The Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs, Office of Passport Services/Customer Service provides a site below that can help you locate the nearest acceptance agents in your area. You can perform a search by entering your Zip Code or your State and City.

http://iafdb.travel.state.gov/

Your photo plays a crucial role in your passport application. To avoid delays in passport processing, please review the information below on how to provide a suitable photo. However, please note that the U.S. passport agency has the final discretion on whether to accept your photo.

We highly recommend using a professional passport photo service to ensure that your photo meets all the requirements.

If you are applying for a U.S. Passport, you must submit one (1) photo. Your passport photo must meet the following criteria:

• It must be in color.
• Wearing glasses is not permitted (as of Nov 2016).
• Excessive makeup is not allowed.
• Hair must not cover the eyes.
• Both eyes must be fully visible.
• The photo must be printed on high-quality paper.
• The size must be 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm).
• The head should be positioned between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches (between 25 and 35 mm) from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head. Please refer to the Photo Composition Template for more details on size requirements.
• The photo must have been taken within the last 6 months and accurately reflect your current appearance.
• The photo should be taken against a plain white or off-white background.
• The photo must be a full-face view directly facing the camera.
• You should have a neutral facial expression and both eyes must be open.
• Please ensure that you are wearing your everyday clothing in the photo. Note that uniforms should not be worn, unless they are religious attire that you wear daily.
• Do not wear any hats or head coverings that obscure your hair or hairline, unless they are worn daily for religious purposes. Your full face must be visible, and the head covering should not cast any shadows on your face.
• Headphones, wireless hands-free devices, or similar items are not acceptable in the photo.
• Glare on the photo is not acceptable.
• Review the Photo Examples to see acceptable and unacceptable photos. Photos copied or digitally scanned from driver's licenses or other official documents are not acceptable. Additionally, snapshots, magazine photos, low-quality vending machine or mobile phone photos, and full-length photographs are not acceptable.

FAQS about Photo Requirements

Photographer's Guide

Photo Composition Template

Taking photos of your baby or toddler

When taking a photo of your baby or toddler, ensure that no other person is in the photo, and that your child is looking at the camera with their eyes open.

Tip 1: Lay your baby on their back on a plain white or off-white sheet. This will provide support for your baby's head and create a plain background for the photo. Make sure there are no shadows on your baby's face, especially if you are taking a picture from above with the baby lying down.

Tip 2: Cover a car seat with a plain white or off-white sheet and take a picture of your child in the car seat. This will also provide support for your baby's head.

Change of Appearance

Your passport may not be accepted at the border if you have experienced significant changes in your appearance or if you cannot be recognized from the photo in your current passport.

If you cannot be recognized from your current passport photo, you should apply for a new passport, even if your old one has not yet expired (appropriate fees required).

You may need to apply for a new passport if, since your last passport photo, you have:

• Undergone significant facial surgery or trauma.
• Added or removed numerous/large facial piercings or tattoos.
• Experienced significant weight loss or gain.
• Undergone a gender transition.

If you believe that you can still be recognized from the photo in your current passport, you do not need to apply for a new passport. For example, growing a beard or changing hair color would not be considered a significant change.

If the appearance of your child under the age of 16 has changed due to normal aging, you do not need to apply for a new passport for them.

Source: http://travel.state.gov/

If you cannot provide primary evidence of U.S. citizenship, you must submit secondary evidence of U.S. citizenship. Determine the most appropriate form of secondary evidence based on the descriptions provided below.

Early Public Records

If you were born in the United States and cannot provide primary evidence of U.S. citizenship, submit a combination of early public records as evidence. These early public records should be submitted along with a birth record or Letter of No Record. The early public records should include your name, date of birth, and place of birth, and preferably be created within the first five years of your life. Examples of early public records are:

• Baptismal certificate
• Hospital birth certificate
• Census record
• Early school recordFamily Bible Record
• Doctor's Record of Post-Natal Care

Early Public Records are not acceptable as standalone evidence.

Delayed Birth Certificate

If you were born in the United States and cannot provide primary evidence of U.S. citizenship because your U.S. Birth Certificate was not filed within the first year of your birth, you may submit a Delayed U.S. Birth Certificate. A Delayed U.S. Birth Certificate filed more than one year after your birth may be accepted if it meets the following criteria:

• It lists the documentation used to create it (preferably early public records),
• It is signed by the birth attendant or includes an affidavit signed by the parents.

If your Delayed U.S. Birth Certificate does not include these items, you should submit it along with Early Public Records.

Letter of No Record

If you were born in the United States and cannot provide primary evidence of U.S. citizenship because you do not have a previous U.S. passport or any certified U.S. birth certificate, you must present a state-issued Letter of No Record that includes:

• Your name,
• Your date of birth,
• The years for which a birth record was searched, and
• An acknowledgement that no birth certificate was found on file.

A Letter of No Record must be submitted with Early Public Records.

Form DS-10: Birth Affidavit

If you were born in the United States and cannot provide primary evidence of U.S. citizenship, you may submit Form DS-10: Birth Affidavit as evidence. The birth affidavit:

• Must be notarized,
• Must be submitted in person with Form DS-11,
• Must be submitted with early public records,
• Must be completed by an affiant who has personal knowledge of birth in the U.S., and
• Must briefly state how the affiant acquired this knowledge.

We recommend that the birth affidavit be completed by an older blood relative. However, if an older blood relative is not available, it may be completed by the attending physician or any other person with personal knowledge of the birth.

Foreign Birth Documents + Parent(s) Citizenship Evidence

If you are claiming citizenship through birth abroad to U.S. citizen parent(s) but cannot provide a Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Certification of Birth, you must submit the following documents:

• Your foreign birth certificate (translated to English),
• Evidence of your U.S. citizen parent's citizenship,
• Your parents' marriage certificate, and
• A statement from your U.S. citizen parent detailing their periods of residence or physical presence in the United States and abroad before your birth.

NOTES:

• Refer to Documentation of U.S. Citizens Born Abroad for more information.
• For information about foreign-born children adopted by U.S. citizens, see the Child Citizenship Act of 2000.
• Foreign language documents should be accompanied by an informal or formal English translation.

Unacceptable Documents

The following documents are not accepted as secondary evidence of U.S. citizenship:

• Voter registration card
• Army discharge paper
• Social Security Card

Source: http://travel.state.gov/

Combination of Identifying Documents

To verify your personal identity, you should present a combination of documents. These documents, when presented alone, are not acceptable as secondary identification.

For example: Social Security Card + Credit Card + Employee ID + Library Card

Identifying Witness

An identifying witness is someone who can vouch for your identity. To qualify, the person must:

• Be present during the application process
• Have known you for at least 2 years
• Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
• Have valid identification

The witnessing individual needs to fill out Form DS-71: Affidavit of Identifying Witness in the presence of a Passport Agent.

Please note that Form DS-71 can only be obtained from your local Acceptance Facility or a Passport Agency.