100 compliance checks
Every photo is validated against these 100 checks before you download. Aligned with ICAO Doc 9303 (Part 10, Digital Photo Guidelines, as revised up to 2026), ISO/IEC 19794-5, and country-specific requirements.
PixID AI: 2026 Compliance Standards
PixID's AI validation engine adheres to the latest ICAO Doc 9303 (Machine Readable Travel Documents, Part 10: Digital Photo Guidelines, as revised up to 2026) and relevant ISO/IEC 19794-5 standards for biometric data. Requirements are dynamically updated in our system.
Key country requirements (2026)
- United States (US Passport/Visa): 2×2 in (600×600 px min). Head 1–1⅜ in (25–35 mm) chin to crown, 50–70% of photo height. Plain white or off-white background, no shadows. Neutral expression, both eyes open, direct gaze. Glasses generally not permitted since Nov 2016 (exceptions: medical with doctor's note). Even lighting, no red-eye.
- Schengen Area (EU Visas/Passports): 35×45 mm. Head 32–36 mm (70–80% of vertical height). Plain light grey or white, uniform. Neutral, mouth closed, direct gaze. Glasses: not recommended; if worn, eyes clearly visible, no glare. Even lighting.
- United Kingdom: 35×45 mm. Head 29–34 mm (65–75% of photo height). Plain cream or light grey. Neutral, mouth closed, eyes open. Glasses permitted only if eyes clearly visible, no glare. Even lighting.
- Canada (IRCC): 50×70 mm (2×2¾ in). Head 31–36 mm (69–79% of photo height). Plain white or light. Neutral, eyes open. Glasses permitted if eyes clearly visible, no glare. Even lighting.
Common failure points (AI detection): Shadows, reflections/glare, red-eye, incorrect head-to-frame ratio, non-neutral expression, wrong background color/uniformity, resolution, and digital alterations. PixID flags and corrects or reports each before you download.
PixID AI Biometric Photo Validation Engine (2026)
The PixID AI engine uses machine vision and deep learning to perform real-time, granular biometric and photographic compliance checks against international and national standards as of March 2026.
Core standard adherence:
- ICAO Doc 9303, Part 10 (Digital Photo Guidelines): facial image capture and quality.
- ISO/IEC 19794-5 (Face Image Data): technical adherence for digital face image data.
- Dynamic country rule sets: continuously updated for 150+ countries (US DoS, UK Home Office, EU Schengen, IRCC Canada).
AI validation parameters:
- Facial geometry: Head position (roll, pitch, yaw within ±2°), eye line & gaze, expression (neutral, mouth closed), head-to-frame ratio (e.g. 50–70% US, 70–80% Schengen).
- Photometric: Pixel-level lighting uniformity, shadow detection (face/background), exposure, color balance.
- Background: Segmentation, uniform color (white/light grey/cream), no patterns or shadows.
- Image quality: Resolution, dimensions, focus/sharpness, blur detection, glasses detection, digital alteration detection.
- Real-time feedback: Instant validation with specific error indicators (e.g. "Shadow on right cheek", "Head size below minimum").
Head & face
- 1 Head height within document range
- 2 Head height ≥ minimum required
- 3 Head height ≤ maximum allowed
- 4 Face fill ratio in spec
- 5 Crown to chin measurement
- 6 Head width ratio acceptable
- 7 Face aspect ratio
- 8 Head centering vertical
- 9 Head centering horizontal
- 10 Face area in frame
- 11 Chin visibility
- 12 Forehead visibility
- 13 No excessive headroom
- 14 No insufficient headroom
- 15 Face bounding box in safe zone
- 16 Jawline fully visible
- 17 Hairline not cropped (unless bald)
- 18 Head tilt within tolerance
- 19 Face rotation angle
- 20 Biometric frame compliance
Eyes
- 21 Left eye position (pixel-accurate)
- 22 Right eye position (pixel-accurate)
- 23 Eyes in upper half of image
- 24 Inter-pupillary distance in range
- 25 Eye alignment horizontal
- 26 Both eyes open
- 27 No red-eye artifact
- 28 No glare on glasses
- 29 Eye level within spec
- 30 Pupil visibility
- 31 Iris visible (no obstruction)
- 32 Eye-to-frame distance
- 33 Gaze forward
- 34 No squint or closed eyes
- 35 Eyebrow visibility
- 36 Eye region contrast
- 37 No shadows over eyes
- 38 Left/right eye symmetry
- 39 Eye size proportion
- 40 Eyes meet ICAO 9303 spec
Background
- 41 Background R channel (exact)
- 42 Background G channel (exact)
- 43 Background B channel (exact)
- 44 Background uniformity
- 45 No background shadows
- 46 White point compliance
- 47 Edge color consistency
- 48 No texture or pattern
- 49 Background fill complete
- 50 Hair/ear edge clean
- 51 No stray pixels
- 52 Document-specific background tone
- 53 Contrast vs face
- 54 Corner samples within spec
- 55 Center sample within spec
- 56 No gradient (unless allowed)
- 57 RGB variance threshold
- 58 Luminance uniformity
- 59 State Dept background rule
- 60 ICAO background requirement
Dimensions & output
- 61 Output width (px)
- 62 Output height (px)
- 63 DPI value
- 64 Aspect ratio
- 65 File size in range
- 66 Resolution ≥ minimum
- 67 Resolution ≤ maximum (if cap)
- 68 JFIF/EXIF DPI set
- 69 Pixel dimensions exact
- 70 No upscaling beyond limit
- 71 Color depth (24-bit)
- 72 JPEG format compliant
- 73 Compression within spec
- 74 Document-specific size
- 75 Print size at DPI
- 76 Head size in mm (derived)
- 77 Frame geometry
- 78 Crop bounds valid
- 79 DS-160 dimension rule (if US visa)
- 80 USCIS dimension rule (if applicable)
Lighting & quality
- 81 Face brightness mean
- 82 Face brightness P95
- 83 Face brightness P99
- 84 No underexposure
- 85 No overexposure (forehead)
- 86 Even lighting left/right
- 87 No harsh shadows
- 88 Contrast sufficient
- 89 No green cast
- 90 Skin tone natural
- 91 Color balance
- 92 Sharpness adequate
- 93 No motion blur
- 94 Neutral expression
- 95 Mouth closed
- 96 No teeth visible (unless neutral)
- 97 Ears visible (both)
- 98 No headwear (unless religious/medical)
- 99 Face unoccluded
- 100 Single face detected