Resize Image to Passport Photo Size

A passport photo printed at 2×2 inches and scanned or exported at 300 DPI — the resolution print labs and photo booths use — comes out to exactly 600×600 pixels, which is why that number shows up as the standard across US passport, visa and green card applications, and several other countries that also specify a 2×2 inch print size.

Not every country uses this size. The UK, Ireland and most of the EU specify 35×45mm instead, which is roughly 413×531 pixels at 300 DPI and commonly supplied at 350×450px online. Always confirm the exact figure on the passport or visa office's own page before resizing — submitting the wrong dimensions is one of the most common reasons a passport photo gets rejected.

Official passport photos have requirements beyond pixel dimensions: the head has to occupy a specific proportion of the frame, the background has to be plain and light, and expression and lighting are usually specified too. Resizing a photo to 600×600 does not add any of that — it only changes the pixel dimensions of whatever composition is already in the source image.

Because this preset locks the square aspect ratio, a source photo that is not already roughly square will letterbox rather than fill the frame. Cropping the photo to a tight square around the head and shoulders first, then resizing, gets much closer to a compliant result than resizing an uncropped photo and hoping the proportions land correctly.