How to remove the background from a passport photo
Before you replace anything: several authorities require an original, unedited photo, and swapping the background breaks that rule even when the cutout is flawless. Check your own country first. Where editing is banned, the only compliant way to get a plain background is to photograph yourself in front of one.
Quick answer
Check the rule for your country before replacing any background
USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea require an original photo and do not accept software or AI edits — there, reshoot against a plain wall instead of editing. Where no such rule applies, replace the background with our tool, check that all four corners are exactly the same shade, and re-export at full resolution.
Step-by-step
Start with the ban list, not with the editor
Several authorities require an original photo and reject any software edit, the background included. The US State Department says the photo must not be altered using computer software, phone apps, filters or artificial intelligence. GOV.UK requires an image unaltered by computer software. Canada (IRCC) requires a digital photo that has not been altered in any way, and for passports names photo editing software, filters and AI tools outright. The Australian Passport Office tells applicants not to remove the background, moles, wrinkles, scars or red eye. New Zealand does not accept digitally altered photos. South Korea rules out photos retouched with editing software, filters or AI, and lists an erased or swapped background separately.
If your country is on that list, reshoot instead of editing
The fix there is physical, not digital, and it is not a downgrade: a photo taken against the right wall needs no background work at all. Tape a smooth white or light grey sheet flat to a wall, stand 1-2 metres in front of it so your shadow falls behind you, face a window in daylight and shoot on the rear camera at eye level.
Where replacement is allowed, start from a sharp original
Everything below applies only where no such rule exists — check the page for your own country and document first. Background removal works only as well as the input: a blurry, low-light or compressed source photo produces a poor cutout with artefacts. Use a high-resolution rear-camera shot under good daylight.
Use a tool that handles hair edges
Generic auto-cutout tools leave a halo around hair and miss thin strands. Our background remover is trained on portrait photography for documents and applies the shade your country asks for instead of a generic white.
Check the cutout under a contrasting colour
View the result with a black or red preview background to spot edge artefacts. Anything that does not look clean against the contrasting colour will not look clean against the final white either.
Apply the target background colour
The shade is set by the country, not by the tool: light grey or off-white for Schengen states, plain white for India, China and Vietnam. Take the exact rule from the page for your own country and set it before exporting.
Check the corners are uniform
After applying the new background, open the file and zoom into each corner. All four corners must read as exactly the same shade — automated portal checks sample the corner pixels first.
Export at full resolution
Background removal often downscales the image. Re-upload the source at full resolution if the tool offers it, or use a tool that exports at the original resolution (ours keeps the source resolution).
Frequently asked questions
Do consulates reject AI-generated backgrounds?
Several authorities ban software and AI edits outright, so a clean cutout is not a defence. The US State Department says the photo must not be altered with computer software, phone apps, filters or artificial intelligence; the UK requires it to be unaltered by computer software; Canada requires a digital photo to be unaltered in any way; Australia and New Zealand publish the same rule. Where that rule applies, reshoot against a plain background in the required colour instead of replacing it afterwards.
How do I get a plain background without editing the photo?
Photograph yourself against one. A smooth white or light grey sheet taped flat to a wall is enough; keep 1-2 metres between you and the wall so your shadow does not land on it, take the light from a window in front of you, and put the phone at eye level on a stable surface. Nothing is added or removed afterwards, so the file stays the original photo the authority asked for.
Why does the cutout leave a halo around my hair?
Thin or curly hair is the hardest edge case for cutout algorithms. The fix is to start from a photo taken against a contrasting background (dark hair against a light wall, light hair against a dark wall) so the algorithm can detect the edge more easily.
Related guides
Skip the manual steps
Upload a portrait — Anfas.Pro applies the country-specific crop, background and biometric framing automatically. Free preview before payment.