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Passport Photos Made Easy: Make Your Own Passport Photos (to Comply with New North American Travel Regulations)

PassportePassportPhoto lets you create your very own passport photos in the comfort of you own home. It’s so easy my four year old nephew could do it himself.

In my trial run, the photo (400 KB file) took a freakishly long time to upload, as did the website itself. The download was super easy, but I didn’t try the print function. There are print options available for services in the UK and the US. In printing myself, the photos turned out to be 4 1/4″ x 4 1/4″, which is TOO BIG for a US passport. Also, the site advertises that they give you 6 photos, which isn’t really true. You get 6 photos, but one has the ePassportPhoto logo printed on the bottom, so it’s unusable. The good thing is that you only need 2 for a passport application. The other 3 can be used for visas, if need be. Yes, if you’re going to a country that requires a visa for citizens from your country you WILL be required to send photos with the visa application.

What do you need:

  • 1 white wall (I bet you’re mad you painted your kitchen red now, huh?)
  • 1 digital camera (no particular pixel standard is stated, but it obviously should be clear)
  • 1 “neutral” expression (no cheesy grin)

The rules are as follows:

Submit two color photographs of you alone, sufficiently recent to be a good likeness of you (normally taken within the last six months), and 2×2 inches in size. The image size measured from the bottom of your chin to the top of your head (including hair) should not be less than 1 inch and not more than 1 3/8 inches.

The photographs must be color, clear, with full front view of your face, and printed on thin paper with plain light (white or off-white) background. They must be capable of withstanding a mounting temperature of 225°F (107 °C). Photographs must be taken in normal street attire, without a hat, head covering, or dark glasses unless a signed statement is submitted by the applicant verifying the item is worn daily for religious purposes or a signed doctor’s statement is submitted verifying the item is used daily for medical purposes.

Photographs retouched so that your appearance is changed are unacceptable. Snapshots, most vending machine prints, and magazine or full-length photographs are unacceptable. Digitized photos must meet the previously stated qualifications and will be accepted for use at the discretion of Passport Services.

For more information, see the guidelines.

With the new WHTI initiatives going in to place in January, time is running out to get your passport for travel within the northern hemisphere, including Canada and Mexico.

With passport photo options available on every corner (at Walgreens), I’m not sure it’s worth the trouble. But it’s certainly a good option.

Via Travellogue.

For more information on places to purchase passport photos, see this post: https://www.businesstravellogue.com/travel-tips/where-to-get-passport-photos.html