Getting passport photos taken shouldn’t be this annoying. But it is.
Last year my whole family needed to renew their passports. Five people. The studio near our house charged 400 rupees per person for passport photos. That’s 2000 rupees for the family. And then my mom’s photos got rejected because the background wasn’t white enough. So she had to go back and pay again.
I looked at the rejected photo. It was fine. The background was slightly off-white — like maybe 2% gray. The passport office still rejected it. Classic.
After that I thought there has to be a way to do this at home. Take the photo with a phone, remove the background, put a clean white background, resize to passport dimensions. That’s all the studio does anyway — they just have a white curtain and a decent camera.
Turns out it’s really easy.
What you need
A phone with a half-decent camera. That’s it. Even a 3-4 year old phone works fine. Passport photos are tiny — you don’t need 108 megapixels for a 3.5cm x 4.5cm photo.
Step by step
1. Take the photo
Stand in front of any wall. Doesn’t matter what color — we’re going to remove the background anyway. But lighter walls make it easier for the AI.
Get someone to take your photo from chest up. Face the camera straight. No smiling in most countries (Pakistan included). Good lighting — stand near a window during the day or turn on all the room lights. Avoid shadows on your face.
I usually take 3-4 shots and pick the best one.
2. Open the passport photo tool
Go to convertkr.com/passport-photo. Upload the photo you just took.
3. The tool does its thing
It removes the background automatically using AI and puts a clean white background. Then it crops and resizes to standard passport dimensions.
You can pick different country standards. Pakistan, US, UK, India, Schengen — each country has slightly different size requirements. The tool handles that.
4. Download and print
You get a ready-to-print image. Take it to any print shop — or if you have a printer at home, print it on photo paper. I go to the shop near my house and get a 4×6 print for 20 rupees. One 4×6 sheet fits 4-6 passport photos depending on the country size.
Total cost: 20 rupees instead of 400.
Does it actually get accepted?
This was my main worry. I’m not going to lie — I was nervous the first time I submitted a home-made passport photo.
But it worked. All five family members’ photos got accepted. My mom’s new photo (the one I made at home) passed on the first try. The studio one got rejected but mine didn’t. I was a little too happy about that honestly.
Since then I’ve made passport photos for maybe 10-12 people — friends, relatives, neighbors. All accepted. Pakistan passport office, NADRA for CNIC, university IDs, job applications. No rejections so far.
The key is: white background, no shadows, face centered, correct dimensions. If you get those right, nobody can tell if it was taken in a studio or in your bedroom.
Tips from doing this a bunch of times
Lighting is everything. A well-lit phone photo looks better than a poorly lit studio photo. Stand facing a window. The natural light should fall evenly on your face. If one side of your face has a shadow, turn slightly until it goes away. Don’t stand directly under a ceiling light — it makes shadows under your eyes and nose.
Wear something that isn’t white. Since the background is white, if you’re wearing a white shirt, your shoulders kind of disappear into the background. Wear something with some color. Dark shirt works best.
Hair should be neat. Messy hair is the number one reason I’ve seen photos rejected informally. Not by the system but by the person at the counter who looks at it and says “take a new one.” Just comb your hair.
No glasses in most countries now. Pakistan, US, UK — all of them want photos without glasses these days. Even if you wear glasses daily. Remove them for the photo.
Babies are the hardest. My neighbor asked me to make a passport photo for her 6 month old. Trying to get a baby to look straight at the camera with a neutral expression is impossible. We took maybe 40 photos. Got one usable shot. It worked but I don’t recommend it for your sanity.
Print on photo paper, not regular paper. I made this mistake once. Printed on normal A4 paper. The photo looked washed out and the print shop guy said the passport office might reject it. Photo paper costs a few rupees more but the difference is huge.
Different countries, different sizes
This is the part that confuses everyone:
- Pakistan — 3.5cm x 4.5cm (same as most of Europe)
- US — 2 inches x 2 inches (5.1cm x 5.1cm) — square, which is unusual
- UK — 3.5cm x 4.5cm
- India — 3.5cm x 3.5cm (square)
- Schengen/EU — 3.5cm x 4.5cm
- Canada — 5cm x 7cm (bigger than most)
The tool has presets for all of these so you don’t have to remember. Just pick your country.
Studio vs homemade — honest comparison
Studios have better cameras and professional lighting. I’ll give them that. If you need a photo for something really important — like a visa application to an embassy that’s known to be strict — maybe go to a good studio.
But for 90% of use cases — CNIC renewal, university ID, job application, domestic passport — a phone photo with good lighting and the background removed is more than enough. I’ve proven this with actual accepted photos multiple times now.
And the cost difference is real. 400 rupees vs 20 rupees. Per person. For a family of five that’s saving 1900 rupees. That’s a dinner out.
FAQ
What if I don’t have anyone to take my photo?
Selfie works but it’s not ideal — the angle is usually slightly off and your arm might create a shadow. Better option: prop your phone up on something, set a 3-second timer, and step back. That’s what I do when nobody’s around.
Can I use this for visa applications?
I’ve used it for domestic stuff — CNIC, passport, university. For visa applications to strict embassies (US, UK, Schengen), the requirements are tighter and they sometimes check more carefully. It should work but I’d double-check the specific embassy’s photo guidelines first.
The background removal left some rough edges around my hair.
This happens sometimes, especially with curly or very dark hair against a dark background. Take the photo against a lighter wall — even a beige wall helps. The AI does much better when there’s contrast between you and the background.
Is the quality good enough for printing?
Yes, if your original phone photo is decent quality. Don’t crop a tiny section of a group photo and try to make a passport photo from it. Use a dedicated photo taken from chest up. Phone cameras these days are 12MP+ which is more than enough for a 3.5cm print.
Need a passport photo? Open the passport photo tool — take a photo, upload, pick your country, print.