What to Wear for Passport Photo?

Once upon a time, it cost people at least a week to travel to another country. However, the invention of modern transportation such as airplanes and trains has greatly shortened this time. So now it is much more convenient for us to travel to other countries. However, do not forget your passport when packing your luggage! Without it, you will be in an extremely difficult situation in a foreign country.

Even if you have never applied for a passport before, you will know that there are certain requirements for clothing and appearance for these kind of certificate photos with your experience of taking the ID Card photo. However, you may be confused about the specific dress requirements for a passport photo. Or, when you get your passport, you may find that the photo on it does not look good. So the blog today is written for you to introduce the specific requirements of passport clothing and provide you with several tips for taking a better passport photo.

Different countries often have different requirements for the attire for passport photos. But in most cases, these requirements are similar to each other. Some of the commonly seen requirements include:

Clothes should be mainly in dark colors, not too bright colors. At the same time, there should not be exaggerated patterns on clothes. Otherwise, this clothe might be regarded as not serious and be rejected. It would be better if the top has a lapel because a lapel tends to make people look more energetic.

Do not wear any jewelry, including but not limited to earrings, necklaces, etc. Jewelry can distract attention from facial features and even hinder facial recognition. For the same reason, do not cover your face with anything. For example, no masks or headscarves.

The choice of hairstyle is also important. When taking a passport photo, your hairstyle should be simple and neat. Particularly exaggerated hairstyles, such as afros, are likely to be turned down. Also, if you have hair bangs, it is better to fix them on both sides of your head with hairpins.

Relax your facial muscles and face the camera with the most natural expression. Do not frown or smile habitually, and of course, do not grimace with a face.

Do not wear too heavy makeup. Too heavy makeup can greatly change a ladies’ facial features and also cause recognition difficulties. In particular, do not use cosmetics containing mica or glitter. Otherwise it will cause overexposure when shooting.

Do not wear glasses with dark lenses. As we all know, a big part of facial recognition is based on pupils, so dark lenses that can change pupil color or make pupils look blurred are not suitable. In some countries, wearing plain frame glasses is permitted, while in some other countries all frame glasses are prohibited. So, to be on the safe side, if your myopia is very severe, you can choose to wear a pair of colorless and transparent contact lenses.

In the previous section we have mentioned that in most countries, tops in dark colors should be worn for passport photos. This requirement may still seem too broad. There are so many dark colors, which ones are suitable to wear for passport photos?

🔵Black. Since the background color of passport photos in most countries is white, black is undoubtedly the most suitable clothing color, which can fully highlight the portrait without making the person blend into the background.

🔵Dark blue or dark green. These two colors are also dark colors, so they can also easily help distinguish the portrait from the background. These two colors look solemn, but they will not give people a stereotyped feeling as easily as black. In addition, people belong to “the summer people” are more suitable for the dark blue or dark green colors. However, if the background color of your country's passport photo is blue, then do not choose dark blue clothes.

🔵Khaki. Among dark colors, apart from black, khaki is probably the most versatile color. And khaki is very inclusive and suitable for ladies of different skin colors. It is a calm and timeless color that makes you look reliable.

🔵Dark red. This choice is probably beyond your imagination since red is a typical warm color in many people’s minds. But dark red is also a low saturation and low brightness color that is suitable for certificate photos. Similar to the dark blue, if the background color of passport photos in your country is red, then dark red is perhaps not a good choice for you.

🔵If your country's passport photo background is blue or red, you need to do the opposite. That is to say, you can wear a white top. Against a colorful background, white is the color that can best highlight the person, and white is also very versatile.

Although the passport photos only show the upper body, when choosing clothes, we should not only consider the upper body. We need to consider the overall effect of the upper and lower body clothing. Below are several recommended outfits for your passport photo.

A khaki shirt + a pair of white wide leg pants + a brown beret
This is an outfit more suitable for early autumn. A khaki shirt can not only highlight your image in the photo, but also make you look more reliable. Khaki and white are both versatile colors so that their combination would be perfect. Together with a brown beret, this outfit is also suitable for daily wear. But remember to take off the beret when taking the photo.

A white shirt + a black blazer + a pair of suit pants
This outfit is particularly formal and is suitable for business ladies. The combination of a white shirt and a black blazer will make you look very capable. And the colors of contrasting are also suitable for passport photos.

A beige shirt + a khaki vest + a pair of jeans
If you are tired of the formal look of the previous tips, you can also try this outfit of the campus style. The combination of beige shirt, khaki vest and jeans is both pretty and timeless. After taking the passport photo in this outfit, you can even go to class or go commuting in this outfit.

A white shirt + a dark blue sweater + a leather skirt
The above outfits are more suitable for autumn, when the weather is not too cold. So if we need to take passport photos in the colder winter, how should we dress? This outfit is one of the choices that you can have a try. This outfit is formal enough for a passport photo, and also will not be out of place for everyday occasions. The leather skirt is even a crucial point although it will not appear in your photo. With a pair of leggings, you can easily be a cool lady even in winter.

A grey round neck sweater + a floral printed dress
Although sweaters are often considered informal, the most prominent requirement for passport photos is not formality, but neatness. Even if the weather is very cold, it is better not to choose a turtleneck sweater, because turtlenecks can easily make people look short-necked in the camera. You can choose a coat, a grey round neck sweater and a floral printed dress. Take off your coat when taking photos so that only your sweater appears in the photo. But in daily life, the exposed hem of the floral dress will bring some nifty feeling to your whole outfit.

For better effect of the passport photo, there are other tips for your reference.

The first piece of advice is not to overuse photo editing software. Although it is understandable that every lady would like to be more beautiful on their passport photos, excessive photo editing can also affect face recognition, which is similar to the reason why you can not wear a heavy makeup. If photo editing is permitted, just modify the image slightly. If it is prohibited, then just try your best to refine your appearance before taking the photo, and then accept it.

Secondly, wear a light makeup. We have emphasized many times that do not wear a heavy makeup, but if makeup is allowed, do not give it up easily. You can use foundation and concealer to make your skin look clearer. Light pink blush and lipstick will make you look more healthy and energetic.

If you usually let your hair down, you can do the same when taking photos, but remember to fix your bangs. Or a better option for the passport photo is a loose ponytail or a low bun. In such examples, the hair looks more voluminous, and this looks better on camera.

Also, do not stay up late or drink too much water the night before the photo shoot. Otherwise, dark circles will appear on your face the next day, and you will look swollen.