We need a photo or a scan of the full double page of your passport: the page carrying your photograph and your personal details, together with the page facing it.
This is what our team reads your identity details from, and what the US authorities compare your application against. If it cannot be read, your file cannot move.
How to take it
Lay the passport flat and open, on a plain dark surface if you can.
Stand directly above it rather than at an angle.
Make sure all four corners of the double page are inside the frame.
Keep your fingers off the printed area.
Move away from direct light and check there is no glare across the page.
Look at the photo before sending it: your name, your passport number and the dates must be clearly readable.
What gets refused
Blurry or out of focus images
A corner cut off, or only one page visible
Glare or reflection over the machine-readable lines at the bottom
A finger over the page
A photo taken at an angle, so the text distorts
Photos too dark to read
A photocopy of a photocopy
Which passport
It must be the passport of the traveller, and the one you will actually travel with. If you have more than one nationality, use the passport you intend to present at the US border, and tell us about the other one in the form.
An expired passport cannot be used, and a passport that expires during your trip is a problem to solve before you apply, not after.
Accepted formats
JPG, JPEG, PNG and GIF are all accepted. A photo taken with a recent phone is fine, and usually better than a scanner.
For a family or group
Each traveller needs their own passport photo, children and babies included. Your tracking area names exactly which document is missing for which traveller.