Can you smile in a passport photo?

The short answer: no smiling

For the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, India, EU Schengen and most other countries, smiling is not allowed in a passport photo. The official requirement is a neutral expression — mouth closed, no teeth showing, no raised cheeks or crinkled eyes.

A small, closed-mouth 'Mona Lisa' smile is a grey area. Some automated systems flag it, others don't. To be safe, aim for a completely neutral expression.

Why neutral expression is required

Passport photos are used by facial recognition systems at border control. These systems compare your live face against the photo stored in your passport chip. A smiling photo changes the geometry of your face — raised cheeks, narrowed eyes and pulled skin — making the match less reliable at high speed in a busy border queue.

Most passport authorities moved to strict neutral-expression requirements as electronic travel gates became standard in the 2010s. The ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization), which sets the global standard for machine-readable travel documents, specifies a neutral expression with mouth closed as the default.

UK — HMPO rules

HMPO (His Majesty's Passport Office) requires a neutral expression with your mouth closed. Smiling, even slightly, is grounds for rejection. HMPO's automated checks on GOV.UK are increasingly sensitive to expression and will flag borderline cases.

USA — State Department rules

The US State Department requires a neutral facial expression or a natural smile with both eyes open. This is one of the few authorities that explicitly allows a natural smile — but it must be natural, not exaggerated, and your eyes must be fully open (a big smile that squints the eyes will be rejected).

Canada — IRCC rules

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) requires a neutral expression with both eyes open and looking directly at the camera. Smiling is not permitted.

Australia — DFAT rules

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) requires a neutral expression with your mouth closed. Smiling is not allowed.

India — Passport Seva rules

The Indian Passport Seva programme requires a neutral expression, mouth closed, with both eyes open and looking directly at the camera. Smiling is not permitted.

EU Schengen visa photos

ICAO-compliant neutral expression is required for EU and Schengen visa photos. Smiling is not permitted.

What about children and babies?

Children under the age of 1 are generally exempt from strict expression rules in most countries. A baby smiling, crying or looking slightly away is usually accepted. Older children (typically 1 and above) are expected to follow the same neutral-expression rules as adults.

How Smart Passport Photo checks expression

Our automated compliance check includes an expression analysis step that detects open mouths, strong smiles, and raised cheeks before you pay. If your expression doesn't meet the requirements for your chosen country, you'll see exactly what to fix and can retake the photo for free.