IDShot: Passport & Visa Photo Maker for iPhone, iPad & Mac

A passport photo in four steps

The rules are public and precise. The hard part is hitting them, and that is arithmetic - so the app does it.

Pick the document

US passport, a Schengen visa, Passport Seva, the DV Lottery, a residence permit. Each preset carries its own size, head height, eye line, background colour, pixel and file-size limits - and a link to the official page.

Take or choose a photo

The camera shows the document frame and the head target, tells you to move closer or straighten up, and shoots automatically when the framing is right. Or start from a photo you already have.

Let it crop and clean up

Face and hairline detection place the head inside the allowed band, the eyes get levelled, and one tap replaces the background with the required white, off-white, light grey, blue or cream.

Check, then export

Every rule is measured and every miss comes with the fix. When the score says ready, export a portal-ready file or a print sheet with cut marks.

What the app actually does for you

Most rejected photos fail on something measurable: the head is too big, the eyes sit too low, the background is not plain. All of that can be checked before you submit.

500+ presets, 116 countries

Passports, visas and e-Visas, national ID cards, driving licences, residence permits, work and study permits, citizenship applications, exam and professional cards. US passport and DV Lottery, UK HMPO, Schengen, Canada, Australia, India Passport Seva, China, Japan, Korea, Singapore ICA and hundreds more.

Live camera guidance

The document frame and head target sit on the viewfinder, the app tells you to move closer or straighten up, and it takes the photo itself once the framing is right. Works with the Mac camera and Continuity Camera too.

Auto-crop to the millimetre

Face and hairline detection place the head exactly inside the allowed band. Guides show crown, eye line and chin with live measurements; nudge by half a millimetre, straighten by tenths of a degree, or let Auto Crop do it.

Clean background, no retouching

One tap replaces the background with the required colour and hair edges stay natural. IDShot never softens skin or alters features - authorities reject edited faces, so it only corrects light and colour.

Checked like an officer would

Head size, eye height, centering, tilt, turn, open eyes, closed mouth, hands near the face, lighting, shadows, sharpness, exposure, colour and background are measured against the rules. Every miss comes with the fix, and a score tells you when the photo is ready.

Portal-ready export

JPEG or PNG at the exact pixel size, with the file size tuned to the portal window - DV Lottery 600×600 within 240 KB, Passport Seva 630×810, ICA 400×514 and many others. sRGB, DPI tagged, no location or camera metadata.

Print sheets that come out exact

4×6, 5×7, A4 and Letter sheets with cut marks, sized so any drugstore or home printer prints them at true size. Family sheets put several people on one print.

Built for Mac, iPad and iPhone

A native Mac app with a sidebar, menus, keyboard shortcuts, drag and drop and undo. A split view on iPad. A focused tab layout on iPhone. Your library, your photos and every check stay on the device.

Private by design

No account, no ads, no tracking, no upload. Face detection and background removal run with Apple's on-device Vision framework, and photos never leave your device unless you export them.

Every rule, measured

A passport officer works through a checklist. So does IDShot - the same fourteen things, before you pay the application fee rather than after.

Head size Eye height Centering Tilt Turn Open eyes Closed mouth Hands near the face Lighting Shadows Sharpness Exposure Colour Background

Nothing is hidden behind a pass or fail: each item shows what was measured, what the rule allows, and what to change.

What a preset carries

Schengen visa	35 × 45 mm, head 32-36 mm, plain light grey, 300 dpi
US DV Lottery	600 × 600 px, square, file within 240 KB
India Passport Seva	630 × 810 px, white background
Singapore ICA	400 × 514 px, white background
Every preset	Size, head height, eye line, background colour, pixel and file-size limits, plus a link to the official page

Who it is for

Anyone who has been sent back from a counter because the head was two millimetres too tall.

Travellers

A visa photo the night before the appointment, without hunting for a booth that is still open.

Immigration applicants

Green Card, DV Lottery, residence and work permits - the portals with the strictest pixel and file-size windows.

Families

One sheet with several people on it, printed at true size at the drugstore.

CV and pass photos

Job applications, exam registrations, professional cards and gym or transit passes.

IDShot measures what can be measured. The final decision is always the issuing authority's - the app shows their rules and links to the official page, so you can double-check before you submit.

Frequently asked questions

Will a photo from IDShot actually be accepted?

It is measured against the issuing authority's published rules - size, head height, eye line, background, lighting and expression - and every miss is shown with the fix before you export. The final decision is always the authority's, so each preset also links to their official page.

Do I need a white wall or a studio?

No. Take the photo against any reasonably plain surface and replace the background with the required white, off-white, light grey, blue or cream in one tap. Hair edges stay natural, and the app does not retouch your face - authorities reject edited faces.

Does my photo get uploaded anywhere?

No. Face detection and background removal run on the device with Apple's Vision framework. There is no account, no ads and no tracking, and photos leave your device only when you export them yourself.

Which documents are covered?

Over 500 presets across 116 countries: passports, visas and e-Visas, national ID cards, driving licences, residence permits, work and study permits, citizenship applications, and exam or professional cards - including the US passport and DV Lottery, UK HMPO, Schengen, Canada, Australia, India Passport Seva, China, Japan, Korea and Singapore ICA.

Can I print the result at a drugstore?

Yes. Export a 4x6, 5x7, A4 or Letter sheet with cut marks, sized so the print comes out at true size on a home printer or at a photo counter. A family sheet can carry several people on one print.

What can I do before buying anything?

Everything up to the export: the camera with live guidance, auto-crop, background replacement, the full checker and every preset. One purchase then unlocks saving, sharing, copying and printing on all your devices, with no subscription.