What to wear for a passport photo

Not allowed

• A uniform, clothing that looks like a uniform, or camouflage
• Hats and head coverings, unless worn for religious or medical reasons (see head coverings)
• Glasses of any kind, unless you can’t remove them for medical reasons (see glasses)
• Headphones or wireless hands-free devices
• Face coverings and medical masks

Allowed

• Everyday clothes
• Jewelry and facial piercings that don’t hide your face
• Everyday makeup (see makeup)

Tips

These are tips, not rules:

• A coloured top stands out better against the white background than a white one
• Keep collars and scarves below your chin so your face and jaw are clear
• Pull long hair back from your eyes

What the forms say about clothing

Both passport forms, the DS-11 and the DS-82, say photos are to be taken in clothing you normally wear every day. They repeat that you can’t wear a uniform, clothing that looks like a uniform, or camouflage.

The State Department’s manual for passport staff (8 FAM 402.1) explains how they apply this rule. It bans US uniformed services uniforms and military or police-style clothing, including camouflage, for regular passport books and cards.

The manual allows a few reasonable exceptions. A child 15 or younger may be accepted. So may the uniform of a civilian organization, when it helps identify you. A pattern that can’t be read as military or police style can also pass.

Staff decide these cases one by one. If you have a choice, plain everyday clothes avoid the question.

Hair accessories, headbands and scarves

• Hair clips, bobby pins and thin headbands are fine if they lie flat and don’t hide your face or hairline
• Wide headbands, scarves, bows, turbans and large skullcaps count as head coverings, so they need a religious or medical reason
• Your hair must not cover your eyes

If a scarf is part of your outfit, take it off for the photo or keep it well below your chin.

Religious and medical head coverings

• Religious: include a signed statement that it is religious attire you wear daily in public
• Medical: include a signed doctor’s statement that you wear it for medical purposes
• Your full face must be visible, with no shadows or hidden areas
• The covering should be one color, with no patterns or small holes

Hearing aids, contacts, tattoos and face paint

• Hearing devices and wigs may be worn if they don’t hide any part of your face
• Clear contact lenses are fine. Tinted or novelty lenses are fine if they don’t make your iris look larger or smaller
• If you wear colored lenses, still list your natural eye color on your form
• You don’t have to cover tattoos with clothing or makeup
• One-time face decorations, such as a team logo painted on at a game, aren’t accepted

Visa photos follow similar rules

For a US visa photo, wear everyday clothing. Uniforms aren’t allowed, except religious clothing you wear daily. Hearing devices you normally wear are fine, but headphones are not. See the US visa photo rules.

Hoods, turtlenecks and high collars

The online renewal photo page shows a scarf that blocks part of the face as an unacceptable example. Your full face must be visible, with no clothing in the way.

If you wear a hoodie, put the hood down. The passport page says to take off any hat or head covering.

Practical tip: a turtleneck or high collar is fine if it stays below your chin.

What to wear for a child’s photo

Children follow the same clothing rules. No other person can be in the photo. The visa photo FAQ adds that a parent’s arms or hands holding the child must not be in the frame.

The staff manual lists bows among the head coverings that are prohibited, unless worn for religious or medical reasons. So skip hats, hoods and hair bows.

Practical tip: for a baby on a white sheet, a colored top stands out better than a white one.

Questions