Why passport photos are rejected

Rejection letters rarely say “bad photo” in general — they cite a specific, published rule. These are the reasons that recur across the US, UK, Schengen, Indian and Chinese rule-sets, in roughly the order applicants meet them.

We measure, we don’t certify. IDPhotoCheck checks your photo against the published measurements — the issuing authority makes the final decision, and no tool can promise approval.

1. The head is the wrong size

Every system measures the head against a band: 25–35 mm (US), 32–36 mm (Schengen), 28–33 mm (China) — equivalently 49–69%, 70–80% and 58–69% of the frame height. A photo framed for one document routinely fails another; the bands for the US and Schengen barely overlap. A checker measures this before you submit.

2. The background isn’t what the rule says

“White” walls photograph grey; patterns, door frames and shelves intrude at the edges; a shadow falls behind the head. UK rules ask for a plain light colour, US and China ask for white — and all of them refuse backgrounds that were changed by software. Measurable — with the background checker.

3. The photo was edited

The quiet disqualifier. Background replacement, skin smoothing, automatic “enhancement” — the US requires your original photo; GOV.UK requires the image “unaltered by computer software”. An edit that makes a photo look better can make it invalid. Not measurable after the fact — which is why honest tools refuse to do it: our no-edit policy.

4. Shadows, glare and glasses

Shadow on the face or behind it, flash glare on glasses, glasses at all (US and Chinese rules), reflections that hide the eyes. Frontal, even light and removing glasses fixes nearly all of these.

5. The file itself is wrong

Portal rejections, not examiner rejections: 601×600 px where exactly 600×600 is required; 245 KB where the ceiling is 240; 38 KB where the floor is 40 (China COVA); 45 KB where the floor is 50 (UK). These are pure file facts — exactly what the file maker produces and proves.

6. Expression, eyes and tilt

Eyes closed or looking away, mouth open (China asks for closed), head tilted or turned, hair covering the eyes or the edges of the face. For babies the rules soften — under one year, half-open eyes are officially fine — which the baby checker knows.

7. The photo is old, damaged or a photo of a photo

Most systems require a photo taken within the last 6 months. Scans of printed photos, screenshots and pictures of pictures lose detail and break file rules at once. No tool can date a photo honestly — this one is on you.

What to do with this list

Run your photo through the checker for the reasons that can be measured — head, background, pose, file — and read the reason list again for the ones that can’t. And keep the honesty line in view: a photo can measure perfectly and still be refused on the day. Anyone who promises otherwise is selling something.