What to Wear for a Passport Photo — the Complete Dress Code

Clothing, glasses, hair, jewellery and head coverings: what actually gets photos rejected, and what the rules really say. Works for any country.

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The one rule behind all dress codes

Every photo rule across every country serves the same goal: your face must be identifiable from the photo alone. Clothing that hides the outline of your face, creates glare, or blends into the background makes that harder — and that is what checkers reject. Once you understand this, the entire dress code becomes obvious.

Clothing: what works and what doesn't

• Wear everyday clothes. There is no formal dress requirement anywhere — a plain t-shirt is perfectly fine. Don't dress up; dress like a normal version of yourself.
• Uniforms are banned in the US. The State Department explicitly rejects photos taken in a uniform (military, police, airline…) or clothing that looks like one. Camouflage patterns are a bad idea anywhere.
• Avoid white and very pale tops on light backgrounds. Our tool uses white or light grey backgrounds by default — a white shirt disappears into them and checkers dislike the "floating head" effect. Mid-tone colours (blue, green, grey, burgundy) photograph best.
• No hats or caps unless worn daily for religious or medical reasons (see below). A cap brim shadows the face — instant rejection.
• Keep the neckline ordinary. Nothing covering the chin or jaw. A crew-neck or collar is ideal; deep necklines can get cropped awkwardly at 35 × 45 mm.

Glasses: the single most rejected item

Glasses rules now differ sharply by country, and this catches people out the most:

If you must keep them on (strong prescription), push them slightly up the nose bridge to avoid frame shadows over the eyes, and tilt your chin down a touch to kill ceiling-light glare. Details per country are on each country page — see France, Germany, US, Netherlands and Spain.

Head coverings: religion and medicine

• Religious headwear is accepted in every major country — hijabs, turbans, kippahs and similar items worn daily are fine. The universal conditions: your full face must be visible from chin to forehead (in some countries from eyebrow to chin), and the covering must not cast shadows or contrast violently with the background. The Netherlands adds that it must be plain and a single colour.
• Medical exceptions exist (bandages, eye patches, facial dressings), usually with a doctor's note — check the issuing authority before you apply.
• Fashion headwear is never accepted. A beanie is not a hijab; a fashion scarf is not a religious covering. Checkers distinguish instantly.

Hair, jewellery and makeup

• Hair: style it off your face. Bangs covering eyebrows are tolerated in most countries but risk rejection where the full face outline must show (and always are in India). Avoid hairstyles that block one eye entirely — identifiability again.
• Veils over the hair (not face): fine — hijab-wearers only need the face oval visible.
• Jewellery: small earrings and necklaces are fine if they don't hide the face outline. Large piercings that obscure features can be asked to be removed. Prefer "less" — nobody studies your jewellery in a passport, but glare on a big nose ring gets flagged.
• Makeup: everyday makeup is fine. Avoid the "passport glamour" look — heavy contouring, glitter, or false lashes that change how an officer would recognise you. The test is simple: would the border officer match this face to you in person?
• Facial hair: no rule against beards anywhere — just make sure it's a style you wear daily, so the photo is a true likeness.

Babies and children

Kids get relaxed rules almost everywhere — no neutral expression needed, support hidden under clothing, and under-6 exemptions in countries like the Netherlands. Full details with shooting tips are in our baby & child passport photo guide.

60-second dress code checklist

• ✅ Everyday mid-tone top, no white-on-white, no uniform look
• ✅ Glasses off (unless your country clearly allows and you need them)
• ✅ Religious headwear OK if the full face shows; nothing else on the head
• ✅ Hair off the face, everyday makeup, minimal jewellery
• ✅ Neutral expression, mouth closed, both eyes open — see the home photo guide for lighting and framing

Dressed right? Make the photo now → · Sizes for every country: full chart · Printing your photo: printing guide