A passport is indispensable while traveling abroad. You have to make a lot of preparations to apply for one, and a passport photo is one of the essential parts. A qualified identity photo must comply with a series of rules. Today we are going to take the US passport photo as an example and talk about the influence of hairstyle.
Can You Have Bangs in Passport Photo？
Bangs have a great influence in sprucing up personal style. There are a variety of hairstyles with bangs. Are bangs acceptable in passport photos?
The answer is YES, but there are some details that you are supposed to pay attention to.
According to the U.S. passport office, the whole face must be visible. That is to say, passport photo bangs are acceptable unless it covers your eyebrow and eyes or cast shadows on the face. Eyes, as an important part of face recognition, must not be obscured by any items.
Parted bangs or side-swept bangs are favorable because they are placed on either side away from the eyes. Straight or blunt bangs must be carefully organized because these dropping-down styles would easily hinder your eyes.
If it just hangs over a little bit of the forehead, it is ok to leave them there. If you have excessively long bangs, you can either cut them off or set part and clip the hair on both sides. The hairpins should be plain and nearly visible. Just keep in mind that your facial features must be visible and easily recognizable.
Hairstyles in Passport Photo
Besides passport photo bangs, you also need to pay attention to the hairstyle. There are no specific regulations on what hairstyle is allowed or prohibited. However, to reduce the chance of being rejected, you should have appropriate hairstyles.
As it is required to show your face, ears, neck and shoulder, you are suggested to tie it up or leave it down behind hair. If loose hair strands are flying in the air or extending out of the frame, tying it in a bun or ponytail would be a favorable solution.
You might wonder whether it is acceptable when your current hair color is different from that on the passport photo. The answer is positive. Some people are fond of changing their hairstyle or hair colors constantly. Therefore, you can dye your hair into any color so long as your hair doesn’t hinder any part of your face.
Although it is handy to have whatever hairstyle, there are still dos and don’ts to take care of.
Dos
- Keep it as modest, decent or elegant as possible.
- Arrange your hair behind your ears.
- Bangs in passport photo are acceptable, but don’t cover your eyebrows and eyes.
- Use hair gel or spray to organize hair strands, but don’t make it too oily.
- Beards and bristles are allowed.
- Braids or dreadlocks, ponytails, pigtails, buns and curls are allowed.
Don’ts
- Don’t hide the photo background, shoulders, neck and face. For example, big perms and afros might take up too much space in the photo, you should tie it up.
- Don’t let your locks go beyond the passport photo frame.
- Don’t cover any part of your face, especially your cheekbones, eyebrows and eyes.
- Don’t use shiny hair bands, hair clips or other accessories.
Headgear in Passport Photos
When it comes to headgear, please note that there should not be any head coverings, such as hats, caps, scarves, headbands, ribbons, bows or headphones. There is only one exception: veils for religious reasons, but they must not cover your face. Moreover, you have to submit an affidavit verifying that you have to wear it on a daily basis.
Make Passport Photo Online
As you have learned about what hairstyles are suitable for passport photos, you can move on to take a shot. Now it’s time to decide what photo service you are going to choose. In the past, people tend to go to retail stores, pharmacies and studios to take identity photos because they have high-end equipment. However, as modern technology develops, the camera feature of smartphones is getting more and more advanced. It is possible to make a qualified passport photo at home if your camera or smartphone can make clear images, along with passport photo converters.
Apart from taking care of hairstyles, you have to follow guidelines about proper dressing, even lighting, and posture. It might be difficult to judge whether your photo is compliant or not on your own. Among all the passport photo makers available, we would like to recommend AiPassportPhotos, which is an online tool. The built-in AI feature would check the qualification of lighting, posture, dressing and facial expressions automatically once a photo is uploaded. If yes, it will replace the background and crop to the required size. The result is guaranteed to be 100% compliant.
This tool is quite friendly to even technology novices because you don’t have to edit it manually. The whole process requires a one-button click and a few seconds. To make a perfect passport photo, please follow the steps below.
Step 1: Find a well-lit place and set your camera at eye level. Make sure the line between the camera and the eye is parallel to the ground.
Step 2: Wear dark-colored clothes, stand or sit about 1-1.5m from the camera and 30-50cm before the background. Look straight at the camera and keep the head in the center. Keep the whole face visible and a neutral facial expression. Don’t leave any shadow on the face or background.
Step 3: Take as many shots as possible, so you can choose the best one among them.
Step 4: Log in AiPassportPhotos and choose desired photo types. This tool includes several photo templates of dozens of countries, not merely passport photos.
Step 5: Import a photo with the “Upload a Photo” button and preview the results. If you are not satisfied with it, upload another one. If satisfied, click the “get the photo now” to download the digital version which can be printed out in retail stores or photo booths.
Summary
Can you have bangs in passport photo? Now you must have got the answer. Your fancy bangs are acceptable, but make sure they don’t cover your cheekbones, eyebrow, eyes, or other facial parts. Part the bangs or clip them with plain hairclips that match the hair color. Keep your hair neat and tidy instead of letting hair strands fly around. Tie up your hair if possible. Don’t wear any hair ornaments or head coverings except a religious veil. In a word, your face must be fully present and recognizable.
Erin Lo