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DS-11 mentions:

See the full list of photo requirements on travel.state.gov/photos:

enter image description here

However, on travel.state.gov/photos, I don't see a clear list of photo requirements. There are some "Tips for Submitting your Photo", but it's incomplete e.g. they don't mention that the eye level must be between 1 1/8 to 1 3/8″ (28 and 35 mm) from the bottom of the photo. (https://i.stack.imgur.com/W1w5P.png from https://visafoto.com/us-passport-photo also mentioned that the eye level must be between 1 1/8 to 1 3/8″ (28 and 35 mm) from the bottom of the photo).

Where can I see the list of all the requirements for the photo for DS-11 (US passport photo)?

The official photo checker https://tsg.phototool.state.gov/photo doesn't mention what they check beyond the cropping and compression.

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  • If you try to simultaneously satisfy all of the requirements that you can possibly find on each of the individual US Embassy web pages for each country, then you will undoubtedly find inconsistences. The US government is honestly not that coordinated.
    – Greg Hewgill
    Feb 28 at 4:19
  • @GregHewgill I guess you're right, probably not clearly defined. i.stack.imgur.com/W1w5P.png (from visafoto.com) also mentioned that the eye level must be between 1 1/8 to 1 3/8″ (28 and 35 mm) from the bottom of the photo, so I started to get concerned.
    – Franck Dernoncourt
    Feb 28 at 4:20
  • Every passport photo service (including at your local costco and walgreens) will give you a photo that would be acceptable by the DoS. Why do you bother yourself with these nonsense??
    – littleadv
    Feb 28 at 6:59
  • @littleadv faster, cheaper, and safer.
    – Franck Dernoncourt
    Feb 28 at 7:05
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    @littleadv the last time I got a passport photo I went to a Duane Reade -- owned by Walgreens -- and the guy who took the picture was neither trained nor particularly concerned to produce an acceptable photograph. I had to point out exactly how the photographs he produced failed to meet the guidelines, not once, but twice. Of course they did not charge for the faulty photographs, but it was a serious waste of time. I'll go to a professional photographer next time or make the pictures myself. And if I'm making them myself, I'll want a comprehensive list of the requirements.
    – phoog
    Feb 28 at 10:36

2 Answers 2

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I found a complete list of requirements by following this procedure:

  1. Go to https://travel.state.gov
  2. Click on "Get a U.S. Passport"
  3. Under "I need a passport", click "I'm an adult"
  4. Scroll down to "7. Provide a photo" and open that section
  5. Click on the "photo requirements" link
  6. You should end up on Passport Photos

The following screenshot from that page shows the required position measurements. In my experience, they are not super fussy about the actual position, with descriptions using "should be" instead of "must be". I've never personally encountered the actual "eye level must be xx mm from the bottom of the photo" requirement that you found on the Dominican Republic embassy page. They crop the photo anyway (the screenshot below mentions an automatic cropping tool) so it's not important in practice.

US passport photo requirements

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I found some info on the US visa page https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/photos/photo-composition-template.html:

  • Make sure the photo presents the full head from the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin
  • Center the head with the frame
  • The person in the photo should have a neutral expression and be facing the camera

Paper Photo Head Size Template

enter image description here

  • Photo must be 2 inches by 2 inches
  • The height of the head (top of hair to bottom of chin) should measure 1 inch to 1 3/8 inches (25 mm - 35 mm)
  • Make sure the eye height is between 1 1/8 inches to 1 3/8 inches (28 mm – 35 mm) from the bottom of the photo

FYI, for cheap passport photo printing in the US: How can I physically cut a 4x6 photo into precisely 6 photos of dimension 2x2?

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