If you’ve ever applied for a foreign country visa, you’d know the ordeal. Running to your local photo center, getting clicked, editing photos, and taking prints only to finally get denied at the embassy/visa application.

The fact is that different countries have different passport/visa photo requirements.

For example, the photo requirements for a US visa are as follows.

• Photos must be in color
• Sized such that the head is between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches (22 mm and 35 mm) or 50% and 69% of the image’s total height from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head. View the Photo Composition Template for more size requirement details.
• Taken within the last 6 months to reflect your current appearance
• Taken in front of a plain white or off-white background
• Taken in full-face view directly facing the camera
• With a neutral facial expression and both eyes open
• Taken in clothing that you normally wear on a daily basis
• Uniforms should not be worn in your photo, except religious clothing that is worn daily.
• Do not wear a hat or head covering that obscures the hair or hairline unless worn daily for a religious purpose. Your full face must be visible, and the head covering must not cast any shadows on your face.
• Headphones, wireless hands-free devices, or similar items are not acceptable in your photo.
• Eyeglasses are no longer allowed in new visa photos, except in rare circumstances when eyeglasses cannot be removed for medical reasons; e.g., the applicant has recently had ocular surgery and the eyeglasses are necessary to protect the applicant’s eyes. A medical statement signed by a medical professional/health practitioner must be provided in these cases. If the eyeglasses are accepted for medical reasons:
  • The frames of the eyeglasses must not cover the eye(s).
  • There must not be a glare on eyeglasses that obscures the eye(s).
  • There must not be shadows or refraction from the eyeglasses that obscure the eye(s). 
• If you normally wear a hearing device or similar articles, they may be worn in your photo.

Via – US Department of State.

Phew!

So you can imagine the trauma.

But now, we have an app for this.

Make a Passport Photo is an online website/app that lets you create passport photos for almost 100+ countries.

This means you can click a photo yourself and it will run through the entire list of requirements for that particular country and make sure your photo is accepted.

Cool, isn’t it?

No more denials and running behind the photo center guy.

Check out the service here.

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