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AnswerUnited States passportchecked November 10, 2026

Head too small in the photo

On a 2 × 2 inch (51 × 51 mm) US passport photo, the head must measure 1 to 1 3/8 inches (25 to 35 mm) from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head. A head that is too small usually means the photo was taken from too far away or printed without being cropped.

Why it happens

  • The photo was taken from too far away and not cropped.
  • A full-body or half-body photo was printed as a 2 × 2 in photo.
  • The print was scaled with "fit to page", which shrinks everything.

How to fix it

  1. Frame head and shoulders

    The camera should be 1 to 1.5 m away, with the head and shoulders filling most of the frame.

  2. Crop to the rule

    Our tool computes the crop from your face so the head lands inside 25 to 35 mm.

  3. Print at actual size

    Print at 100 % on 4 × 6 photo paper, never "fit to page".

Check your photo now, free

2 in 2 in 25–35 mm

Checks

  1. Add a photo to see the crop and the checks.

Bought your photo here and it was still rejected? You get a free redo or a refund. See the guarantee

Questions

Is hair counted?

The measurement is from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head. Hair may go past the edge of the photo, as long as your whole head is shown.