News report | | 13-06-2025 | ±3 minutes reading time

Since May 2025, besides uploading a passport scan, travellers must also upload an ID photo in order to apply for an ESTA for the United States. The ID photo can also be a selfie. In this article you can read about the requirements the photo must comply with.

Documents for the ESTA application

Since November 2022, travellers who apply for an ESTA for the United States must submit a scan or photo of their passport. Before, travellers only had to fill in an application form. No photos or documents were required. Since recently, travellers who want to apply for an ESTA are also required to submit a digital ID photo. Fortunately, they can easily submit the photo online. It is not necessary to have official passport photos taken by a photographer, a neat selfie will also be accepted

ID photo requirements

The requirements for the ESTA ID photo are not very strict. It's not necessary to provide a biometric photograph taken by a photographer. You may also use a self-made photo or a selfie, as long as it meets the following requirements:

  • The picture is sharp
  • The picture has a uniform, light background
  • It only shows the person's head and shoulders
  • The person needs to look straight into the camera
  • The person needs to have a neutral expression
  • The person cannot wear sunglasses nor headgear
  • It must be a colour photo
  • The photo may not be edited, and no filters may be applied

You can take a selfie, with a white wall as a background. Make sure your face is fully in focus and that you have a neutral expression. It's important that no distracting elements can be seen in the background. There can be no flash reflections, either. It is not allowed to crop the photo that appears in your passport. You should really provide a different photo.

Easily upload your photo online

Like your passport, you can also upload your ID photo online. There is no need to submit your documents physically or send them by post. Once you have paid the ESTA fee, you will be directed to a page where you can submit your documents online. If you fill in the ESTA application on your mobile phone or tablet, you can select and upload the photos that are in your gallery.

If you are filling in the application on your computer or laptop, the easiest way to send the photos to your computer is to send them to yourself via the e-mail programme on your smartphone or tablet and attach the photos. Open this e-mail on your computer or laptop and save the photos in the attachment in a folder.

Verification by a visa specialist

After uploading each traveller's passport scan and ID photo, click on the button at the bottom right of the page and submit the documents. Before submitting the application to the US authorities, your documents will be reviewed by one of our visa specialists at e-Visa.ie. They will make sure that the photos meet the US authorities requirements, and they will verify if the passport data that have been filled in match those on the passport scan.

Typos will be corrected immediately. If the photos do not comply with all the requirements, you will be informed by e-mail and SMS. In the e-mail, you will find an explanation about why the photos are not accepted, as well as a link to the page where you can submit new photos. Please do this as soon as possible to avoid delaying the processing of your ESTA application.

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e-Visa.ie is a commercial and professional visa agency, and supports travellers in obtaining, among others, the ESTA USA. e-Visa.ie is an official partner of the International Air Transport Association, IATA, with membership number 57231226, acts as an intermediary, is no law firm, nor does it employ lawyers, does not provide legal advice, and is in no way part of any government. You can also apply for a ESTA directly with the immigration service (21 USD per ESTA, via esta.cbp.dhs.gov). However, not with our level of support. If you submit your application via e-Visa.ie, our support centre is available to you 24/7. In addition, we manually check your application and all the documents you provide before submitting it to the immigration authorities on your behalf. If we suspect any errors or omissions while doing so, we will personally contact you to ensure that your application can still be processed quickly and correctly. To use our services, you pay us 21 USD in consular fees, which we pay to the immigration service on your behalf, as well as € 32,04 in service fees as compensation for our services, including VAT. Our services have saved many travellers from major problems during their trip. Should an application be rejected despite our support and verification, we will refund the full purchase price (unless an application for a previous USA ESTA was rejected for the same traveller). Read more about our services here.