Passport photo rejected

These guides describe the failure, the official rule it maps to, and a retake — not a software trick that hides the problem. Pick the reason on your rejection notice.

Passport photo rejected for background
The background is not a single official colour, or it has shadows, objects, or texture.
Passport photo rejected — head too large
Chin-to-crown fills more of the frame than the document allows.
Passport photo rejected — head too small
The face occupies too little of the frame; too much empty background sits above the hair or below the chest.
Passport photo rejected for shadows
Uneven light puts a shadow on the cheek, eye socket, or wall.
Passport photo rejected for glasses
Glasses are present where the document forbids them, or glare hides the eyes.
Passport photo rejected — file too large or too small
The JPEG is larger than the portal maximum, or so compressed that the face is blocky.
Passport photo rejected — wrong pixel size
The file is not the published width × height in millimetres or pixels.
Passport photo rejected for expression
Teeth showing, raised brows, or a closed-eye blink.
Passport photo rejected — blurry or out of focus
The face is not sharp at 100% zoom — motion blur or missed focus.
Passport photo rejected — face not centered
The head is shifted left/right or the camera is rotated.
Passport photo rejected — eyes not visible
Bangs, tinted lenses, red-eye, or a blink hide one or both irises.
DS-160 photo upload failed
The file fails CEAC checks for size, kilobytes, head height, or appearance.