Can you wear glasses in a passport photo?

The short answer: no glasses in most countries

Since the 2010s, most major passport authorities — including the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, India and the EU — have banned glasses from passport photos. This applies to prescription glasses, reading glasses and sunglasses alike.

The ban exists because glasses cause problems for facial recognition systems: frames obstruct facial geometry, lenses create glare, and tinted or photochromic lenses obscure the eyes. Removing glasses produces a more consistent, machine-readable face image.

UK — HMPO glasses rules

Glasses have been banned from UK passport photos since 2018. HMPO no longer accepts any glasses, including prescription glasses, even if there is no glare or tinting. This rule has been in place for several years and there are no exceptions for medical necessity.

If you wear glasses daily, remove them for your passport photo. Your passport will be used at automated e-gates that compare your live face to the photo, and glasses change the geometry the system uses to match you.

USA — State Department glasses rules

The US State Department banned glasses from passport and visa photos in November 2016. No glasses are permitted — prescription, reading or sunglasses. The only exceptions are for people with a medical condition who cannot remove their glasses, in which case a signed doctor's note must accompany the application.

Canada — IRCC glasses rules

IRCC banned glasses from Canadian passport photos in 2020. Prescription glasses, reading glasses and tinted glasses are all prohibited. As with other countries, no exceptions are made for regular prescription wear.

Australia — DFAT glasses rules

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade does not permit glasses in passport photos. The restriction covers all types of glasses.

India — Passport Seva glasses rules

Indian passport photos must be taken without glasses. The Passport Seva guidance explicitly states that applicants should remove glasses before taking their photo.

EU Schengen visa photos

ICAO standards, which govern Schengen visa photos, do not permit glasses. Individual EU member states may have their own additional guidance, but all require photos without glasses.

What about medical exceptions?

Most countries make no exception for regular prescription glasses. The USA is one of the few with a formal medical exception process, but it requires a doctor's signed statement and is intended for genuine medical necessity (for example, post-surgery conditions). Simply needing vision correction does not qualify.

What about contact lenses?

Contact lenses are permitted in passport photos for all major countries, provided they do not change the apparent colour of your eyes (coloured or cosmetic lenses may cause issues at border control). Clear prescription contact lenses are fine.

How Smart Passport Photo checks for glasses

Our automated compliance check includes glasses detection as one of its 9 checks. If glasses are detected in your photo, you'll see a clear flag in your free preview before you pay — so you can remove them and retake at no cost.