US Passport Online Renewal Photo (MyTravelGov upload): size and requirements
The US Passport Online Renewal Photo size is 1200 x 1800 pixels for online upload (minimum 600 x 600), file under 10 MB. White or off-white background without shadows; head 33 to 46 percent of the photo height. Photo taken within the last 6 months. Last verified 2026-10-07 against U.S. Department of State.
For the digital photo uploaded when renewing a passport book, passport card, or both online through MyTravelGov (age 25 or older, renewing a 10-year passport, same document type you already hold). Not for first-time applicants, children, or adding a card to a book, which all use a printed 2 x 2 inch photo, and not for a visa.
Requirements at a glance
- Size
- 1200 x 1800 pixels for online upload (minimum 600 x 600), file under 10 MB
- Head height
- Head 33 to 46 percent of the photo height (lots of space around your head and shoulders to allow room for cropping by our photo tool; head 1 to 1 3/8 inches after the 2 x 2 inch crop)
- Background
- white or off-white background without shadows
- Expression
- Neutral, mouth closed, eyes open, looking at the camera
- Glasses
- Not allowed
- Head covering
- Only for religious or medical reasons; full face visible
- Photo age
- Taken within the last 6 months
- We deliver
- 1200 x 1800 px , under 10240 KB, plus a 4 x 6 inch print sheet
What trips people up
- CheckDo not upload a tight 2 x 2 crop. The State Department's tool crops for you and rejects photos with too little space around the head ('Head size or position may be incorrect'). We leave head, shoulders and part of the torso in frame.
- CheckThe file must be an original camera JPEG between 54 KB and 10 MB, at least 600 x 600 pixels and in colour. The State Department says a photo sent by text message or edited after it was taken can fail the 'Image compressed' check, and a scan of a printed photo is not accepted.
- CheckGlasses are not allowed, the same as for printed passport photos.
- CheckOnline renewal is only for the same document you already hold: book to book, card to card, or book and card to book and card, age 25 or older with a 10-year passport. First-time applicants and anyone adding a card to a book still need a printed 2 x 2 inch photo.
Known portal issues
- Note
Photo isn't big enough
Pick the US passport online renewal document in our tool, not the DS-160 visa photo. Read the fix - Note
Background may not meet our requirements
Step about a metre away from the wall so your body no longer casts a shadow on it. Read the fix - Note
Internal server error on upload
Keep the photo file; nothing about it needs to change. Read the fix
Good to know before you pay
The State Department's photo tool inside the online renewal crops your upload for free. Our tool adds the background, lighting and head-size checks that cause most 'new photo needed' letters, but the cropping itself is free there.
Source and verification
Read from the official page. Last checked 2026-10-07 (archived copy dated 2025-09-15) at U.S. Department of State.
Your photo must be at least 600 x 600 pixels.
Your photo must be at least 54 kilobytes and no more than 10 megabytes.
Your photo must be in JPEG file format.
Use a color photo. You cannot upload a photo in black and white.
Be sure there is lots of space around your head and shoulders to allow room for cropping by our photo tool. The dimensions can be rectangular.
Do not scan a printed photo or take a photo of an already printed photo.
To avoid compressing your image, do not send the image via text message.
The passport you are renewing is or was valid for 10 years, and you are age 25 or older.
You can renew passport books and passport cards online.
Take off any eyeglasses, sunglasses, or tinted glasses.
Read from the Internet Archive snapshot of 2025-09-15 (page last updated June 12, 2024). The official page gives only the 600 x 600 minimum, the 54 KB to 10 MB range and 'the dimensions can be rectangular'; the 1200 x 1800 (2:3) target is our rendering choice, not a portal figure. Eligibility (age 25 or older, 10-year passport, same document type: chart Card to Card = Yes, Book to Card = No) is quoted from the Renew my Passport Online page (passports/have-passport/renew-online.html, Last Updated June 28, 2025, snapshot 2025-09-14). The glasses rule is not on the online-renewal photo page; it is quoted from the passport photos page (passports/how-apply/photos.html, snapshot 2025-09-13) as a secondary source.
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.
Frequently asked questions
