What makes a photo “biometric”
Biometric passports store your photo on a chip, and border systems compare it with your face. For that to work, the photo must follow the ICAO rules: the face is measured from fixed points such as the eyes and chin, so head size, position and light all matter. That is why biometric photos look so plain.
Biometric photo rules
- Face straight on, eyes open, mouth closed, neutral expression
- Head about 70–80 % of the photo height, centred
- Plain, light, uniform background without shadows
- Even light, no glare, no red eyes, no filters
- Taken in the last 6 months in most countries
How to make one at home
- Stand about 1–2 m from the camera, facing a window. Ask someone to take the photo at eye level.
- Upload it above and choose your document.
- We replace the background, crop to the exact size and check it – then you download the digital file and print sheet.
Sources · ICAO Doc 9303, Part 3 · GOV.UK: photos for passports · U.S. Department of State: passport photos