My Passport Photo Maker

Good and bad passport photo examples

Most rejected photos fail for one of the reasons below. Each group starts with a correct photo, followed by the mistakes to avoid. The photo maker checks for nearly all of these automatically.

Use a plain white or off-white wall with nothing behind you. Patterns, objects, scenery, strong colours and shadows on the wall all lead to rejection — or let the tool replace the background for you.

Accepted

Accepted passport photo example — Accepted: Plain white background, even light, neutral expression, head straight and centred.
Accepted
Accepted passport photo example — Accepted: Plain white background, even light, neutral expression, head straight and centred.
Accepted
Accepted passport photo example — Accepted: Plain white background, even light, neutral expression, head straight and centred.
Accepted
Accepted passport photo example — Accepted: Plain white background, even light, neutral expression, head straight and centred.
Accepted

Rejected

Rejected passport photo example — Busy background: Furniture and objects are visible behind the head.
Busy backgroundFurniture and objects are visible behind the head.
Rejected passport photo example — Outdoor scene: Scenery — even blurred — is not a plain background.
Outdoor sceneScenery — even blurred — is not a plain background.
Rejected passport photo example — Coloured wall: White (or light grey where allowed) is required, not a strong colour.
Coloured wallWhite (or light grey where allowed) is required, not a strong colour.
Rejected passport photo example — Shadow on the wall: Standing against the wall with flash casts a hard shadow.
Shadow on the wallStanding against the wall with flash casts a hard shadow.

Photos on this page are AI-generated fictional people, not real applicants; the rest are drawings. Examples follow the do's and don'ts in the official Passport / VISA / OCI photograph specification.

Ready? Turn your photo into a compliant, print-ready passport photo.

Make my photo →