Why passport photos get rejected
Rejections are frustrating mostly because of the delay — you often find out weeks later, and the clock on your application restarts. Nearly all of them come from a short list of causes, and most are avoidable in about two minutes of checking.
The photo is the wrong size
This is the most common one, and the most avoidable. Passport photo sizes are not interchangeable between countries:
- United States: 51 × 51 mm — square, which is unusual
- UK, Schengen, Australia, Japan and most others: 35 × 45 mm
- Canada: 50 × 70 mm — unlike almost anywhere else
- China: 33 × 48 mm
- Finland: 36 × 47 mm, slightly larger than the 35 × 45 standard
Photo booths and high street shops sometimes default to their local size. If you are applying for a passport from a different country than the one you are standing in, say so explicitly. See the size directory for the exact figures and the official source for each.
Your head is the wrong size in the frame
Less obvious, and it catches a lot of people. Authorities specify not just the photo dimensions but how much of it your head must fill, measured from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head including your hair.
The UK wants 29–34 mm within a 45 mm photo — a five millimetre window. The US wants 25–35 mm within 51 mm. Canada wants 31–36 mm within 70 mm.
Eyeballing this reliably is genuinely hard, which is why automated checkers reject so many otherwise fine photos. The editor measures your face and solves the crop so the head lands in the middle of the permitted range.
Shadows
Two kinds, both common:
- On your face, usually from overhead lighting — dark eye sockets, a shadow under the nose or chin.
- Behind your head, from standing too close to the wall.
Both are fixed by standing further from the wall and facing soft, indirect light from the front.
Glasses
The US has not allowed glasses since 2016 except with a signed medical statement. Elsewhere they are usually permitted but must not have tinted lenses, must not have frames crossing the eyes, and must show no glare or reflection.
Just take them off. There is no upside to keeping them on.
Expression and eyes
Neutral expression with the mouth closed is accepted everywhere. A natural smile is fine for the US but not most other countries. Eyes open, looking straight at the camera, with no hair across them.
Children get more latitude — in the UK, under-sixes need not look at the camera or hold a neutral expression, and under-ones need not have their eyes open.
The photo is too old
Requirements are strict and easy to overlook: within the last month for the UK, within six months for most other countries. It also has to reflect your current appearance, so a significant change in hair or facial hair means a new photo regardless of the date.
It is blurry, or too low resolution
An upscaled photo looks soft when printed and is visibly worse than the original. If you are cropping a small region out of a group photo, there will not be enough detail. Take a fresh one — it costs nothing.
The background is not plain
It needs to be plain and, usually, light. No patterns, no doorframes, no other people, no pets. Note the UK asks for cream or light grey rather than white, and wants clear contrast between you and it — so avoid white clothing against a white wall.
It has been edited
Worth singling out because it surprises people: Canada explicitly refuses photos altered with editing software, filters or AI tools. Retouching a blemish or using an AI background remover will get a Canadian application refused even if everything else is perfect. Other countries are more relaxed about background replacement but universally prohibit anything that changes your appearance.
What to do about it
Take the photo carefully, then check it before you print. The editor checks resolution, head height, eye line, sharpness, background evenness and exposure, and tells you what is wrong while you can still do something about it. It cannot check your expression, your glasses or how recent the photo is — those stay your responsibility.
Make a passport photo — free, and your photo never leaves your device.