How to take an ID photo with your phone

Updated: June 11, 2026

You do not need a photo booth: a phone photo works well if you get three things right: light, background, and camera position. Follow this and the same source photo works for passport, My Number, or resume photos.

Light: face a window

• ・Stand facing a large window in daytime so light hits your face straight on
• ・Never shoot with the window behind you (backlight darkens the face)
• ・Ceiling lights alone cast shadows under the eyes; prefer natural light

Background: a plain wall, half a meter away

• ・Stand in front of a plain, light-colored wall with no patterns, furniture or door frames
• ・Step about 50 cm away from the wall so you do not cast a shadow on it
• ・Slight color or soft shadows are fine; the AI background cleanup handles them

Camera: eye level, not too close

• ・Hold the lens at eye level (shooting up or down distorts the face)
• ・Have someone else take it, or prop the phone and use the self-timer
• ・Shoot from 1 to 1.5 meters away, without zoom, to reduce distortion
• ・Frame from the chest up; the spec-size crop happens later

Posture, expression, clothing

• ・Look straight at the camera with your chin slightly tucked
• ・Natural expression with the mouth closed (big smiles get rejected)
• ・Keep bangs out of your eyes
• ・Plain clothing works best; white tops can blend into the white background

Then let the AI do the rest

With a photo like that, the free Passpo-chan preview handles the background, face position, and spec-size crop automatically. You can also pick sizes for My Number, resume, or driver's license photos.