Passport and visa photo questions
How do I take a passport photo with my iPhone?
Stand in front of a plain white or light grey wall, face a window or another soft light so there are no shadows, and have someone else hold the iPhone a few feet away and take the photo with the back camera. Do not use filters, portrait effects or zoom, and do not edit the photo afterwards. Then give your application what it asks for: the UK and Ireland want the whole photo, uncropped, for online applications; the US wants a digital photo for online renewal or a 2 × 2 inch print; Australia wants prints of 35–40 × 45–50 mm.
What the official page says
- A plain background with no shadows: light-coloured (UK), light grey, white or cream (Ireland), white or off-white (US), white or light grey (Australia).
- For UK and Irish online applications, someone else helps or takes the photo; Ireland does not accept selfies.
- No editing, filters or retouching in any of the four.
- Recent: taken in the last month (UK) or the last 6 months (Ireland, US, Australia).
- Looking straight at the camera with your eyes open, your mouth closed and a plain or neutral expression.
Official pages read: October 2026 · Official source: gov.uk, ireland.ie, travel.state.gov, passports.gov.au
How to do it with Complyshot
- Open Complyshot and choose your document. It suggests one for your region.
- Hand the iPhone to your helper; words on the screen tell them to move closer, step back or hold still. On your own, where the rules allow it, prop the phone up and use the 3-second timer.
- Read the result. Each rule passes or fails in plain words, with what to change.
- Save what your document needs: the whole photo for the UK and Ireland, a 600 × 600 file or a 2 × 2 inch print sheet for the US, a 35 × 45 mm print sheet for Australia.
Related questions
Should I use portrait mode or the front camera?
Use the normal photo mode. Portrait effects blur or change the background, which counts as editing. The back camera usually gives a sharper photo, so let someone else hold the phone.
Can I use a photo I already took?
Only if it is recent enough and meets every rule: the UK asks for a photo from the last month, and Ireland, the US and Australia from the last 6 months. Complyshot can check a photo from your library too.
Is it free?
Checking a photo in Complyshot is free. Saving the finished photo or print sheet is a one-time in-app purchase that covers every document, with no subscription.
Check your photo in Complyshot
Complyshot checks your photo on your iPhone; the photo is not uploaded. Checking is free, and saving the finished photo is a one-time purchase, with no subscription.
Download on the App StoreComplyshot is made by YOTEZIC LTD and is not affiliated with any government. It checks what a phone can measure and cannot promise that your photo will be accepted; the issuing office decides.