Can I take my own passport photo?
It depends on the country and the document. Some accept any photo that meets the rules, some accept a home photo only if another person takes it, and a few accept nothing but a photographer's work.
By Yaseen Khan. Last checked against the official sources on 11 November 2026.
The answers below come from each authority's own published rules, checked in November 2026. Follow the link on each document page for the source.
Accepted: a photo you take and prepare yourself
| United States passport | Yes. The rules cover the photo, not who takes it, and a home print is acceptable if it is sharp and clear on photo-quality paper. |
|---|---|
| United States visa and DV lottery | Yes. You upload a digital image from a camera or a scan of a print. |
| United Kingdom passport (online) | Yes, taken on your own device with someone to help you. GOV.UK adds that photos from a booth or shop are more likely to be approved. |
| Ireland passport (online) | Yes, but not a selfie. Another person must take it. |
| New Zealand passport (online) | Yes, with your own device. Selfies are not accepted. |
| Schengen visa (German missions) | Yes. A 35 × 45 mm print on photo-quality paper that meets the size rules. |
| Indian visa and OCI card | Yes. The official guide even describes using a digital camera or webcam. |
| China visa | Yes. No photographer is required for the upload or the print. |
| UK ETA and UK visa | Yes. GOV.UK says the photo can be from a phone or tablet. |
| Saudi eVisa | Yes. You upload your own 200 × 200 pixel photo. |
| CitizenCard (UK) | Yes, and a smartphone selfie is explicitly allowed if it follows passport photo rules. |
Accepted with conditions
- Australian passport. The Passport Office recommends a professional provider and does not recommend online services or apps. Prints must be made by dye sublimation on heavy glossy paper, which rules out a home inkjet printer.
- Australian citizenship and visa applications (ImmiAccount). You upload a digital photo, but Home Affairs recommends a professional provider for citizenship photos and does not recommend apps.
- United Kingdom passport, paper application. Two printed photos of professional standard, which must not be cut down from a larger picture.
- Ireland passport, paper application. Four printed photos, two of them signed and stamped on the back by your witness.
Not accepted: a photographer or official capture is required
- Canadian passport. The photo must be taken in person by a commercial photographer or photo studio, who writes or stamps the studio's name, address and the date on the back. Photos printed at home are refused. The same applies to online renewal, where you must give the photographer's details, and Canada counts even cropping around the head and shoulders as altering the photo. Source: canada.ca.
- German identity card and passport (applications in Germany). Since 1 May 2025, municipal offices accept only a digital photo sent securely by a certified photo provider or taken at the office itself. Printed photos are no longer accepted. Sources: Bundesdruckerei and the City of Munich.
- French identity documents and driving licence. The photo must be taken by a qualified professional or in a booth that uses a system approved by the Ministry of the Interior. For a driving licence application, the photographer or booth issues an e-photo code. Source: Service-Public.fr.
- United States immigration forms (USCIS). Since 12 December 2025, USCIS no longer accepts photos supplied by applicants and uses photos it takes at a biometrics appointment. This does not affect US passports or visa applications, which belong to the State Department. Source: USCIS.
We do not offer a tool page for these documents, because a photo made here would be refused.
Why “no selfies” appears so often
A phone held at arm's length is close enough to distort a face: the nose looks larger and the ears smaller. New Zealand's passport office says a camera that is too close is the top reason photos are rejected. Ireland and New Zealand both refuse selfies outright. Even where a selfie is allowed, as for a Railcard, a photo taken by someone standing about 1.5 metres away looks more like you.
If you do it yourself
- Read how to take the photo at home.
- Choose your document on the home page, add the photo, and let the tool frame and measure it.
- Do not edit the photo in any other way. See what the authorities say about edited photos.