Australian passport photos are different to US passport photos and can be difficult to obtain in the United States.  Please review the photo requirements and camera operator guidelines, and discuss them with your photographer.  In particular, we suggest that you check your photographer:

  • can produce glossy prints that are printed at the highest resolution
  • has a dye sublimation printer (no inkjet prints accepted) 
  • has studio lighting so that there are no shadows behind your ears/head, and the lighting across your face is even. (You should avoid highlighter cosmetics that cause shine on the face.)
  • does not remove the background or retouch the photo in any way. 

Examine your photos carefully to make sure they meet all requirements.  We recommend you check them under a strong magnifying glass to make sure there are no marks, dots, ink spots, scratches, or printing stripes/pixels. 

If your photographer can provide a digital copy of your photo, we recommend keeping a JPEG copy in case your photo has a printing imperfection, is smudged with ink, or is damaged during transit to our office, and requires reprinting.  

We do NOT accept photos taken at Walgreens, CVS, RiteAid, Staples, FedEx, UPS, post offices or AAA as their lighting and print quality does not meet our requirements.

US Photographers

The map below shows photographers used by our clients with good results. We do not endorse any photographer or guarantee their work. We recommend you contact photographers to confirm their prices, address and opening hours.

You should check the photos yourself to make sure they meet our requirements.  Do not assume photos are acceptable simply because they came from a location listed below. 

If you are a photographer who would like to be listed on the map above, please see our information about providing photo samples for our consideration.

No locations near you?

You may wish to consider www.passportphotonow.com to print a photo that someone takes of you using a digital camera or smart phone.  Make sure you follow these steps:

  • You must have someone else take the picture of you - no selfies allowed. 
  • Use a smart phone with a good camera (or a high quality digital camera). 
  • Make sure the person holds the phone horizontally (like a tv screen).  
  • Make sure you are at least 1.5 metres away from the camera.  It is normal that the raw image will show a lot of upper body and background.  www.passportphotonow.com will crop this out. 
  • You may need to experiment with lighting and position.  Find a place in your house where you have a light-coloured background and no shadows behind you or over your face. 
  • Do NOT use any filters or software to retouch the photo or remove the background.  Do NOT use portrait mode. 
  • When you submit your order to www.passportphotonow.com, specify that your photos cannot be retouched - no background removal, no red-eye removal, no post-capture alteration.
  • Check the photos you receive to make sure they have not been altered.  Make sure the background has not been retouched or edited, particularly around the edges of your hair. 

Get photos on the way to your interview

You can obtain photos at a location near a passport office.

For clients lodging the Application for an Australian Passport Overseas form (PC8), please follow these steps:

  • Obtain a passport photo from a local store and have your guarantor endorse the back of it. Any US-style photo will work for the guarantor endorsement. The photo does not have to meet the Australian standards.
  • On your way to your interview, obtain two additional photos from a photographer on our map. These two photos must meet the Australian standards and you should check them carefully.
  • Provide all three photos at your interview - the original photo signed by the guarantor, plus the two new photos you obtained on your way to the interview.

For clients lodging the one page Australian Passport Renewal Application form (PC7) no additional steps are necessary as no guarantor is required.