US Passport Online Renewal Photo Size: 54 KB to 10 MB

In short: the photo for a US passport renewal online is a JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC or HEIF file between 54 KB and 10 MB. The State Department gives no pixel size for it, and you can crop the photo inside the application. If your file is over 10 MB, the image compressor brings it under in your browser.

These rules come from the State Department's page on uploading a digital photo for online renewal. The 2 x 2 inches size you may have seen is for a printed photo sent with a paper form, not for the online application.

What the online renewal photo needs

The rules in the official words

Every rule above, in the State Department's own words, with a link to the page they are on.

• The photo is a JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC, or HEIF file. Photos taken on a mobile device may automatically save in one of these formats. The file size should be between 54 KB and 10 MB.
  U.S. Department of State: Uploading a digital photo (online renewal)
• You can reposition or crop your photo in the application.
  U.S. Department of State: Uploading a digital photo (online renewal)
• Submit 1 color photo taken in the last 6 months.
  U.S. Department of State: Uploading a digital photo (online renewal)
• Submit the original, unedited photo without filters or digital changes.
  U.S. Department of State: Uploading a digital photo (online renewal)
• Do not take a photo of a printed photo or scan a physical photo to make a digital file.
  U.S. Department of State: Uploading a digital photo (online renewal)
• To avoid making your image quality worse, do not send the image via text message.
  U.S. Department of State: Uploading a digital photo (online renewal)
• The correct printed size of a passport photo is 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm).
  U.S. Department of State: Passport photos (paper forms)

How to check and fix your photo file

1. Take the photo on your phone or camera at its highest quality setting, in front of a plain white or off-white wall. Keep the file the camera made. Sending it to yourself by text message makes it worse.
2. Check the file size. On Windows, right-click the file and choose Properties; on a Mac, choose Get Info. On a phone, the photo's details usually show it. Between 54 KB and 10 MB? Upload it as it is.
3. Over 10 MB? Open the image compressor, choose Exact KB size, type 9,500 KB and keep the format on JPG. Then drop the photo. The tool keeps the highest quality that fits, and the width and height stay the same unless the photo cannot fit any other way.
4. Check that the result line shows a size under 10 MB, then download the photo. The compressor reads JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF and AVIF files, not HEIC.
5. Under 54 KB? The photo has been shrunk somewhere, often by a chat app or a screenshot. Making it bigger does not bring the detail back, so find the camera's original file or take the photo again.
6. Upload the photo in the application and crop it there, with your head and shoulders centered.

Do you need the photo resizer?

Not for online renewal. The photo and signature resizer makes a photo at an exact pixel size, for forms that set one. Online renewal sets none and lets you crop in the application, so upload the original photo instead.

Why renewal photos get put on hold

The State Department says unacceptable photos are the most common reason it holds an application:

• Unacceptable photos are the number one reason why we put passport applications on hold.
  U.S. Department of State: Uploading a digital photo (online renewal)

• A filter, beauty mode or edited background. The State Department checks every photo for edits. Fix the light and the wall, then take it again.
• Glasses or a hat. Take them off for the photo.
• A photo of a printed photo, or a scan. Only a digital photo is accepted.
• An old photo. It must be taken in the last 6 months.
• A blurry or grainy file. Use the highest quality setting and good daylight.

Checked against the State Department's online renewal photo page on 23 October 2026. The rules can change, so read the page before you apply.