# Travel >> Travel Preparation >> Passports

How to Crop a Passport Photo

Your passport photo is the picture that border patrol and customs officials will be looking at for the next 10 years every time you travel internationally, so you probably want to make it a good one. Other than making sure that your passport photo is one that you are comfortable showing to other people, your photo also needs to fit the U.S. government's strict requirements for passports. The U.S. passport agency will not authorize a passport if the photo does not meet its standards for size, quality and features.

Photo-editing software

Instructions

- 1
  Use a basic photo-editing program to crop your passport photo. Windows Paint, for example, is included in the Windows software package and is simple and easy to use.
- 2
  Copy ("Ctrl+C" or right-click, Copy) the image and paste ("Ctrl+V" or right-click, Paste) it into the photo-editing program.
- 3
  Turn on the rulers in the program so you can see the picture's dimensions. Click "View" from the header and check the box next to "Rulers" in Windows Paint.
- 4
  Select the "Crop" tool from the header under the "Home" tab (in Windows Paint). Whether or not you are using Windows Paint, the "Crop" tool almost always looks like a small square with a line through the middle.
- 5
  Click on the image on the top left slightly above your head to activate the "Crop" tool. Click-and-drag the square so that your entire face is selected in addition to a small part of your body just below the neck.
- 6
  Watch the rulers as you make your selection with the "Crop" tool. Passport photos must measure 2 inches by 2 inches or 51mm by 51mm. Fit the photo to the correct dimensions and unclick to crop the image.
- 7
  Print on photo-quality paper.