It’s amazing to travel abroad with your friends. Before you go to your destination, you must first prepare your passport. One of the most important things is that you should take a passport photo for your upcoming trip. There are many strict requirements for passport photos, so you must prepare them well before you take a photo, such as clothes, hair and makeup, etc. Maybe someone has a question like, “Do I need to put my ears in the passport photo?” Well, since this is your first time taking a passport photo, you don’t know all the passport photo requirements. In this article, we will help you remove any concerns about whether you should have your ears shown in the passport photo.
Rules about Ears in Passport Photos
According to the State Department’s rules, there are no clear statements about ears that you must show in your passport photo. So, it means that you don’t need to have your ears showing in a passport photo. It will be okay if you keep your long hair down on your shoulder and let the hair cover your ears, if you keep it as your daily appearance. A passport photo you took needs to show a real you. Here you can take a look at the basic rules for passport photos.
- The photo must be taken within six months.
- The photo must show all of your facial features, so you need to face the camera directly. Make sure that your nose, mouth and eyes are visible.
- The photo must be on a white background.
- You are not allowed to have head coverings and hats except for religious beliefs and medical reasons.
In general, applicants must show all facial features in passport photos. If you don’t, your passport photo will be rejected by the officers. The key requirement is that border officials can identify who you are based on the basic passport photo. If you are taking a passport photo at home with your friend, here you can use AiPassportPhoto, an online photo editor, to help you get a compliant passport photo.
Do I Need to Put My Hair Behind My Ears in A Passport Photo?
The answer is no. You don’t have to put your hair behind your ears in the passport photo. Because the U.S. Department of State does not have strict ear rules your ears must be visible in a passport photo. Why do they keep suggesting you do this? From their experience, it’s better for you to show your every facial feature, such as eyes, mouth, nose, chin and ears just in case the photo you took is not effective. However, if you prefer to have your hair down and cover your ears, and that’s how you will look when you get on board, you don’t need to put your hair back and keep your ears visible then.
Will They Refuse My Passport Application if I Don’t Show My Ears in a Passport Photo？
Based on passport photo restrictions, it’s all up to you to have your ears shown in the passport photo or not. But if you don’t want to waste a minute getting a second passport application because of unacceptable passport pictures, you can avoid this by having all the facial features visible, head, mouth, nose, and ears. As far as we know, one of the most common reasons to have your new passport application rejected is because your passport photo has been rejected. In this way, we would recommend you to show your ears in the passport photo.
Can I Wear Earrings When I Take A Passport Photo?
When you read about passport photo restrictions, you will find that you are forbidden to have certain accessories when you take a passport photo, head coverings, and glasses, unless you have religious or medical reasons. But there are no obvious rules that you can’t wear earrings for your passport photo. You can wear them while you have a passport photo. But there are some restrictions you need to avoid. If you have shiny metal earrings or studs, you’d better take them off, in case they reflect light in your passport photo. And you should avoid wearing large earrings that may cover your face. If you want to be safe, it’s better for you to have your passport photo without earrings.
Do I Need to Cover My Moles on Ears?
There is no need to cover your ears if you have moles on them because they are your typical facial features. And you don’t need to cover them with your loose hair. If you have these obvious moles, it’s better for you to show them in the passport photo, which can show a real you and allow border officials to quickly identify you.
Do I Need to Show My Ears in A Passport Photo in 2023?
No, you don’t need to show your ears if you want to keep your hair down on your shoulders. The passport photo rules for ears haven’t changed a lot in 2023, which means that you can still make your ears invisible if you want. If you need to renew your passport in 2023, feel free to take your passport photo as usual. There is no need to put your hair behind the ears or tie them up. Don’t forget to share this news with your friends and families if they need to apply for a passport this year.
Conclusion
After reading this article, you have clearly understood the rules of passport photos. It’s your personal choice to put your hair behind your ears and show your ears in the passport photo. If you want to get your passport photo 100% acceptable, we suggest that you have your ears visible and put your hair behind your ears. In this way, you have your facial features shown in the passport photo. If you do, it will greatly increase the acceptance of passport photos. Now, start taking your passport photo with the ears shown.
Dolores Xiao