What Makes a Good Passport Photo?
All passports require an up to date photo for identification purposes. The photos must be a good likeness and accurately represent the passport holder.
To combat fraud, a biometric photo must be used in order to be available for facial recognition and other identification techniques. This doesn’t mean that the photo must contain any special computer chips or other data (the passport has such elements, but not specifically in the photo itself), but it must comply with several aspects of composition and quality before being accepted as valid for the use in a passport.
When the passport is scanned as part of entry procedures at airports etc., the biometrics of the photo on the passport page are compared against the photo recorded on the passport microchip to make sure there is no fraudulent activity being attempted with the passport.
Although the requirements are quite extensive and must be followed closely, the process of producing a biometric photo is quite simple when you use our biometric template to check and edit your photo.
Full details of what is required when submitting a photo with a passport application can be found on our Biometric Passport Photo Guide.
