Passport Photos

Most rejected passport photos fail on framing, not on the face: a head a few millimetres too big, a crown cut off by the top edge, eyes too low on a square US photo. Passport Photos is built around getting that right. Each format carries the authority's own numbers: the photo size, the chin-to-crown head height, and, where one is published, the eye band or the space above the head (China wants 3–5 mm, Japan 4 ± 2 mm).

After you take the photo, one on-device Vision pass finds your eyes, chin and head tilt, and uses person segmentation to find the true top of your hair, which is where authorities measure from. Guessing the crown from the face box, as simpler apps do, makes heads come out 7–12% too big: enough to fail the UK and EU maximums. The crop is then fitted automatically, and you can pinch and drag while the checklist updates live.

Where an authority says it rejects digitally altered photos (the US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia and others), the background and light tools still work but tell you so, and the export repeats the warning only if you actually edited the photo.

Key Features

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• Online-ready files. Where a portal publishes pixel and file-size limits, the export renders a second file to match: 630 × 810 px under 250 KB for India, 600 × 600 px under 240 KB for the DV lottery, 1200 × 1200 px for US visas and renewals.
• Uncropped original. GOV.UK crops online photos itself, so UK exports include the untouched original too.
• True resolution. Prints are 300 DPI with the resolution written into the file, and the check warns if you have cropped in so far that the print would be soft.
• Pose checks. Head tilt is measured from your eyes and shoulder tilt from your outline, and either one is flagged before you print.
• Self-timer. 3 or 10 seconds, with ticks, a shutter sound and flash, and a cancel button.
• Front or back camera, or import any photo from your library.
• Change format later. Switch the document on the edit screen and the crop reframes itself for the new rules.
• Requirements checklist. Pose, lighting, clothing, glasses and background tips in one place.
• Sound and haptics. Each switchable from the menu.
• iPad, in any orientation, with photos that always come out upright.

1. Acceptance of Terms

By downloading, installing or using the Passport Photos application ("the App"), published by CS42.org ("we", "us", "our"), you agree to these Terms and Conditions. If you do not agree, please do not use the App.

2. Description of Service

Passport Photos is a free application that helps you take and prepare passport, visa and ID photos. It shows a pose guide over the camera, measures the face in the photo on your device, crops the photo to the published size and head-size rules of the document format you choose, lets you change the background colour and adjust light and colour, and exports exact-size photos, print sheets and files for online applications.

3. Licence

We grant you a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to use the App on Apple devices you own or control, in line with the Apple Media Services Terms and Conditions. We retain all rights not expressly granted.

4. Your Content

Photos you capture, import or export with the App are yours. We claim no ownership of them and, because they are not transmitted to us, we have no access to them. You are responsible for what you photograph and for anything you choose to share.

5. Guidance, Not a Guarantee

The App's document formats, head-size rules, background colours and compliance checks reflect requirements published by the issuing authorities when they were last checked (September 2026). They are guidance, not legal advice, and not a guarantee of acceptance. Authorities change their rules and apply them with varying strictness. Always verify the current requirements of the issuing authority before submitting a photo. We are not responsible for rejected applications, fees or delays.

6. Edited Photos

Many authorities reject digitally altered photos, including replaced backgrounds, filters and retouching. The App marks the formats where the authority says so and warns you when you use the background or adjustment tools on them. Whether to edit a photo meant for an official document is your decision and your responsibility.

7. Not Affiliated with Any Government

The App is not endorsed by, affiliated with, or connected to any government, passport office or issuing authority. Country names identify photo formats only.

8. Example Images

The reference people in the pose guide are illustrative sample images provided to demonstrate posing. They do not depict real applicants.

9. Acceptable Use

• You shall not use the App to create fraudulent identity documents or to misrepresent anyone's identity.
• You shall not photograph another person without their permission.
• You shall not reverse-engineer, decompile or disassemble the App, except where that restriction is prohibited by law.
• You shall not use the App for any unlawful purpose.

10. Your Device and Storage

Finished photos are saved to your photo library only when you tap Save; the App keeps no archive of its own. You are responsible for managing your device storage and backing up photos you care about.

11. Third-Party Services

Saving to Photos, printing and sharing to other apps are handled by Apple and by whichever service you use. Those services have their own terms and privacy policies.

12. Availability and Changes

We may add, change or remove features or formats at any time, and we may stop supporting the App.

13. Disclaimers

The App is provided "as is", without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including fitness for a particular purpose and uninterrupted or error-free operation.

14. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, CS42.org is not liable for indirect or consequential loss, including rejected applications, travel costs, missed deadlines or loss of photos, arising from your use of the App. Nothing here limits liability that cannot lawfully be limited.

15. Termination

You may stop using the App at any time by deleting it. This licence ends automatically if you breach these terms.

16. Governing Law

These terms are governed by the laws applicable at the developer's place of establishment, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

17. Changes to Terms

We may update these terms. The dates at the top change when we do, and continued use after an update means you accept the revised terms.

18. Contact

If you have any questions about these terms, contact us at hello@cs42.org.

Last updated: September 24, 2026

CS42.org ("we", "us", "our") built Passport Photos as a free application. This policy explains what the app handles and where it goes. The short version: nowhere. Passport Photos has no accounts, no servers and no analytics, and it contains no code that transmits your photos or data.

1. What We Collect

Nothing. We operate no servers for the app and receive no data from it. We cannot see your photos, which country format you picked, or how often you use the app.

2. What the App Stores on Your Device

• The photo you are working on, captured with the camera or imported from your library, is held in memory while you adjust and export it.
• Finished photos and print sheets are written to your photo library only when you tap Save.
• Shareable files are prepared in the app's temporary folder when you open the export screen, so the Share button can hand them to another app. iOS clears that folder, and each new export replaces the last.
• Preferences: your chosen document format (including a custom size), pose guide and guide style, print-sheet paper size, and the sound and haptics switches.

None of it is transmitted. The app keeps no photo archive of its own; what you don't save is gone when the session ends.

3. Camera

The camera is used only while the camera screen is open, to show the live preview and take the picture you ask for. The pose guide is drawn on screen and is never part of the captured photo. If you decline camera access, you can still import an existing photo.

4. Photo Library

Saving uses iOS's add-only permission: the app can add your finished photo to the library but cannot read, browse or index what is already there. Importing uses the system photo picker, which gives the app only the one photo you choose.

5. On-Device Processing

Face measurement uses Apple's Vision face landmarks; finding the top of your head, the shoulders and the person for background replacement uses Apple's on-device person segmentation; light and colour adjustments use Core Image. All of it runs entirely on your iPhone or iPad. No image ever leaves the device for processing.

6. Sharing Is Always Your Choice

Nothing is shared automatically. When you tap Share, iOS hands the file to whichever app you pick, and from that point that app's privacy policy applies.

7. No Tracking, No Ads, No Third-Party SDKs

The app contains no advertising, no analytics, no crash-reporting services and no tracking identifiers. It does not use the Advertising Identifier and does not "track" you as defined by Apple's App Tracking Transparency framework.

8. Children

The app is rated 4+. Because we collect no data at all, we hold no personal information about anyone, including children.

9. Your Control and Your Rights

• Photos you saved live in your photo library, under your control like any other picture.
• Start Over discards the current session's working photo.
• Deleting the app removes its preferences; saved photos stay in your library until you delete them there.

There is no request to make of us under GDPR, CCPA or similar laws, because we hold nothing to disclose, correct or erase.

10. Data Retention

We retain nothing, for any period. The app keeps only the preferences above, on your device, until you delete it.

11. Security

Your photos are protected by your device's own security: your passcode, Face ID or Touch ID, and iOS app sandboxing. Keep your device updated and locked.

12. International Users

No data is transferred anywhere, so no international data transfer takes place.

13. Changes to This Policy

If this policy changes, the dates at the top change with it, and material changes will be described in the app's release notes.

14. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, contact us at hello@cs42.org.

Last updated: September 24, 2026

Will my photo be accepted?

The app frames and sizes the photo to the authority's published numbers and checks the framing rule by rule, which is where most home photos fail. What it can't judge is everything else a reviewer looks at: an even background, no shadows, a neutral expression, eyes open and clearly visible, and a recent photo. Follow the requirements checklist in the app, and check your authority's current rules before you submit.

How do I use the outline guide?

Stand in front of a plain wall, hold the phone at eye level about an arm's length away (or better, have someone take it from 1–2 m), and move until the top of your hair meets the top of the yellow head bracket, your eyes sit on the eye line and your shoulders run along the shoulders-level line. The guide is scaled to the format you picked, so it changes as you change country. Use the menu at the top of the camera to switch between the outline and the photo guide, or choose a different reference person.

Can I change the background colour?

Yes. On the edit screen, open the Background tab and pick a colour: the ones your format accepts are marked with a green badge, and Custom opens a colour picker for anything else. Be aware that many passport authorities, including the US, UK, EU, Canada and Australia, say they reject photos with an edited background, and the app warns you when that applies. A real plain wall is always the safest choice.

What do the Adjust presets do?

They correct the light, not the face. Auto balances exposure and colour, Bright lifts a dim indoor photo, Soft Light eases harsh light and face shadows, Warm and Cool counter bluish daylight or yellow bulbs, and Crisp adds a little definition. Each is previewed on your own face, and the sliders fine-tune from there. Keep changes light so the photo still looks exactly like you.

How do I print the photos?

On the export screen, choose the paper you'll print on (4 × 6 in, 10 × 15 cm, 5 × 7 in, A4 or US Letter) and save the print sheet. Print it at 100% or "actual size", never "fit to page", then cut along the grey guides. Where there is room, a 20 mm scale bar on the sheet lets you check the print with a ruler. A 4 × 6 in sheet printed on 10 × 15 cm paper comes out about 1.6% small, which is why the paper choice matters.

How do I submit a photo online?

If your format has one, use Save for Online Upload: it is rendered to the exact pixel size and file-size range the portal asks for, such as 630 × 810 px under 250 KB for Indian passport applications abroad. For UK online applications, upload the uncropped original, because GOV.UK crops the photo itself. The DV lottery, New Zealand and Nigeria formats are digital-only, so their main photo is already the upload file.

Why does the checklist say my head is tilted?

Head tilt is measured from the line through your eyes, and shoulder tilt from your outline. Authorities want both level. A crop can't fix a tilt, so retake the photo facing the camera squarely, with the phone held level.

My country isn't in the list.

Use Custom Size at the bottom of the format list and enter the width and height in millimetres. The head size then follows the international ICAO rule of 70–80% of the photo height. Email us the country and a link to its official photo rules, and we'll add it.

Does the app upload my photos?

No. There are no accounts and no servers. Face detection, segmentation and edits run on your iPhone, and photos go only where you save or share them.

Does it work on iPad?

Yes, in any orientation. Photos taken with a turned iPad still come out upright.