Guides · How to take a passport selfie

How to take the perfect passport selfie

An ICAO-compliant passport photo starts with a good source selfie. Follow these six rules and IDReady.ai will handle the rest.

1. STEP 1

   Find soft, even lighting

   Stand facing a window during daylight, or in a well-lit room with no shadow on the face. Avoid harsh overhead lights that cast shadows under the eyes or nose.

2. STEP 2

   Use a plain background

   Position yourself in front of a plain, uniform wall — white, off-white or light grey works best. Keep at least 40 cm between you and the wall to avoid shadows behind you.

3. STEP 3

   Hold the phone at eye level

   Bring the phone to eye height, roughly 40–60 cm away, with the camera looking straight at you. Do not tilt the phone up or down.

4. STEP 4

   Neutral expression, mouth closed

   Look straight into the lens with a neutral expression and mouth closed. No smile, no raised eyebrows, both eyes open, hair away from the eyes.

5. STEP 5

   Remove glasses and hats

   Take off eyeglasses, sunglasses and hats. Religious headwear is allowed only if it does not cover the face oval. Uncover the ears when possible.

6. STEP 6

   Frame from the top of the shoulders

   Include your head and the top of your shoulders in the frame — do not crop above the shoulder line. Our AI will re-crop to the exact document size automatically.