Two rules operate at once, and the second is the one that actually gets photos refused. There is a stated maximum age, which is a date check. And there is a resemblance requirement — the photo must be a current likeness — which is a judgement a reviewer makes regardless of when the photo was taken.
A photo from four months ago is within every six-month limit and will still be refused if you have since grown a beard, changed hair colour dramatically, or are a four-year-old who was three in the picture.
Stated limits
| United Kingdom | Taken in the last month. gov.uk states this plainly, and it is by far the tightest limit in common use — a photo that would pass anywhere else can fail here on date alone. UK requirements |
|---|---|
| United States | Within the last 6 months. For most USCIS forms the window is tighter still — commonly 30 days. U.S. · USCIS |
| France | Less than 6 months old, and a recognisable likeness. French requirements |
| Canada | Within the last 6 months. IRCC also wants the date the photo was taken recorded on the back of one print. Canadian requirements |
| Schengen visas | Within the last 6 months. Schengen requirements |
| Singapore | Within the last 3 months. Singapore requirements |
| Most other authorities | 6 months is the default, with 3 months appearing in a number of Asian jurisdictions. The specification on each document page names its own authority. |
Windows get shortened more often than lengthened, and the UK's one-month rule shows how far a national rule can sit from the international norm. Check the authority's own page — linked on every document page — rather than assuming six months.
The resemblance test, which has no date on it
Every authority reserves the right to refuse a photo that no longer represents you, and the significant changes are more mundane than people expect:
- Facial hair. Growing or shaving a beard is the most common trigger. If you have changed either way since the photo, take a new one.
- Hair colour or a dramatic change of style. Length matters less than colour and whether the face outline reads differently.
- Glasses. Newly wearing them, or having stopped, where they are permitted at all.
- Substantial weight change, or facial surgery.
- Children. The effective window is far shorter than any stated limit. For an infant, a photo more than a few weeks old may already be unusable, and authorities are unsurprised to be told so.
The useful way to think about it: the photo has to work for a border officer comparing it to your face, possibly years from now. If it does not look like you today, the date on it is irrelevant.
The other direction: reusing a photo
Two related questions come up often. Can I reuse the photo from my last passport? Generally no — it is by definition years old, and several authorities specifically refuse a photo identical to the one in the document being replaced, because that defeats the point of re-verifying you. Can I use the same photo for a passport and a visa? Often yes, if both are within their windows and the formats match — but a number of authorities refuse a photo that duplicates one already submitted, so check before relying on it.
Given that the photo itself now costs nothing, the calculation is easy: take a new one. It is five minutes, and it removes the whole question.
Frequently asked questions
How old can a passport photo be?
Six months is the usual maximum, but the UK requires a photo taken in the last month, Singapore within three months, and most USCIS forms within 30 days. Separately, any photo that no longer resembles you can be refused whatever its date.
Can I use a photo taken a year ago?
No. It is outside every stated limit in common use, and even where a date were not checked, a year-old photo risks failing the current-likeness requirement.
Can I reuse the photo from my old passport?
Generally no. It will be years old, and several authorities specifically refuse a photo identical to the one in the document being replaced.
Can I use the same photo for my passport and my visa?
Sometimes — if both applications are within their recency windows and the required formats match. But some authorities refuse a photo that duplicates one already submitted, so verify with the specific authority rather than assuming.
How recent does a baby's passport photo need to be?
Much more recent than the stated limit. Infants change appearance within weeks, so a photo taken more than a few weeks earlier may already fail the likeness requirement even though it is well inside a six-month window.