Smiling in a Passport Photo: How Much Is Too Much?

For a US passport book or card, you can smile, as long as it is natural and unexaggerated. The State Department asks for a neutral facial expression or a natural smile, with both eyes open, facing the camera directly.

The key word is natural. A relaxed smile that keeps your face close to how it looks at rest is fine. A smile that changes the shape of your face, shows a wide spread of teeth or makes your eyes narrow is the kind that gets photos rejected.

If you are unsure, aim for a soft, closed-mouth smile. It looks friendly, and it is the expression least likely to cause a problem. For every other photo rule, see passport photo requirements.

The difference between an accepted and a rejected expression is usually how much your face changes. Use this table as a quick guide for a US passport photo.

When in doubt, compare the photo with your face in a mirror at rest. If the smile makes you look noticeably different, take another shot.

The US rules do not ban showing teeth. They ask for a natural, unexaggerated smile. In practice, a closed-mouth smile is the safest because it keeps your face closest to how it looks at rest, which is what officers compare at the airport and the border.

If you naturally smile with a few teeth showing and your eyes stay fully open, that can be fine. A wide grin that shows most of your teeth, pushes up your cheeks or narrows your eyes is the kind of smile that leads to rejection.

Passport photos are used to confirm who you are, by officers and by face-matching systems at borders. A relaxed, neutral face is closest to how you look day to day and keeps your features in their normal position.

The ICAO-based photo guidelines used across the European Union ask for a neutral expression with the mouth closed, and many countries follow the same standard. The US is a little more relaxed and accepts a natural smile, but the goal is the same: a photo that clearly looks like you.

Most people look stiff in passport photos because they hold one expression too long. These tips help.

• Take a slow breath out right before the shot to relax your face.
• Think of something mildly pleasant rather than forcing a smile.
• Keep your lips together and let the corners rise just a little.
• Relax your forehead and eyebrows. Raised eyebrows read as surprised.
• Blink right before the photo, then open your eyes normally.
• Take a burst of 10 or more photos and pick the most natural one.

A helper who chats with you while shooting gets a more relaxed look than a timer. Our passport photo at home guide covers the full setup.

Braces, retainers you wear every day, missing teeth and other dental work are part of how you look, and the passport photo rules do not ask you to hide them.

If you feel self-conscious, a soft closed-mouth smile or a neutral face hides them naturally and is the safest expression anyway. Do not remove a fixed appliance or change how you hold your mouth in a way that makes your face look different from normal. And remember that editing your teeth or smile after the photo is not allowed: the State Department does not accept photos altered with software, apps, filters or artificial intelligence.

Your passport photo is not just for the application. TSA officers at airport security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the border compare your face with it every time you travel, often alongside face-matching cameras.

A photo with a big grin or raised eyebrows can look quite different from your relaxed face in a security line. A neutral face or soft smile keeps your photo close to how you look on a normal day, for the 10 years an adult passport is valid. That is the real reason a calm expression is worth a few extra shots.

A smile is only one part of your expression. The rest of your face has to follow the rules too.

• Both eyes open, with no hair, glare or shadow over them.
• Look straight into the camera, not above or to the side.
• Eyebrows relaxed, not raised or furrowed.
• Mouth closed or naturally relaxed.
• Head level and facing forward, not tilted or turned.
• No glasses, since November 1, 2016. See glasses in passport photos.

Kids follow the same expression rules as adults, but babies get some leeway.

• Newborns and infants: their eyes may be partly or fully closed, which is often the easiest way to get a usable photo.
• Toddlers and older children: eyes open and a neutral face or natural smile. A calm, slightly amused look works; a big laugh does not.
• Other countries: Australia allows children under 3 to have their mouth open. Check each country's rules.

Tips for getting a calm moment are in our baby passport photo guide.

Other US photos follow similar expression rules, with small differences in wording.

• US visa (DS-160 and DS-260): the Foreign Affairs Manual counts a natural smile as a neutral expression, as for passports. See US visa photo.
• DV lottery: neutral expression, both eyes open, full face toward the camera.
• Green card and USCIS forms: full face, frontal view. A neutral face is the safest choice. See green card photo.
• REAL ID and driver's licenses: set by your state DMV, which takes the photo at the visit.

Many countries are stricter than the US and want a neutral face with the mouth closed. If you are applying for a foreign passport or visa, follow that country's rule, not the US one.

See our UK passport photo, Canada passport photo and Schengen visa photo pages for the full rules.

Use this quick list when you pick the final shot. If every line is a yes, your expression meets the US rules.

• Neutral face or a soft, natural smile.
• Mouth closed or naturally relaxed, no laugh or open grin.
• Both eyes fully open, not narrowed by the smile.
• Eyebrows relaxed, not raised or pulled together.
• Looking straight into the lens, head level.
• No glasses, and no hair over the eyes.
• The photo looks like you on a normal day.

For the rest of the photo, run through the passport photo rejection reasons guide.

Not sure whether your smile is too much? Check it before you print or upload.

The free photo checker runs in your browser, so your photo stays on your device. When you order, PhotoForPass fixes the lighting, replaces the background with plain white, sizes and crops the photo to the official rules and checks it against the requirements, keeping your face exactly as it is. A digital photo is $16.95, or $18.95 with a 4 x 6 print sheet, and every order includes up to 5 photo checks, 3 free redos per person and a 14-day money-back guarantee.