Free ICAO photo check
ICAO photo checker: see what passes and what to fix
Passport portals reject photos without saying why. Upload yours here and see your head height, eye position, background and file results before you pay anything.
- Free check, no sign-up
- Photos deleted within 24 hours
- Refund if an agency rejects a photo you buy
Processing starts as soon as you add a photo. Photos are deleted automatically within 24 hours.
What the ICAO photo checker measures
Each check matches a rule from ICAO Doc 9303 and your country's own photo specification.
| Check | What it looks for | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Face found | One clear, front-facing face in the photo | Portals reject photos where software can't find or measure a face. |
| Head height | How much of the photo height your head fills, from chin to crown | A head that is too small or too large is one of the most common rejection reasons. |
| Eye position | How far your eyes sit from the top of the photo | Face-matching software expects the eyes in a set band of the image. |
| Top margin | The gap between the top of your head and the edge of the photo | A cut-off crown or too much space above the head both fail. |
| Background | Whether the background is plain and even, and whether we corrected it | Shadows, patterns and colour casts are rejected by every passport office. |
| File | Format, pixel dimensions and file size for your country | A perfect photo still fails if the file breaks the portal's limits. |
Check these by eye
Software measures the frame and the file, but you know best whether your eyes were open or your face was relaxed. Tick each item that is true for your photo.
Need to retake it? Follow our guide to taking an ICAO photo at home.
0 of 8 checks passed. Retake the photo if any item doesn't apply.
How the check works
The whole check takes about a minute, and you can repeat it as often as you need with a new photo.
- 1
Choose your country and upload
Pick the country of your passport and upload a recent photo. We remove the background and crop it to the official size.
- 2
Read your results
The preview shows the measured head height, eye position, top margin, background status and file details next to your photo.
- 3
Fix or download
If something needs work, retake the photo and check it again for free. If everything looks right, pay and download.
Already rejected by a portal?
Find the cause first, then run the check on your new photo. Start with why passport photos get rejected or, for Passport Seva, the upload error guide.
ICAO photo checker FAQ
- Is this ICAO photo checker free?
- Yes. Uploading a photo and seeing the check results costs nothing. You pay $7.99 only if you want to download the finished photo and print sheet.
- What does the ICAO photo checker check?
- It finds your face, measures your head height, eye position and top margin, checks the background and confirms the file format, dimensions and size for your country.
- Why doesn't the passport portal tell me what's wrong?
- Most portals return one general message, such as “photo is not valid as per ICAO standards”, without naming the failed check. Our checker shows each measurement, so you can see what to change.
- Which countries does the checker support?
- It supports passport photo sizes for 65 countries, including India, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Schengen area, Canada and Australia.
- Does a good result guarantee my photo will be accepted?
- No online tool can guarantee acceptance, because an officer makes the final decision. That's why we back every photo you buy: if a government agency rejects it, send us the notice within 3 days of purchase for a full refund.
- Can the checker fix my photo too?
- Yes, for some problems. It replaces the background with plain white and crops and resizes the photo to your country's size. It can't fix shadows on your face, a tilted head, glasses, closed eyes or blur, so retake the photo for those.
- What file types can I upload?
- You can upload JPG, PNG, WebP or HEIC photos up to 10 MB, including photos straight from an iPhone or Android phone.
- What happens to my photo after the check?
- We use your photo only to process and check it, and we delete it automatically within 24 hours.
- Why does the checker say it couldn't process my photo?
- This usually means it couldn't find a clear face. Make sure only one person is in the photo, your face is well lit and facing the camera, and the photo isn't blurred.
Check your photo now
It's free to upload and check. Pay $7.99 only when you download.