are re-saved without loss, every pixel unchanged, animated GIFs frame by frame. A lossy WebP is re-saved at quality 90. The badge next to the result says which happened.
Specification
9 rows| Item | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ratio | 1:1 | Square |
| Pixels | 600 × 600 px | Photo Tool minimum; 2 × 2 in at 300 dpi |
| Print size | 5.1 × 5.1 cm · 300 dpi | 2 × 2 in for printed photos |
| Head height | 1 – 1 3/8 in (25 – 35 mm) | Chin to top of head |
| Photo Tool (print or mail) | JPEG, 600 × 600 px minimum | tsg.phototool.state.gov |
| Online renewal upload | JPG / PNG / HEIC / HEIF, 54 KB – 10 MB | No pixel size stated |
| Background | White or off-white | No shadows, texture or lines |
| Taken within | Last 6 months | Colour, facing the camera, no glasses |
| Source | U.S. Department of State, Passport Photos | checked 2026-09-26 |
Why this size
3What happens, and why
The US Department of State sets the passport photo requirements. A printed photo is 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm), and the head must measure between 1 and 1 3/8 inches (25 – 35 mm) from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head. The photo is in colour, taken in the last six months, with the face straight to the camera, no eyeglasses, and a plain white or off-white background with no shadows, texture or lines. The Department also states that the photo must not be changed with software, phone apps, filters or AI.
Digital photos take two routes. The Department's Photo Tool, for cropping a photo you will print or mail in, accepts a JPEG of at least 600 × 600 pixels and refuses anything smaller. Because 2 × 2 inches is a square, that is a 1:1 crop, and 600 × 600 px is exactly 2 × 2 inches at 300 dpi; a larger square works as well. Online renewal uploads the photo inside the application instead: the Department's online-renewal photo page asks for a JPG, PNG, HEIC or HEIF file between 54 kilobytes and 10 megabytes, in colour, taken in the last six months, framed at the shoulders, with no filters or retouching. It states no pixel size, so the 600 × 600 minimum is the safe floor for both.
This page crops a 1:1 region of your photo with the size box set to 600 × 600 px, without re-encoding the JPEG. The head-height rule is about composition, not pixels: the distance from chin to crown should take up roughly 50 to 69 percent of the crop's height (1 to 1 3/8 inches out of 2). Move the box until the head sits in that band with the eyes a little above the centre.
FAQ
3How tall should the head be in pixels
In a 600 × 600 px crop, 2 inches is 600 px, so 1 inch is 300 px. The head, chin to top, should be 300 to 413 px tall. In a larger square the same proportions apply: half to just over two thirds of the height.
Can I take off the background or fix the photo in an app
No. The State Department states that the photo must not be changed using computer software, phone apps or filters, or artificial intelligence. Cropping the original photo is the one edit that is fine, and it is all this tool does.
Are 600 × 600 px enough to print 2 × 2 inches
Yes at 300 dpi, which is what the Photo Tool’s 600 × 600 minimum for a 2 × 2 inch photo works out to. If you print at a higher resolution, crop a larger square; the size box accepts any value the original allows.
Related specs
3Spec source: U.S. Department of State, Passport Photos · checked 2026-09-26