Passport Photo Rules for Hijab and Religious Headwear (US, Schengen & UK)
Must forehead and chin show? What if the scarf casts a shadow? Face oval from chin to forehead, shadow-free background — with correct vs incorrect examples.
The short rule
Religious or medical head covering is allowed in most countries — but it must not hide the face oval. Skin from the tip of the chin to the forehead (hairline) must stay visible; eyes, nose, mouth and cheek contours stay clear. The fabric should sit close to the face edge without casting a shadow.
Use our AI-powered passport photo tool to auto-crop your image in 3 seconds. Correct and incorrect examples sit side by side below.
Face oval: chin to forehead
Biometric scanners read the chin, mouth corners, nose bridge, eyes and forehead line. A hijab or turban must not fully cover forehead skin; fabric may start just above the hairline, but the forehead band above the brows stays visible.
The chin tip must not sit inside the fabric. The neck may be partly covered; the lower face edge must stay clear. Ears may stay under the scarf — the US, Schengen and UK usually accept that; the face oval is what matters.
Shadows: the most common refusal
If a fold of fabric casts a shadow on the cheek, eye or backdrop, applications often bounce back. “Forehead shows but the cheek is dark” is not enough. Use soft, even front light; skip flash.
Dark fabric on a light background is fine. The problem is the scarf’s own shadow splitting the face. In the correct example light is flat; the incorrect one shows a side shadow and a partly hidden forehead or chin line.
US, Schengen and the United Kingdom
US (passport / DS-160): Religious head covering allowed; face clear from forehead to chin, neutral expression, plain white/off-white background. No glasses. Schengen: Same ICAO idea; 35×45 mm, light grey/white backdrop, full face oval. Consulates specifically check that the covering does not hide the face.
United Kingdom: Religious covering accepted; eyes fully visible, headwear must not shadow the face, light-grey background. A face veil (niqab) that covers the mouth is not accepted on a biometric face photo — only hijab/turban styles that leave the face open.
Correct vs incorrect checklist
Correct: Forehead band visible, chin tip clear, eyes open, neutral mouth, no shadow from the scarf, plain light background. Incorrect: Forehead fully covered, chin in the fabric, shadow on cheek/eye, smile, patterned wall, mouth hidden by a veil.
- 1
Front window light, flash off.
- 2
Adjust the covering so the face oval is open.
- 3
Choose the document and upload.
- 4
Check the forehead–chin line in preview.
- 5
If there is a shadow, fix the light or fabric fold and reshoot.