How to Get a Plain White Background for a Passport Photo

The reliable way to get a compliant background is to photograph against a genuinely plain, evenly lit white or off-white wall. Stand about half a metre from the wall so your shadow falls out of frame, and use soft, even lighting from the front.

Avoid textured walls, colour casts from nearby objects, and hard shadows. A slightly off-white or light-grey result is acceptable for many authorities, but coloured or busy backgrounds are rejected.

ExactPic crops, resizes, and compresses your photo to the size, dimension, and format rules a form lists. It does not replace or remove backgrounds and does not judge whether a background is compliant.

That is deliberate: many passport authorities reject digitally altered photos, and an automatic background swap can make an otherwise valid photo non-compliant. Getting the background right in-camera is both safer and required by several authorities.

Background wording varies — 'plain white', 'off-white', or 'light grey' all appear across authorities. See our verified portal pages for the exact requirement and official source for your country and document type before you rely on a photo.