Can You Take Your Passport Photo at Home?

Yes, for an online renewal you already can, and from 2027 the State Department plans to let first-time applicants do it too. On September 29, 2026, Secretary of State Marco Rubio demonstrated the new America.gov passport application and said, "Starting next year, Americans will be able to apply for their first passport entirely online." You take the photo "on the phone in the comfort of your own home" or upload one from your device, see it in a preview of the finished passport, and retake it until you like it. His goal is that "the vast majority of Americans" apply this way by the end of 2027. As of October 22, 2026, the State Department hasn't named a month or opened a sign-up, and a first passport still means a printed 2×2 inch photo handed in at a counter.

So what did he say, word for word? What can you do from home today? And what does a passport photo from your own phone have to get right so the passport office accepts it?

What Did the State Department Announce About At-Home Passport Photos?

Rubio walked through a first-time application start to finish, with the photo taken on a phone inside the application. The official transcript of the September 29 event is on state.gov (last verified October 22, 2026), and this is the passage on the photo.

"Now the fun part, the photo. You can take a new one of them yourself on the phone. You probably can't use those filters to make you look 50 years younger, but you can take a picture of yourself on the phone in the comfort of your own home, or you can upload one directly from your own device. You're not going any longer to some drugstore to get your picture taken behind a white screen."

He added that you "can see your photo in the context of the finished passport" and "can retake it until it's the perfect shot, the one you like." The application runs on America.gov with a login.gov sign-in, and the checkout ends with "no printing forms, no drugstore hostage photo." The timing he gave was "starting next year" for first passports and "by the end of 2027" for the vast majority of applications. America.gov, where the application will run, says "Coming early 2027." and already shows the step "Take the photo with your phone" (last verified October 22, 2026). Some news reports from that day say December; those words aren't in the transcript.

Rubio had previewed the idea on July 2, 2026, at the launch of the commemorative Patriot Passport. In that transcript (last verified October 22, 2026) Rubio said you should be able to take the picture on the device you apply from and "have it in real time, through our security system, verify the facial ID." He joked that "the CVS people, of course, hate this, and the Walgreens and all those other places." The September demo didn't mention the face check, so whether the finished system verifies your face is an open question.

Is the Online First-Time Application Live Yet?

No. As of October 22, 2026, the State Department has given three timing statements and no month: "starting next year" for first passports, "Coming early 2027." on America.gov, and "by the end of 2027" for the vast majority of Americans. The application Rubio demonstrated isn't open to the public. Online renewal is live, and that's the part you can use today. We'll update this page when the department names a date, and the date in the first paragraph shows when we last checked.

What Can You Do From Home Today?

You can renew online with a photo you took yourself, if you qualify. The online renewal is for adults 25 and older, in a US state or territory, whose 10-year passport expires within a year or expired less than 5 years ago, who keep the name and sex printed in it, who still have the passport in hand and undamaged, and who travel no earlier than 6 weeks after applying (last verified October 22, 2026). The photo upload takes a JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC or HEIF file between 54 kilobytes and 10 megabytes, which is what a phone camera saves by default. The upload tool checks the basic requirements and tells you what to change, and an employee reviews the photo again after your application arrives. A photo that fails that review puts the application on hold until you send a new one.

If you're applying for a first passport, for a child under 16, or to replace a passport that was lost, stolen, damaged, issued before you turned 16 or issued more than 15 years ago, you apply in person with Form DS-11 and a printed 2×2 inch photo (last verified October 22, 2026). You can still take that photo at home; you then print it, or order prints, and bring it to the acceptance facility.

Why Did Rubio Talk About Checking Your Face?

Because a passport photo is how a border officer knows the passport is yours, and a photo the government didn't see being taken can be swapped or blended with someone else's face. Germany treats that risk by taking the camera away from you. Since May 1, 2025 it only accepts digital photos taken at a certified photo provider, a studio or a drugstore chain, or at a terminal inside the office, as the City of Stuttgart explains (last verified October 22, 2026). The US plan keeps your own camera, and in July Rubio described a live face check as the safeguard. How that check would tell a live person from a replayed picture hasn't been published.

What Does a Passport Photo From Your Phone Have to Get Right?

The same things as a photo from a store. The State Department's photo page asks for a 2×2 inch photo with your head 1 to 1⅜ inches tall, a plain white or off-white background, a neutral expression, no glasses, and a photo in color taken in the last 6 months (last verified October 22, 2026). If you can't take your glasses off for a medical reason, you include a signed note from your doctor. Anything else covering your face comes off unless there's a documented religious or medical reason. The page also says to submit the original, unchanged photo, with no computer software, phone apps or filters, and that every photo is checked for digital enhancement or alteration. The upload page shows what gets a photo thrown out, and a background that isn't plain white is on that list, with the advice to fix your lighting and background and take a new photo. The full rule set, with what each one means in practice, is on our requirements page.

A photo that looks fine on your phone can still fail on a head that's too small in the frame or a wall that reads as grey, and you find out when the letter comes. OnePassPhoto tests your photo against every official rule before you pay and sets the regulation head size. When a photo can't pass, we tell you it needs a retake. We never retouch your face, so it still looks like you. A digital photo costs $8.95, or $13.95 with printed photos mailed to you, and if a passport office ever turns it down you get your money back. Already have a photo? The free checker tests it rule by rule.

Want the at-home version that already works today? Upload your photo now!

Would You Rather Wait for the Government Tool?

If your passport is valid for a while longer, waiting costs you nothing, and we'll report here the day the department names a date. If you need a passport in the coming months, the online first-time application isn't an option yet, and a photo done this week is weeks ahead of one taken when it opens. A pharmacy counter is still a fine choice if one is around the corner. Our guide to where to get passport photos compares every in-person option, and the price index shows what each one charges.

Passport Photo at Home FAQ

Accepted, or your money back. Upload your photo and see the free preview.