600 × 600 px @ 300 DPI (1:1 square). Standard for U.S. Passport Renewal, DS-160 Visa, and Green Card Lottery.
Calculated: 600 × 600 px @ 300 DPI
Plain White (U.S. Standard)
Off-White
Original Background
Custom Color
ℹ️ If your photo was taken in a room, use Background Remover to remove complex backgrounds first.
90%
Fits up to 6 photos (3 cols × 2 rows on 4 × 6 inch Photo Paper)
Preparing U.S. Passport Photo
Applying 1:1 square crop and bicubic resampling...
✓ U.S. PASSPORT PHOTO READY
Your 2×2 Inch Passport Photo is Prepared
↔
↔ Drag slider to compare Original vs Prepared 2×2" Passport Photo
🖨️ 4 × 6 inch Photo Paper layout with standard cutting lines @ 300 DPI.
PIXEL SIZE
600 × 600 px
PRINT SIZE
2 × 2 inches
DPI RESOLUTION
300 DPI
FILE SIZE
142 KB
FILE FORMAT
JPEG (sRGB)
Important U.S. State Department Compliance Notice: This tool prepares your image according to official technical dimensions (2×2", 600×600 px, square 1:1, under 240 KB). However, official acceptance also requires neutral facial expression, no eyeglasses, plain white background, and even lighting without shadows. Always verify current requirements at travel.state.gov.
📖 Technical Specifications
U.S. Passport Photo Requirements & Sizing Guide
The U.S. Department of State enforces strict technical standards for passport and visa photos. Whether you are renewing an adult passport, applying for a child's first passport, or submitting an online visa application (such as the DS-160 or Green Card Diversity Visa Lottery), having a correctly framed 2 × 2 inch square portrait is essential.
Official U.S. Department of State Passport Photo Specifications
Parameter
Printed Photo (Physical)
Digital Online Submission (DS-160 / DV)
Photo Dimensions
2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm)
Min 600 × 600 px to Max 1200 × 1200 px
Aspect Ratio
1:1 Square
1:1 Square (Width must equal Height)
Head Height (Crown to Chin)
1.0 to 1.375 inches (50% to 69%)
300 to 414 px on a 600×600 px image (50% to 69%)
Eye Level from Bottom
1.125 to 1.375 inches (56% to 69%)
336 to 414 px from the bottom edge
Print Resolution / DPI
300 DPI (High-resolution raster)
300 DPI Recommended
File Format & Color
Color print on photo paper
JPEG (.jpg), 24-bit sRGB color space
File Size Limit
N/A (Physical print)
≤ 240 KB (DS-160 online requirement)
📋 Step-by-Step
How to Resize and Prepare Your Photo for U.S. Passport
Follow these 8 simple steps to crop, align, and download your 2×2 inch photo.
Step 1: Upload Portrait
Upload a clear color photo taken within the last 6 months against a plain white or off-white background.
Step 2: Select 2×2" Preset
The tool automatically loads the official 2 × 2 inch (600 × 600 px @ 300 DPI) U.S. Department of State preset.
Step 3: Align Head & Eyes
Use the Biometric Positioning Guide to align your head (50%–69% height) and eyes (56%–69% level) inside the dashed oval.
Step 4: Adjust Zoom & Pan
Drag your photo or adjust the zoom slider to ensure proper shoulder framing with no facial distortion.
Step 5: Background Check
Verify your background is plain white or light off-white without shadows, textures, or room furniture.
Step 6: Set Target File Size
For DS-160 online visa portals, ensure your photo is compressed under the 240 KB portal threshold.
Step 7: Generate Photo
Click Generate to render the high-density raster with bicubic resampling and inspect the Before/After comparison.
Step 8: Download & Print
Download your verified JPEG file for digital upload or download the 4×6" Multi-Photo Print Sheet for photo paper printing.
Understanding Physical Size (2×2 Inches) vs Digital Pixels (600×600 px)
A common point of confusion when submitting passport photos is the relationship between physical print dimensions (measured in inches) and digital raster files (measured in pixels).
When printing physical photos to submit with paper Form DS-11 or Form DS-82, the photo must measure exactly 2 × 2 inches (50.8 × 50.8 mm). To achieve sharp print clarity at 300 DPI, your digital file must have at least 600 × 600 pixels (2 inches × 300 dots per inch = 600 pixels). If you print at 600 DPI, the file will measure 1200 × 1200 pixels.
For digital submissions on online government portals (such as the CEAC DS-160 Nonimmigrant Visa Application), the server checks the pixel dimensions (minimum 600×600 px, maximum 1200×1200 px), a square 1:1 aspect ratio, and a strict maximum file size of 240 KB in JPEG format.
Need to review current Department of State regulations?
Check official guidance regarding headwear, religious coverings, and infant photo rules.
Official answers regarding photo sizing, digital portals, background colors, and biometric guidelines.
For standard physical printing, a U.S. passport photo is exactly 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm) with a 1:1 square aspect ratio. The head must be between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches (25 to 35 mm) from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head.
Yes. 2 × 2 inches is the standard physical print size specified by the U.S. Department of State for printed passport renewal, visa, and passport card submissions.
At 300 DPI (dots per inch), 2 × 2 inches equals exactly 600 × 600 pixels (2 inches × 300 DPI = 600 pixels). At 600 DPI, it equals 1200 × 1200 pixels.
Yes. You can upload a portrait photo to ReducerImage, use the interactive square 1:1 cropping tool with head and eye framing guidelines, select 600×600 px @ 300 DPI, and download your prepared image instantly.
Yes. The tool strictly locks the aspect ratio to 1:1 square so you can pan, zoom, and center your face without ever distorting or stretching your facial proportions.
You can select solid background fills (such as plain white #ffffff or off-white) on transparent portraits. If you have an image taken in a normal room, we recommend using our Background Remover tool first to create a clean white background.
The tool provides an official semi-transparent Biometric Positioning Guide showing the 50% to 69% crown-to-chin safe area and eye-level indicator so you can position your head accurately.
Yes. You can take a clear portrait against a plain light wall with natural daylight (no filters, no flash shadows, looking directly at the camera), upload it here, and crop it to the required 2×2" square format.
JPEG (image/jpeg) in 24-bit sRGB color space is the standard required by the U.S. Department of State for online portals and photo printing kiosks.
Yes. U.S. online visa portals like CEAC DS-160 require the digital photo to be 240 KB or less. Our iterative binary search encoder optimizes the file size under 240 KB while maintaining high image fidelity.
No tool can guarantee passport acceptance because official acceptance depends on biometric parameters such as natural facial expressions, neutral mouth, absence of eyeglasses, even lighting, and official verification by the U.S. Department of State.
You can view current official guidelines directly on the U.S. Department of State Travel Website at travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/how-apply/photos.html.
No. ReducerImage processes 100% of your images locally in your web browser using HTML5 Canvas. Your portrait is never uploaded, transferred, or stored on any remote server.
If your source image is under 600×600 pixels, it may appear blurry or pixelated when resized. Take a fresh high-resolution photo with your smartphone or camera at close range for the best clarity.
DPI (dots per inch) applies primarily to printed photos on physical paper (300 DPI). For purely digital submissions (such as DS-160 online visa forms), the pixel dimensions (e.g. 600×600 px) and file size (under 240 KB) are what application portals evaluate.