Medical and religious exceptions for passport photos

Most authorities excuse a small set of rules when there is a reason you cannot meet them: looking straight at the camera, holding your head level and uncovered, or keeping your eyes fully open. The exception is granted on paper, with a signed statement from a medical professional or a note about your religious practice. Our checker does not decide this for you; when you tick Medical reason in step 3 it marks those rules “Check” instead of “Fails” so you can download the photo and send the statement with your application.

What the authorities say

• “not have a head covering (unless it's for religious or medical reasons)”

  HM Passport Office. The same page excuses children under 6 from the gaze and expression rules.

• “Take off your hat or head covering.”

  U.S. Department of State. A signed statement is accepted when the covering is worn daily for religious reasons or for a medical reason; the full face must stay visible.

• “a wheelchair, if you place a white blanket behind your head”

  Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). IRCC lists the aids that may appear in the photo and asks for a signed explanation when a rule cannot be met.

What the signed statement should say

• Your full name and date of birth, as written on the application.
• The rule you cannot meet, in the authority's own words (for example "looking straight at the camera").
• The medical or religious reason, in one sentence.
• The professional's name, qualification, registration number, signature and the date.
• Whether the condition is permanent or, if not, how long it is expected to last.

How our checker treats it

Ticking Medical reason only changes how gaze, head position and head-covering results are shown: a failing measurement becomes a “Check” row with the authority's sentence next to it, and the download button is no longer blocked by that rule. Lighting, background, size and sharpness rules are unaffected, because no authority excuses those. Our accepted-or-refunded guarantee does not cover a rejection for a rule you asked us to excuse.

We are an independent service, not a government website. Applying for a passport or visa is done with your government; we only prepare the photo.