Can you take your own passport photo at home?

Yes. With even lighting, a plain light wall, and a phone at eye level, you can take a compliant passport photo at home and crop it to the correct size online.

How do you take a passport photo with an iPhone?

Stand facing a plain wall in even daylight, have someone hold the phone at eye level about 1 metre away, keep a neutral expression, then crop to your country's size.

Does a home passport photo need a special background?

It needs a plain, evenly-lit light background — usually white or light grey. A blank wall works; our tool can also replace the background.

ID PhotoGuide

How to Take a Passport Photo at Home (with Your Phone)

Fastly AI Team

June 20, 2026

Short answer: yes — you can take a compliant passport photo at home with just your phone. You need even lighting, a plain light wall, your face at eye level, and a tool to crop it to the right size and background.

Step by step

Find even lighting. Face a window with soft daylight. Avoid overhead lights that cast shadows under the eyes.
Use a plain light wall. A white or light-grey wall is ideal. Stand about 0.5m from the wall so you don't cast a shadow on it.
Position the camera at eye level. Have someone hold the phone about 1 metre away at eye height. Don't use a low or high angle.
Keep a neutral expression. Eyes open, mouth closed, face the camera straight on.
Crop and set the background. Upload the photo to our free ID photo tool — it auto-crops to your country's exact size and applies the correct background.

Common mistakes to avoid

Harsh shadows from overhead lighting.
Tilting your head or the camera.
Smiling or showing teeth (see can you smile in a passport photo?).
Wearing the wrong clothing (see what to wear).

Get the exact size right

Different countries use different dimensions — check yours:

US · UK · India · Canada

Then let our tool handle the cropping and background automatically.