Head coverings If you usually cover your head for religious reasons, then you can wear the covering in your passport photo. Religious head coverings have to be plain, without patterns (even small patterns), and be worn in a way that shows your face from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead.
Can hair cover the forehead in a passport photo? No, the hair needs to be pulled back or to the side.
You can have any hairstyle you want to for your passport photo. Millions of people must have fringes (bangs). It doesn't matter if your eyebrows are pencilled in either.
Passport photos are not the place to make fashion statements. The State Department wants your photo to be "taken in clothing normally worn on a daily basis." However, no uniforms, or clothing that looks like a uniform, or camouflage clothing is allowed. You also can't wear a hat or head covering in your photo.
It is okay for it to cover your forehead, but it should finish above the brow, allowing authorities to see your eyebrows, cheeks, nose and chin.
Can I wear glasses, sunglasses, or tinted glasses in my passport photo? No, take them off for your passport photo. If you cannot remove your glasses for medical reasons, you must submit a signed statement from your doctor with your passport application.
We need you to upload a new photo because the size and positioning of your head is not acceptable for a passport. If the person taking your photo is standing too close or too far away, your head may take up too much or too little of the photo.
Smiling is not banned on passport photos, so maybe you've been told that by the person taking your photo. That's not true. What the State Department wants is a neutral look on your face. They'll accept a natural smile.
Face centred and looking at the camera straight on; not tilted in any direction. Hair off your face, so that the edges of your face are visible. Eyes open, mouth closed. Neutral expression (not smiling, laughing or frowning)
Showing your teeth won't pass muster ― and apparently it's a matter of border security. “The main reason for banning smiling is the introduction of facial recognition software at airports and other border control checkpoints,” said Karolina Turowska, a biometric photography and travel expert at Passport-Photo.Online.
Earrings are so common that they sometimes feel akin to a body part. As such, removing them to take a passport photo might feel like a big compromise. Luckily, you can wear earrings when taking your photo.
Make sure your hair isn't covering your eyes or eyebrows. All of your face features must be visible. If you have long hair, we recommend that you brush it back behind your shoulders so your shirt is visible. If your hair is covering up all your clothing, it's another reason that you might look naked in the photo!
As you study various passport photo requirements you will find out that, indeed, a passport photo does not need to feature visible ears. You can let your hair loose on the side and don't worry if that part of your head will be the reason for a passport application refusal.
Head coverings and hats are only acceptable due to religious beliefs, and even then, may not obscure any portion of the face of the applicant. Sunglasses or other accessories detracting from the face as defined above are not acceptable unless required for medical reasons (an eye patch, for example).
Concerning the need to tuck your long hair behind your ears, the manual says nothing. What it does state is that "the photograph must be clear with a centered, full frontal view of the applicant's facial image." This is followed by the declaration that "the ears do not have to be visible."
Acceptable colors of lipstick for a passport photo
As stated before, there are no rules that refer directly to makeup in a passport photo, so, there are no specifically banned lipstick colors.
Can you wear eyeliner in a passport photo? Yes, just don't make it look too exaggerated. Go for a thin, barely-there line acros your eye lid (best to start in the middle of the lid moving outward) with a subtle wing at the end. Don't do cat-eye makeup or wear bottom eyeliner for your passport photo.
You are not permitted to smile in your passport photo. You cannot make any facial expressions other than neutral. The best thing you could do is to relax the muscles of your face when you are taking your picture. You are expected to look straight into the camera when you take your passport photo.
Choose Darker Colors
A white blouse with a white background will most likely get rejected, so your best bet is to stay away from light colors. Shades like black, dark blue, and brown are all safe options for your top, but you can also get away with wearing a brighter color so long as it's not overly distracting.
Smile if smiling is permitted in passport photos in your country. In general, either a “natural smile” (one that doesn't show your teeth) or a neutral expression are permitted for passport photos.
If your photo gets rejected, there is a 90-day threshold to change your photo and replace it with a perfect one that meets all the guidelines and passport photo regulation. If you don't take any step in 90 days, then you again have to apply for passport renewal and pay the fee.
The 'passport makeup' trend boasts the big fluffy brow brushed upwards, which is also known as the laminated brow effect. To achieve this brow look, grab a clear brow gel, and brush it through your brows, starting from the inner corner of the brow and flicking upward.
You can smile slightly in a U.S. passport photo. However, opening your mouth and showing your teeth is forbidden. The recommended facial expression for a passport photo is neutral. Applicants need to relax the muscles and look into the camera, without closing their eyes or frowning your forehead.