Passport, visa and ID photos · Upload refused
US passport renewal photo upload failed? The file limits, and how to meet them
The photo for the online US passport renewal is a digital file, and the official page publishes limits for it: file type JPEG, PNG, HEIC or HEIF; file size 54 KB to 10 MB; colour in colour. A file outside any one of them does not meet the published limits. WinPhoto ID checks your photo against the published rules and makes a file inside these limits. The check is free.
Your photo stays on your device: nothing is uploaded, and no face is recognised.
The published file limits
For the U.S. passport (book or card). The indented words are the issuing authority's own, from the official page linked under them, read on the date given. WinPhoto is photo software, not an application service. WinPhoto is not affiliated with any government. Only the authority decides whether it accepts a photo.
| Limit | As published |
|---|---|
| File type | JPEG, PNG, HEIC or HEIF
The photo is a JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC, or HEIF file. Photos taken on a mobile device may automatically save in one of these formats.Official page, read on 4 November 2026. |
| File size | 54 KB to 10 MB
The file size should be between 54 KB and 10 MB.Official page, read on 4 November 2026. |
| Colour | in colour
Submit 1 color photo taken in the last 6 months.Official page, read on 4 November 2026. |
| Background | plain white or off-white, free of shadows, textures, objects or lines
Use a plain white or off-white background free of shadows, textures, or objects.Official page, read on 4 November 2026. |
The usual reasons a file is refused
Each of these puts a file outside the limits above:
- The file is not a JPEG, PNG, HEIC or HEIF file.
- The file is larger than 10 MB or smaller than 54 KB.
- The photo is black and white.
This list comes only from the published limits. A photo can also be turned down for what it shows, such as the background or the head size: the US passport photo page has every published rule.
What the free check does
- The page checks your photo against the published photo rules it can measure, such as the head size where the rules set one and the background.
- It then frames the photo and makes a 1,200 x 1,200 pixel JPEG file, fitted to the file size limit above.
Checking your photo is free and runs in your browser. The file comes with your document's photo: €6.99, paid once for that document, with unlimited retakes for 30 days. No subscription. A file made or checked here meets the published limits as read on 4 November 2026; it is not a promise that the authority accepts it.
Questions
- What photo file does the online US passport renewal take?
- As the official page states it, read on 4 November 2026: file type JPEG, PNG, HEIC or HEIF; file size 54 KB to 10 MB; colour in colour.
- Does a file inside these limits get accepted?
- A file inside them meets the published limits as we read them on 4 November 2026. Only the authority decides whether it accepts a photo, and rules change: check the official page before you apply.
- Is my photo uploaded to WinPhoto?
- No. The check runs in your browser and the photo stays on your device, unless you choose the Detail check, which is opt-in. No face is recognised.
- Does WinPhoto fill in or send the application?
- No. WinPhoto is photo software: it checks a photo and makes a photo file. The application is yours to make on the official site.