We often see people complaining about a recent passport photo they clicked, and most of the times, it is the photo they need to use on their driver’s license. Now, as this is the photo that is going to stay with you for years to come, do you think you can really afford that “nasty look on your face”? Don’t worry! Here, are a few simple tips to help you look best in your passport photo: 

 1) Dress up nicely

NEVER wear an old battered shirt, or a ripped pair of trousers or a tee-shirt while going for a passport photo. How can you feel nice about your appearance when you dress-up miserably? The camera might miss your dress, but it would certainly figure out how you feel about yourself.  

2. Dump your hat and sunglasses

If you think you can outsmart the camera by hiding a bad hair day under a hat or you can use sunglasses to cover up red eyes, think again! You cannot take a driver’s license photo wearing a hat or sunglasses. Dump these items and opt for a natural look on your face while going in for a passport photo. 

3. Comb your hair

You are required to have your passport photo taken, soon after you pass your driver’s license test. Therefore, do not forget to carry your brush or comb before you leave the house.  

4. Maintain Neutral Expressions

According to new guidelines released by State department, toothy smiles in passport and visa pictures would now be categorized as unusual or unnatural expressions. The person must maintain neutral expressions with both eyes open, and mouth closed. The new guidelines would permit smiling with a closed jaw, but it is not a preferred expression for your passport photo.  

Remember, a passport photo can reflect your confidence and happiness if you closely follow these tips.

Been a pleasure getting the warm enthusiastic appluase from the Consumerist blog.  From the day we started the ePassportPhoto way back in 2005, we felt there's some serious gap between what the photoshops and the Walgreens' are charging us and the actual value they provide.  Passport photos to all - for free.  Of special notice, I wanted to say thanks to WILMAWONKER who posted this great photo.  Great to see that even the ePassportPhoto.com has serious competition out there!

At epassportphoto you upload your photo, crop it according to your country's standard guidelines, and save the resulting 4x6" image—that's six 2x2" ID shots—to your computer to print wherever you like, whether it's at home, from an online service, or at that same CVS with the myopic camera operator.

Not only will you be able to control the photo lighting and quality (and retake the photo until you're happy with it), but you'll have four more 2x2" shots than you get for $8 at CVS or Walgreens. And if you need any more incentive to cut the drugstore out of the process, consider that they also produce sets of six photos at a time—they just refuse to give you more than two unless you pay extra:

While we waited for the photos to print out, I saw (with my own eyes) that the photographs were printed on a 4″ x 6″ photo paper - and there were 6 copies on it. Then the dude coolly cut away 4 copies, disposed them, and handed us the remaining two copies.

We're excited to announce our handy passport photos widget for travel professional and bloggers.  The widget allows your visitors to easily create their own passport photos.

Look & feel? Just as it appears here:

How do I embed this within my website/blog? Simply copy and paste the one html line from below into your page: