What to Wear for a Passport Photo

Updated 2026-09-25 ยท 5 min read

A passport photo is there so an officer - or a gate scanner - can match your face to the document for the next ten years. Everything below follows from that. Clothing should be ordinary, nothing should hide the face, and nothing should blend into the background.

Tops and colours

Wear an everyday top with a visible collar or neckline. The only colour to avoid is the one the background will be: white on a white US or Chinese photo, or pale grey on a UK or German one. When the shirt matches the wall, the shoulders vanish and the face looks like it is floating, which is one of the more common reasons a photo is sent back.

Mid-tones and darker colours - navy, green, burgundy, charcoal - work on every background. Busy patterns are allowed but distracting; plain fabric is safer.

  • Avoid uniforms and camouflage. The US explicitly refuses them unless it is religious dress worn daily.
  • Avoid strapless or off-the-shoulder tops. On a tight crop they read as no clothing at all.
  • Fine: a jacket, a tie, a hijab, a turban, a kippah - anything you normally wear in public.

Glasses

Take them off. The US stopped accepting glasses in 2016 except with a signed medical statement, and the UK, Canada and most of the Schengen area now say the same or strongly advise it. Even where clear lenses are technically allowed, frames across the eyes and reflections on the lenses are the single biggest cause of automatic rejections at online upload.

Contact lenses are fine, as long as they are not coloured to change the look of your eyes.

Hair, make-up and jewellery

  • Keep hair off the eyes and out of the face. It can fall over the shoulders; it cannot cross an eyebrow.
  • Everyday make-up is fine. Heavy contour or glitter that changes the shape of the face is not.
  • Small earrings and a plain necklace are fine. Large pieces that reflect the flash, or anything on the face itself, should come off.
  • Headphones, earbuds and hair accessories that stand out from the head should come off.

Head coverings

Religious and medical head coverings are accepted almost everywhere, provided the full face from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead is visible, and both edges of the face can be seen. Some countries ask for a signed statement that the covering is worn daily for religious reasons. Hats and caps worn for fashion are never accepted.

Before you take the photo

Look in a mirror with your phone's front camera the way it will see you. If the collar merges with the wall, change the top. If there is glare on your forehead, dab it with a tissue. Then open the editor and pick the country - the frame, background colour and head guide will follow its rules.