Puerto Rico passport photo requirements
The 2 × 2 in photo rules set by U.S. Department of State for the Puerto Rico passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Puerto Rico passport photo?
People in Puerto Rico apply for a US passport, so the photo is the standard US one: 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm), in colour, taken in the last 6 months. The head measures 1 to 1 3/8 inches (25 to 35 mm) from chin to top, against a plain white or off-white background. Glasses come off and the image must be unedited. Apply at a Puerto Rico Department of State passport office, or at the San Juan Passport Agency for urgent travel.
Puerto Rico is a US territory, and the passport used by people who live there is the US passport, issued by the U.S. Department of State. The State Department's photo guidance sets no separate rule for Puerto Rico, and the Puerto Rico Department of State asks applicants on the island for the same 2 x 2 inch colour photo, taken within the last six months.
Where you apply is what changes. The Puerto Rico Department of State runs passport offices in San Juan (Plaza Las Américas), Ponce, Fajardo, Arecibo and Humacao, and its page says the public is attended by appointment. For urgent travel, the State Department's own San Juan Passport Agency sees people who leave the country within 14 calendar days or need a foreign visa within 28 days, by appointment only and with proof of travel. Eligible adults can also renew online, uploading a digital photo, if they are in a US state or territory when they submit.
Language and paperwork are the other local points. The State Department publishes its passport pages in Spanish, including the photo page, and its appointment line answers in Spanish too. The Puerto Rico Department of State, though, says every official document filed with an application must be in English, and that a Puerto Rico birth certificate must be an original from the Demographic Registry issued after July 2010.
Puerto Rico passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by U.S. Department of State:[1]
| Print size | 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) |
|---|---|
| Digital size | Online renewal sets no pixel size; you reposition and crop the photo inside the application |
| Head height | 1 to 1 3/8 inches (25 to 35 mm), from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head |
| Background | White or off-white, plain, with no shadows, texture, objects or lines |
| Colour | Colour photo |
| Photo age | Taken in the last 6 months |
| File size | Online renewal: 54 KB to 10 MB |
| File format | Online renewal: JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC or HEIF |
| Print quality | Matte or glossy photo-quality paper; no photocopies, scans, visible printer dots, holes, creases or smudges |
| Pixels when printed | 600 × 600 px at 300 dpi · 1200 × 1200 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
In the official words
Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:
Do not change your photo using computer software, phone apps or filters, or artificial intelligence.
Key requirements
- One national standard
The State Department sets one photo standard for every US passport application, and the Puerto Rico Department of State lists the same 2 x 2 inch (51 x 51 mm) colour photo taken within the last six months. Being on the island changes where you apply, not the picture.
- Size and head position
The print is 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm). From the bottom of the chin to the top of the head, the head must be 1 to 1 3/8 inches (25 to 35 mm) and centred. Hair may extend past the edge of the photo provided the whole head is shown at the right size.
- Original, unedited image
The State Department wants the original photo with no filters or digital changes. Its examples of refused photos include one whose background was cut out with a retouching tool and one made with an artificial intelligence tool, and it says it checks every photo for AI use. Do not stretch or compress an image to resize it.
- Glasses off
Remove eyeglasses, sunglasses and tinted glasses, and do not rest them on your head. If you cannot take them off for medical reasons, add a signed note from your doctor. The Puerto Rico Department of State puts it the same way: glasses are not accepted unless a medical certificate justifies them.
- Plain light background
Use a white or off-white background without shadows, texture, objects or lines. A white blanket or sheet over a coloured wall is the State Department's tip. Stand several feet from the wall so your head comes out the right size.
- Face the camera
Look straight at the camera with your full face in view, head level, both eyes open and the coloured part of the eyes visible. A smile is allowed on a paper application if the mouth stays closed, and exaggerated expressions are refused. For online renewal, avoid showing teeth.
- English paperwork
The Puerto Rico Department of State says every official document filed with the application must be in English. A Puerto Rico birth certificate used as citizenship evidence must be an original with the official seal, issued by the Demographic Registry after July 2010, with a black and white photocopy of both sides on letter-size paper.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Book the appointment before you go to a Puerto Rico passport office.
- Put a white or off-white sheet behind you if your wall is coloured.
- Stand several feet from the camera and keep your head centred.
- Print a paper photo on matte or glossy photo-quality paper at 2 x 2 inches.
- Keep your hair clear of your eyes and both eyes open.
- Include a signed statement if you wear a religious or medical head covering.
- Check the Spanish pages at the State Department if you prefer to read the rules in Spanish.
Don't
- Do not wear glasses, including tinted lenses, or rest them on your head.
- Do not use filters, beauty apps, background removal or AI tools.
- Do not stretch or compress the image to make it fit.
- Do not send a photocopy, a scan or a picture of a printed photo.
- Do not use a photo with red eye, holes, creases or smudges.
- Do not wear a uniform, clothing that looks like one, or camouflage.
Sample photos
How a Puerto Rico passport photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 2 × 2 in, head height and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
Glasses are not accepted in a US passport photo, and that holds for an application made in Puerto Rico. The State Department says to take off eyeglasses, sunglasses and tinted glasses, and not to push them up onto your head. One of its examples of an unacceptable photo shows exactly that. If you cannot remove them for medical reasons, include a signed note from your doctor with the application.
The Puerto Rico Department of State repeats the rule on its passport page: photos with eyeglasses will not be accepted unless the applicant presents a medical certificate justifying their use. The online renewal page asks you to remove anything covering your face, eyeglasses included, unless it is for a documented religious or medical reason.
Headwear and religious dress
Take off your hat or head covering. If you wear one for religious purposes, submit a signed statement that it is religious attire worn daily in public. If you wear one for medical purposes, submit a signed statement from your doctor. The State Department asks for these statements with applications made in person or by mail.
A covering you are allowed to keep on must leave your full face visible, cast no shadows on it, be one colour and have no patterns or small holes in the material. Face coverings, medical masks, headphones and wireless earpieces must come off. Jewellery and facial piercings can stay if they do not hide your face.
Babies and children
Babies and children need a photo of their own, with nobody else in the frame. The State Department suggests laying a baby on a plain white or off-white sheet, or covering a car seat with the sheet and sitting the child in it. The face must be fully visible, the expression neutral and the child facing the camera, with no hands or pacifier in the way. A baby's eyes do not have to be fully open; all other children need their eyes open.
For a child under 16 the San Juan Passport Agency says both parents or guardians and the child must come to the appointment. The Puerto Rico Department of State says the same, and allows notarised written consent from an absent parent. Applicants aged 16 and 17 can apply with one parent.
Printed and digital photos
A paper application takes a printed photo, exactly 2 x 2 inches, on matte or glossy photo-quality paper. Photocopies and digitally scanned photos are refused, and so are prints with visible printer dots. Set the camera to its highest quality, and print from the original file. A digital photo can be cropped to square and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter; measure each square before cutting.
Online renewal uses a digital file instead: JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC or HEIF, between 54 KB and 10 MB, in colour and taken in the last 6 months. No pixel size is set. Frame the photo so its bottom edge is where your shoulders meet your arms, leave a little room around the face, and crop inside the application. Do not scan or photograph a printed photo, and do not send the file by text message first, which can lower its quality.
Where to submit the photo
On the island, the Puerto Rico Department of State passport offices take applications in San Juan (Plaza Las Américas), Ponce, Fajardo, Arecibo and Humacao; book an appointment through the links on its passport page. The photo goes in with the form. The State Department says photos can be taken at an acceptance facility that offers it, at a business that sells photo services, or by a friend or family member.
For urgent travel within 14 calendar days, or a foreign visa needed within 28 days, make an appointment at the San Juan Passport Agency through the State Department's online appointment system. It is in the Centro Gubernamental Minillas, Torre Norte, on the 9th floor, and you bring printed proof of international travel and a passport photo. Eligible adults who qualify for routine online renewal upload their photo in the application instead of sending a print.
How to get your Puerto Rico passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Puerto Rico passport: 2 × 2 in print, white or off-white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: one national standard; size and head position; original, unedited image; glasses off.
- Prepare a print or digital file. A paper application takes a printed photo, exactly 2 x 2 inches, on matte or glossy photo-quality paper. Photocopies and digitally scanned photos are refused, and so are prints with visible printer dots.
- Submit the photo with your application. On the island, the Puerto Rico Department of State passport offices take applications in San Juan (Plaza Las Américas), Ponce, Fajardo, Arecibo and Humacao; book an appointment through the links on its passport page. The photo goes in with the form.
Puerto Rico passport photo FAQ
It is the US size: 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm), with the head 1 to 1 3/8 inches (25 to 35 mm) from chin to top. The Puerto Rico Department of State gives the same 2 x 2 inch (51 x 51 mm) colour photo taken within the last six months. Online renewal has no print size; you crop the file in the application.
At the Puerto Rico Department of State passport offices in San Juan (Plaza Las Américas), Ponce, Fajardo, Arecibo or Humacao, by appointment. If you travel abroad within 14 calendar days, or need a foreign visa within 28 days, you can book the San Juan Passport Agency instead. Eligible adults can renew online.
Yes. The State Department has a Spanish version of its passport photo page, with the same 2 x 2 inch size, head size and rule against changing the photo with software, apps, filters or artificial intelligence. Its appointment line says Se habla español. The Puerto Rico office page asks for English documents.
Yes, if you meet the requirements and are in a US state or territory when you submit. You must be 25 or older, renewing a 10-year passport that expires within a year or lapsed less than 5 years ago, with no change of name or sex, and not travelling for at least 6 weeks. Online renewals cannot be expedited.
The Puerto Rico Department of State says an applicant born in Puerto Rico needs an original with the official seal, issued by the Demographic Registry after July 2010 (blue in colour), plus a black and white photocopy of both sides on letter-size paper. Certificates issued earlier are not accepted by its offices.
Yes. The State Department lists a friend or family member among the options, besides acceptance facilities and photo businesses. Use a plain white or off-white wall, even light and the camera's highest quality setting, and submit the image as taken, with no filters or edits.
You may smile on a paper application as long as your eyes are open and your mouth is closed. Avoid exaggerated expressions. For the online renewal photo the guidance is to avoid showing teeth, so a closed-mouth, neutral look is the safest choice for either route.
The State Department's San Juan page says that if you were born in Puerto Rico, or are a naturalised US citizen, you do not need a US passport to travel in the United States. You can travel to any US state, the US Virgin Islands and other US territories.
Related photo specifications
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- All Puerto Rico photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 2 × 2 in photo
- Photo specifications in North America
Official sources
- U.S. Department of State. Passport Photos travel.state.gov. Checked 2 November 2026.
- U.S. Department of State. Uploading a Digital Photo (online renewal) travel.state.gov. Checked 2 November 2026.
- U.S. Department of State. Fotos de Pasaporte (Spanish version of Passport Photos) travel.state.gov. Checked 2 November 2026.
- U.S. Department of State. San Juan Passport Agency travel.state.gov. Checked 2 November 2026.
- U.S. Department of State. Renew Your Passport Online travel.state.gov. Checked 2 November 2026.
- U.S. Department of State. Where to Apply for a U.S. Passport travel.state.gov. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Departamento de Estado de Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico Department of State). Passports statedepartment.pr.gov. Checked 2 November 2026.
- U.S. Department of State, Foreign Affairs Manual. 8 FAM 402.1 Passport Photographs fam.state.gov. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with U.S. Department of State before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Puerto Rico passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/puerto-rico/passport-photo