Can You Wear Glasses in a Passport Photo?

For years, Americans could keep their glasses on for a passport photo as long as there was no glare. That changed in 2016, and a lot of people still do not know it. Glasses in the photo remain a regular reason for a passport application to be put on hold while a new photo is requested.

The rule: take your glasses off

The State Department's photo page tells applicants to take off any eyeglasses, sunglasses or tinted glasses. Form DS-82 (edition 04-2025) says glasses or other eyewear are not acceptable unless you submit a signed statement from a doctor explaining why you cannot remove them, giving the recovery period after eye surgery as an example.

The change came through a State Department policy cable announcing a new eyeglasses policy for visa and passport photos, which took effect on November 1, 2016, with a short grace period for applications already submitted that month. Before that date, glasses were allowed if they did not hide the eyes or cause glare. Since then, the default answer is no, whatever the type of frame or lens.

• GlassesReflections hide the eyes

• CorrectCentred, neutral, even light

Glasses rules at a glance

A note on the sunglasses row: the public rule is simply to take off eyeglasses, sunglasses and tinted glasses. Leaving them on your head is not a separate written rule, but it adds an object near the hairline that can be read as headwear, so just leave them off.

The medical exception and the doctor's statement

The exception is narrow. The Foreign Affairs Manual, which passport specialists follow, says eyeglasses are not acceptable unless they cannot be removed for medical reasons, and gives the example of recent eye surgery where the glasses protect the eyes. A medical statement signed by a medical professional must be requested in these rare cases.

If your glasses are accepted for medical reasons, the manual also sets conditions for the photo itself:

• The frames must not cover the eyes.
• There must be no glare on the lenses that hides the eyes.
• There must be no shadows or refraction from the glasses that hide the eyes.
• Dark or tinted lenses are accepted only if the medical statement says they are required.

Practically, the statement should be signed by your doctor, explain that you cannot remove the glasses for the photo and why, and be included with your application. Being nearsighted, farsighted or simply preferring how you look in glasses does not qualify. If the medical need is temporary and you have urgent travel, the manual notes that a limited-validity passport may be issued instead.

What if you cannot see without your glasses?

Poor eyesight is not a medical reason to keep glasses on in the photo. The fix is practical rather than legal:

1. Get set up first. Stand in position, frame the shot and let the photographer finish all the adjustments while you still have your glasses on.
2. Remove the glasses at the last moment. Take them off just before the photo and look at the camera lens, or at a large, bright object right beside it.
3. Use the timer or burst mode. Taking a few frames in a row gives you one where your eyes are relaxed and open.
4. Check for marks. Glasses can leave red marks on the nose. Wait a minute after removing them if the marks are strong.
5. Do not squint. Squinting is listed as an unacceptable expression. Relax your face and keep both eyes open.

Contact lenses are the other option. Clear lenses are always fine, and they let you see the camera clearly during the shot.

Contact lenses and eye color

The manual allows clear contacts and also tinted or novelty lenses, as long as they do not obscure the eye, which it explains as not making the iris appear larger or smaller. Lenses that blacken or enlarge the iris are therefore a problem. One more detail: even if you always wear colored lenses, the manual says your natural eye color is the one to list on the application form.

Glasses and the "current appearance" rule

Some people worry that a photo without glasses will not look like them. It is not a problem. The rule exists precisely because frames and lens reflections get in the way of comparing your face with the photo. Since 2016, passport photos without glasses have been the norm. What matters for identification is your face, and that is easier to match without frames. If your appearance has changed in other ways, see the six-month and current appearance rule.

Renewing a passport that has a photo with glasses

If your current passport was issued before the change and shows you wearing glasses, that photo was acceptable under the rules at the time. The policy applies to the photo you submit with a new application. When you renew, by mail with Form DS-82 or online, your new photo must be taken without glasses unless you have a medical statement.

This catches many renewing applicants off guard, because they copy the look of their old passport. Take the new photo the way the rules ask today, not the way it was done ten years ago.

Online renewal

The same rule applies to the digital photo you upload with an online renewal. The State Department's upload guidance repeats the core rules, including no glasses. If you have a genuine medical need, check the current online renewal instructions for how to submit the doctor's statement, or renew by mail with Form DS-82 and enclose the statement with the form.

Related rules people mix up with glasses

• Hair must not cover your eyes. If bangs fall into your eyes after removing your glasses, pin them back. See passport photo hair rules.
• Headphones and wireless earbuds are not allowed either. See what to wear for a passport photo.
• Reflections on skin and red-eye can fail a photo even without glasses. See glare and red-eye in passport photos.

For the complete list, see all passport photo requirements.