How to Secure a Passport Photo to the Application
- 1). Ensure that both of your color passport photos are identical and measure 2 inches in both width and height. They must also be printed on photo-quality paper. The pictures must show you as you appear at present, and must be taken within the six months prior to application.
The background of the picture should be white or off-white, and you should face the camera so that your entire face is visible in the photos. The size of your head from top to bottom should be from 1 inch to 1 and 3/8 inches. The clothing you wear in the photo should be normal street attire. Hats and other items that cover the hairline cannot be worn. If you usually wear glasses, you should wear them in the photos. However, only people who wear medically-prescribed dark or tinted glasses can wear such glasses in the photos. - 2). Fill in the application for a passport using Form DS-82 for a mailed application or Form DS-11 for an in-person application. Both forms can be downloaded from the Department of State website.
- 3). Staple one of your passport photos to Form DS-82, if submitting the application by mail. The area for stapling the photo is on Page One of the form at the bottom left-hand corner. The photo should be attached using four vertically-placed staples, two on each side of the photo.
- 4). Place the other photo loose in the envelope for a Form DS-82 submission, along with all other documentation, and securely close the envelope.
- 5). Do not attach the photos to Form DS-11 when submitting an application in person. Keep them loose for the processing person's ease of use. The clerk will attach the photos within the Department of State's guidelines.