For an Indian passport applied for at a Passport Seva Kendra or a Post Office Passport Seva Kendra, you don't need to bring a photo at all. Where a photo is needed, the rules are strict, and several authorities, including the US and Canada, prohibit editing it. So don't use a background remover, ours included, on a passport or visa photo.
Here's what each authority actually requires, when you need a photo at all, and what gets photos rejected.
Important: Requirements change. Always check the official page before you apply. The rules below are quoted from each authority's own pages, checked between July and September 2026.
Background Requirements by Country
Most authorities require a plain white or light-coloured background. The exact rules differ by country, and several prohibit editing the photo.
India
The Passport Seva instruction booklet from the Ministry of External Affairs is clear about when you need a photo at all:
- At a Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) or Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK), you don't need one: "Photograph is NOT REQUIRED for applications submitted at Passport Seva Kendra (PSK), Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK)."
- At other collection centres (District Passport Cells, Speed Post Centres and Citizen Service Centres), paste a recent colour photo measuring 4.5cm by 3.5cm
- Plain white background, with dark-coloured clothing
- Frontal view of the full face, head in the centre of the frame, both ears visible
- Natural expression: no grinning, frowning or raised eyebrows
- No coloured or dark glasses; avoid glare on eyeglasses
- "Photograph in computer print will not be accepted." It should be printed on good quality photo paper.
- Applying from abroad through an Indian embassy or consulate? The Ministry of External Affairs' guidelines for ICAO-compliant photographs apply instead: a colour digital photo of 630 x 810 pixels with a white background, and "Photos should be unaltered by computer software."
United States (US Visa)
The U.S. State Department's visa photo page asks for a plain white or off-white background.
- Printed photos, where a printed photo is required: 2x2 inches (51x51mm). For a visitor or student visa, the online DS-160 form asks you to upload a digital image instead
- Head height: 1 inch to 1-3/8 inches from chin to top of head
- Taken within the last 6 months, with a neutral facial expression and both eyes open
- No eyeglasses, except in rare medical cases
- "Photos must not be digitally enhanced or altered to change your appearance in any way."
United Kingdom (UK Visa)
For a UK Standard Visitor visa you don't supply a photo. You book an appointment at a visa application centre, and at that appointment GOV.UK says you'll "have your fingerprints and a photo (biometric information) taken".
Schengen Area (Schengen Visa)
The European Commission's Schengen visa page asks for "A photo in compliance with ICAO standards." For the exact size and background colour, check the requirements of the consulate you are applying to.
Canada (Canadian Passport and Visitor Visa)
The Government of Canada's passport photo rules apply to Canadian passports:
- Plain white or light-coloured background
- Photo size: 50mm wide by 70mm high
- Neutral expression, mouth closed, not smiling
- Glasses are accepted if your eyes are clearly visible and there is no glare on the lenses; sunglasses and tinted glasses are not
- Taken in person by a commercial photographer or photo studio. Canada doesn't accept photos printed at home.
- No editing of any kind: the photo must be "an original photo that isn't altered or edited in any way", and "This includes photo editing software, filters, and AI tools." Canada lists "changing the background, including removing shadows" as an example of an altered photo, and says: "We'll reject your application if the photos have been altered in any way."
For a Canadian visitor visa, the rules are different. The Temporary Resident Visa photo specifications ask for photos with a frame of at least 35mm by 45mm, "taken against a plain white or light-coloured background", and say: "If the photographs are digital, they must not be altered in any way."
Taking the Photo
Where you're allowed to take your own photo (the US visa page, for example, says you "may take the photo yourself"), a phone can work, but only for a sharp, well-lit photo: the same page rejects "low quality vending machine or mobile phone photos". For an Indian passport application that needs a printed photo, a photo studio is the safer choice, because computer prints are not accepted. A few things matter:
Pay most attention to lighting. Stand facing a window so natural light falls evenly on your face. Avoid overhead room lights (tubelights create harsh shadows). If you can see shadows on your face in the phone's preview, adjust your position.
Get the background right in the photo itself. Don't fix it afterwards. Stand a few feet in front of a plain white wall, which fits both the Indian passport and the US visa rules. Standing away from the wall keeps your shadow off it.
Have someone else take it. Selfies are hard to frame, and your arm tends to creep into the shot.
Shoulders visible, face centred. Keep your head in the centre of the frame, with your shoulders in the shot and some space around them.
Can You Replace the Background Afterwards?
No. For a photo whose background isn't plain white or off-white, the U.S. State Department's passport photo rules say: "Do not enhance or change the photo using software or artificial intelligence tools. Fix your lighting and background and take a new photo." Its visa page says photos "must not be digitally enhanced or altered to change your appearance in any way", and Canada names "changing the background, including removing shadows" as an alteration that gets an application rejected. Don't use a background remover, ours included, on a passport or visa photo. If the background is wrong, retake the photo or go to a photo studio.
Background removal is the right tool for photos without these rules, such as a profile picture, a team page or a product listing. For those, the Background Remover is free, with no watermarks and no account needed.
Why Passport Photos Get Rejected
Common problems are shadows on the background, the wrong background colour, poor lighting on the face, the wrong size, and glasses where they aren't allowed.
Shadows on the background. Don't remove them in software: Canada names "changing the background, including removing shadows" as an alteration. Stand further from the wall and light your face from the front.
Wrong background colour. An Indian passport photo needs a plain white background, and the booklet refuses a photo with a "dark background". A US visa photo can be white or off-white.
Poor lighting on the face. Uneven lighting, harsh shadows under the nose. Editing the photo isn't allowed and won't fix this. Retake it with better lighting.
Wrong dimensions. For an Indian passport application at a District Passport Cell, Speed Post Centre or Citizen Service Centre, the photo is 4.5cm by 3.5cm; applications made abroad need a digital photo instead; a printed US visa photo is 2x2 inches. Get the size right when the photo is taken and printed, rather than stretching or squashing it.
Glasses. The rules differ. A US visa photo must be taken without eyeglasses, except in rare medical cases. For an Indian passport photo pasted on a paper form in India, coloured or dark glasses are not accepted and glare on eyeglasses should be avoided; for applications made abroad, the ICAO photo guidelines say glasses are "to be taken off to avoid reflections". Canada accepts glasses on passport photos if your eyes are clearly visible with no glare, and non-tinted prescription glasses on visitor visa photos.
Printing
Before you print, check whether the authority accepts the kind of print you plan to make:
- Indian passport (District Passport Cell, Speed Post Centre or Citizen Service Centre applications): "Photograph in computer print will not be accepted." Use a photo studio that prints on good quality photo paper.
- US visa: printed photos are 2x2 inches, "Printed on photo quality paper".
- Canadian passport: photos printed at home are not accepted. Canadian visitor visa: photos "must be printed on quality photographic paper".
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my passport photo be accepted? Only the issuing authority decides. For an Indian passport at a PSK or POPSK you don't need to bring a photo at all. Elsewhere, your best chance is an unedited photo that meets every rule on the official page: background, size, lighting, expression and glasses.
Do I need a photo for an Indian passport? Not if you apply at a Passport Seva Kendra or a Post Office Passport Seva Kendra: the Passport Seva booklet says a photograph is "NOT REQUIRED" there. For applications at a District Passport Cell, Speed Post Centre or Citizen Service Centre, paste a 4.5cm by 3.5cm colour photo with a plain white background, printed on photo paper, not a computer print.
Can I use a selfie? Only where the rules let you take your own photo, and even then a rear-camera photo taken by someone else is easier to frame. The US visa page says you "may take the photo yourself" but recommends a professional visa photo service; Canada requires a commercial photographer or photo studio for passport photos.