Exact 2x2 Passport Photo Size Explained (With DPI Math)

If you are applying for a U.S. passport, the dimensional requirement is uncompromising: exactly 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm). But when you look at an image on your phone or laptop, you are looking at pixels, not inches. How do you bridge that gap?

Take a deep breath—the underlying mathematics are actually quite simple once explained, and we are here to demystify them.

The Pixel to Inch Translation

A digital image has no physical size until you tell a printer how tightly to pack its pixels together. This density is called Dots Per Inch (DPI).

If you have an incredibly high-resolution photo from a smartphone (say, 3000 x 3000 pixels), telling a printer to print it at 100 DPI means the photo will physically print at a massive 30 x 30 inches. That's a poster, not a passport photo!

The 300 DPI Standard

For official government documents, the global printing standard is 300 DPI. It provides a sharp, crisp image where the individual pixels are invisible to the naked eye.

Doing the Math

If we lock our density to 300 dots for every physical inch of paper, what is the exact pixel size of a 2x2 inch passport photo? - Width: 2 inches × 300 dots/inch = 600 pixels - Height: 2 inches × 300 dots/inch = 600 pixels

Therefore, a digital image must be exactly 600 x 600 pixels to print physically at 2 x 2 inches on a 300 DPI printer.

How We Protect You

You don't need a calculator or advanced photo-editing software to figure this out. Our [Universal Photo Layout Engine](/print/upload) handles these calculations automatically.

When you upload your portrait, we strictly enforce a 300 DPI conversion pipeline. We crop your image to the correct mathematical pixel count and package it onto your final print sheet. This guarantees that when you hit print, the physical output will pass the embassy ruler test with flying colors.