Creating Biometric Passport Photos

More of a note to myself than actual news: You can create passport photos using your smartphone and then adjust them on passfotogenerator.com. This can be particularly useful when dealing with small children. For instance, taking a passport photo of my one-year-old daughter was quite challenging with a professional photographer. Doing it in a familiar environment with more time would likely have been much easier.

To create a biometric passport photo, the following requirements must be met:

• Biometric passport photos must measure 3.5 x 4.5 cm
• The face height should occupy about 70–80% of the image
• The photo must be sharp, high-contrast, and evenly lit
• The image quality should be high with natural skin tones
• The background must be plain, light-colored, and pattern-free
• The head should be centered and positioned straight
• Eyes must be open and looking directly into the camera
• A neutral facial expression and closed mouth are mandatory
• Head coverings are only allowed for religious reasons
• Special rules apply for children and infants

via Volker Weber