Passport Size Photo at Home: How to Make 35×45mm Photos and Print a 4×6 Sheet Free

A passport size photo always seems to be needed urgently — a visa appointment tomorrow, a job application closing tonight, an ID card renewal. The good news is that you can make a perfect passport-size photo at home in about five minutes, using just your phone and a free online tool. No studio visit, no app to install, nothing to pay.

In this guide you will learn the exact official photo sizes for the most common documents, how to take a compliant photo with your phone, how to crop it to the precise dimensions, and how to print several copies cheaply on a single 4×6 photo sheet. You can also go straight to our free Passport Size Photo Maker — it runs entirely in your browser, so your photo is never uploaded anywhere.

What size is a passport photo?

There is no single worldwide size — it depends on the country and the document, so always check the exact requirement printed on your application form. The three sizes that cover almost every common case are:

• 2 × 2 in (51 × 51 mm) — US visa & passport; Indian passport (600 × 600 px at 300 DPI)
• 35 × 45 mm — UK passport; Schengen / EU visas; many ID cards (413 × 531 px at 300 DPI)
• 45 × 55 mm — Bangladesh passport; some national IDs (531 × 650 px at 300 DPI)

Beyond size, the rules are the same almost everywhere: a plain white or off-white background, your face taking up 70–80% of the photo's height, a neutral expression with your mouth closed and eyes open, no shadows on your face or the background, no filters or heavy editing, and a photo taken within the last six months.

What you need

• A smartphone with a decent camera (any phone from the last few years is fine).
• A plain white wall — or a white bedsheet hung flat as a backdrop.
• Daylight: stand facing a window. This is the single biggest factor in a clean, shadow-free photo.
• Someone to take the photo, or a stack of books as a tripod plus your camera timer.
• A dark, plain top so you stand out against the white background.

Step 1: Take the photo (5 quick tips)

1. Face the light. Stand 1–2 metres from a window in daytime so soft light falls evenly on your face. Switch off yellow ceiling lights and do not use the flash — both create harsh shadows.
2. Keep the background truly plain. No door frames, switches, or patterns behind your head. A white sheet pinned flat works perfectly.
3. Frame head and shoulders. Have the photographer stand about 1.5 metres away with the phone at your eye level. Leave a little space above your head — you will crop precisely in the next step.
4. Pose correctly. Look straight into the lens, neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes fully open. Keep your head straight, not tilted. Remove sunglasses, and ordinary glasses too if you can — reflections are a common reason for rejection.
5. Take several shots and pick the sharpest one with the most even lighting.

Step 2: Crop it to the exact size

This is the step most people get wrong — eyeballing the crop in a gallery app. Use the free Passport Size Photo Maker instead:

1. Open the tool and choose your photo (JPG or PNG).
2. Select your official size: 35 × 45 mm, 2 × 2 in, or 45 × 55 mm.
3. Drag the photo to centre your face, and use the zoom slider so your head fills roughly 70–80% of the frame's height.
4. Click Download Single Photo for the exact-size, 300-DPI JPG — or continue to step 3 for the print sheet.

The crop and resize happen inside your browser. Nothing is uploaded to any server, which is exactly what you want for an official ID photo.

Step 3: Print a 4×6 sheet — the cheap way

Instead of paying for a studio session, print several copies at once on a single 4×6-inch photo print. The tool's Make 4×6 Print Sheet button arranges your photo on a print-ready 300-DPI sheet automatically:

• 35 × 45 mm → 8 photos per sheet
• 2 × 2 in → 2 photos per sheet
• 45 × 55 mm → 3 photos per sheet

Download the sheet and either print it at home on glossy photo paper (choose borderless 4×6 in your printer settings) or take the file to any photo lab or online print service — a single 4×6 print costs a fraction of a studio sitting. Cut the photos apart with a ruler and a sharp cutter or scissors.

5 mistakes that get passport photos rejected

1. Shadows across the face or on the background — fix this with window light, not editing.
2. A head that is too small, too large, or off-centre — the 70–80% rule exists for a reason.
3. Smiling with teeth, a tilted head, or eyes not fully open.
4. An old photo — most authorities require one taken within the last six months.
5. Filters, skin smoothing, or red-eye "correction" that changes how you look.

Frequently asked questions

Can I really take a passport photo with my phone?
Yes. Modern phone cameras far exceed the resolution needed for a passport photo. Lighting and background matter far more than the camera.

What background colour is required?
Plain white or off-white for almost all passports and visas. A white wall or a flat white sheet is ideal.

Can I wear glasses in a passport photo?
Most authorities now ask you to remove them because of glare. Tinted glasses and sunglasses are never accepted.

How many passport photos fit on a 4×6 sheet?
Eight photos at 35 × 45 mm, two at 2 × 2 in, or three at 45 × 55 mm.

Is it safe to use an online tool for an ID photo?
With this tool, yes: it processes your photo 100% in your browser and never uploads it anywhere. Avoid random websites that require uploading your photo to a server.

What DPI should the photo be?
300 DPI is the print standard, and the tool exports at exactly 300 DPI, so prints come out sharp.

Making a passport-size photo at home takes about five minutes and saves you a trip to the studio every time a form asks for one. Open the free Passport Size Photo Maker, pick your official size, and print a full 4×6 sheet today.