Lately, we have been seeing this question frequently asked. People are asking us if they need to be certified in some way or apply for a license to be able to offer passport photo services.
The answer is: no, there is no license or certification needed to produce passport photos. It's a fairly simple process that can be done so long as you have the correct printing device and you follow these requirements:
- Full color, near-continuous tone photos (no inkjet or color laser prints)
- 2" x 2" inches in size
- Taken within the past 6 months, showing current appearance
- Full face, front view with a plain white or very light, off-white background
- Between 1" and 1 3/8" from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head
- Taken in normal street attire, uniforms should not be worn in photographs except religious attire that is worn daily
- No hats or headgear that obscures the hair or hairline
- Dark glasses or nonprescription glasses with tinted lenses are NOT acceptable unless needed for medical reasons, a medical certificate may be required
The above information was taken from our help page: Tips For Shooting Proper Passport Photos.
As for the printing device: a color laser or inject printer will not work for the process that the State Department requires. They need photos where the colors are 'near-continuous tone' - with no dots or lines making up the colors like those above printer types will produce. A dye sublimation printer is what's needed and we have that in our CP1200 Digital Passport Photo System and the HiTi P310W Digital Digital Passport Photo System.
Do you have any questions about taking passport photos? Pleas ask away in the comments below or feel free to contact us.
