Can You Smile in a Passport Photo? The Complete Answer for 2026

US Passport Guide · Last verified: February 2026

The short answer: a slight natural smile with closed mouth is technically allowed for US passports. But the long answer matters — because the wrong smile will get your application rejected, and the rules differ significantly by country.

What the US State Department actually says

The official language from travel.state.gov is:

> *"Use a neutral facial expression or natural smile. Avoid showing teeth."*

This means:

A slight, natural, closed-mouth smile — technically allowed
A wide smile showing teeth — not allowed
Exaggerated expressions of any kind — not allowed

The State Department has never explicitly banned smiling. What they ban is any expression that distorts your facial features enough to interfere with biometric identification.

Why the "no smiling" myth persists

If smiling is allowed, why does the CVS associate, the post office worker, and your mother all insist you can't smile? Three reasons:

1. It's the safest instruction to give. A photo associate at a pharmacy doesn't want to be responsible for your application being rejected. Telling you "no smiling, full stop" eliminates ambiguity. It's not wrong — it's just the conservative interpretation.

2. Most smiles look wrong in passport photos. The "natural smile" the State Department permits is very specific — a slight upturn of the lips with teeth completely hidden. What most people do when told they can smile is show teeth. That's rejected.

3. Biometric systems often reject smiles anyway. Even a technically compliant slight smile can reduce the number of facial landmark reference points enough to trigger a biometric failure at border control. Some border systems explicitly flag photos where the expression is not neutral.

Practical advice: Don't smile. A truly neutral expression is always accepted. A smile is allowed in theory but can be rejected in practice. The risk-to-benefit ratio doesn't favor smiling.

The biometric reason behind the rule

Automated facial recognition systems at airports and borders compare a live image of your face to the photo in your passport. They work by identifying precise landmark points — the distance between your eyes, the width of your nose, the position of your mouth corners, the angle of your jaw.

When you smile, several of these measurements change:

Mouth corners move up and out
Cheeks push up, narrowing the eye aperture slightly
Chin position may change slightly

The more pronounced the smile, the more these measurements shift. A dramatic smile can reduce the number of usable landmark comparisons from 80+ to under 60 — enough that some systems flag the photo as potentially mismatched.

This is why smiling was effectively banned around 2004 when countries began transitioning to biometric passports — not because of a rule change, but because the technology demands it.

Country-by-country rules on smiling

Country	Smiling allowed?
🇺🇸 US	Slight natural smile (mouth closed) technically permitted
🇨🇦 Canada	Neutral expression required; no smiling
🇬🇧 UK	No smiling — neutral expression strictly required
🇦🇺 Australia	Neutral expression; slight smile may be accepted
🇩🇪 Germany	Neutral expression; no smiling
🇫🇷 France	Strictly neutral; ANTS system rejects non-neutral expressions
🇯🇵 Japan	Strictly neutral
🇨🇳 China	Neutral expression required
🇮🇳 India	Neutral expression required
🇳🇬 Nigeria	Neutral expression required
Most EU countries	Neutral expression; no smiling

The US is unusual in permitting even a slight smile. Most countries — including UK, Canada, Australia, and the EU — explicitly require a neutral expression.

What counts as an acceptable expression — with examples

Acceptable:

Completely flat neutral expression — always safe, never rejected on expression grounds
Very slight natural upturn of the lip corners, mouth firmly closed — technically acceptable in the US

Not acceptable:

Any smile showing teeth — explicitly rejected by State Department
A big closed-mouth smile that changes cheek shape — alters biometric measurements too significantly
Frowning, raised eyebrows, or any exaggerated expression
Lips pressed tightly together (over-neutral can look unnatural and sometimes flags systems)

The ideal expression: think of the moment just before you smile. Relaxed face, muscles neutral, lips lightly closed. Not tense, not expressive.

Special rules for children and babies

Children old enough to follow instructions (roughly 5+): Same as adults — neutral expression required. A very slight natural expression is acceptable but teeth-showing smiles are not.

Toddlers (1–4 years): More flexibility. A natural, relaxed expression is fine even if it's slightly smiley. The State Department understands controlling a toddler's expression is difficult.

Infants (under 1 year): Maximum flexibility. Eyes do not need to be fully open, mouth can be slightly open, and natural infant expression is acceptable. Focus on getting the face centered and visible — expression is secondary.

What happens if your smile gets your application rejected?

For mail applications (DS-82): USCIS returns your entire application with a letter explaining the rejection. You must retake your photo and resubmit. This adds 2–4 weeks to your processing time.

For online renewal portal: The portal's automated checker will flag the photo and refuse to accept it during the upload step. You'll need to take a new photo and restart that portion of the application.

The bottom line

Completely neutral expression: always accepted, zero risk
Slight natural closed-mouth smile: technically allowed, some risk
Any smile showing teeth: rejected
Any expression that significantly changes facial proportions: rejected

If you care about getting your passport processed without delay, keep a neutral expression. The marginal improvement in how you look in the photo is not worth the risk of rejection.

Frequently asked questions

Can you smile in a US passport photo?

A slight natural smile with mouth closed is technically permitted by the State Department. Teeth must not be visible. However, neutral expression is always the safest choice — even a slight smile can interfere with biometric checks and cause delays.

Can you show teeth in a passport photo?

No. The State Department explicitly states to avoid showing teeth. Any smile that exposes teeth will result in rejection.

Why can't you smile in a passport photo?

It's about biometric facial recognition. Smiling changes the precise measurements of your facial features — the distance between landmarks — that automated systems use to verify your identity at border control. The more pronounced the smile, the fewer usable comparison points the system has.

Can children smile in passport photos?

Young children and infants have more flexibility than adults. Toddlers can have a natural, relaxed expression even if slightly smiley. Infants can have eyes partially open and mouth slightly open. Children old enough to follow instructions should aim for neutral but a gentle natural expression is typically accepted.

What happens if you smile in your passport photo?

For mail applications, USCIS returns your application and asks for a new photo, adding weeks to processing. For online renewal, the portal's automated checker rejects the photo during upload.

Do other countries allow smiling in passport photos?

The US is unusual in permitting even a slight smile. UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Japan, China, and most countries require strictly neutral expressions.