Guide
How to take a passport-style photo at home with a phone
Most rejected photographs are rejected for the photograph, not the file. Here is how to take one that passes, with equipment you already have.
The short version
Stand about two metres from a plain, light-coloured wall. Face a window, so daylight falls evenly on your face. Ask someone else to hold the phone. Frame from mid-chest to a little above your head. Do not smile, do not tilt your head, and take several frames so you have a choice.
Light: the single biggest factor
Good light does more for an identity photo than any camera or editing. Bad light cannot be fixed afterwards, and compression punishes it further by turning shadow detail into smudges.
Face a window during daylight. The light should fall on your face from the front, not from behind or from one side. If you can see a shadow under your nose or across one cheek, turn slightly until it evens out.
Avoid the camera flash. It flattens the face, creates glare on the skin, and throws a hard shadow onto the wall behind you — which is exactly the detail that costs kilobytes when the file is compressed.
Background: plainer is better, and smaller
Stand against a plain wall in a light colour. White, off-white or light grey are ideal.
Avoid doors, windows, curtains, furniture or anyone else in frame. Anything with texture or pattern is detail the encoder has to spend bytes on, and it is also the first thing to look wrong at 20 KB.
Do not stand so close to the wall that you cast a shadow onto it. Step forward about a metre.
Framing and distance
Have someone else take the photo. A selfie is held too close, which distorts facial proportions — the nose and chin enlarge relative to the rest of the face — and it usually leaves one arm in frame.
Stand roughly two metres away and use the normal lens, not the wide-angle. Zoom slightly if you must. The head should occupy about 70 to 80 per cent of the frame height, with a little space above it so a later centre-crop cannot trim your hair.
Expression and appearance
Neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open and looking at the lens. Not smiling, not frowning.
Remove caps, hats and sunglasses. If your notification permits head coverings for religious reasons, make sure the face is fully visible from the bottom of the chin to the forehead.
Glasses are a common cause of rejection because of reflections. If you can, take the photo without them and check whether your notification allows it. If you must wear them, angle your head very slightly until the reflection leaves the lens.
Use a photograph taken recently — most notifications specify within the last few months, and some compare it against earlier submissions.
After the photograph
Pick the sharpest frame, crop to remove anything distracting at the edges, then set the pixel dimensions to whatever the notification requires and only then compress to meet the size ceiling.
If the photo looks soft on your screen before you upload it, the portal will see the same thing. Start from a better frame rather than trying to rescue it with compression settings.
Questions people ask
Can I use a selfie?
It usually looks wrong. A selfie is taken too close, which distorts facial proportions, and it often leaves an arm or a shadow in frame. Ask someone to hold the phone two metres away.
Do I need a studio?
No. A plain wall and even daylight from a window are enough. Studios are more consistent, not fundamentally better equipped.
Can I edit the photo afterwards?
Cropping and resizing are fine and expected. Do not retouch the face, change the background, or apply filters — altered photographs are a rejection reason and, on an official document, a serious one.
How many photos should I take?
At least ten. Blinking, a slight tilt or a passing shadow ruins most frames, and choosing from a set is far easier than retaking.
Does the photo need to be in colour?
Unless your notification says otherwise, yes. Photographs are almost always required in colour; signatures are normally required in black ink.