Problems with the photo itself
1. Shadows on your face or the background
The most common reason of all. Shadows come from overhead lights, a flash, or standing too close to the wall. Fix: face a window, turn off ceiling lights, skip the flash and stand half a metre from the wall.
2. The background isn't plain or light enough
Patterns, objects, colours or a grey-looking wall in dim light all count. Some countries are stricter than others: India now accepts plain white only. Fix: use a plain white wall or a smooth white sheet, lit by daylight.
3. Glasses, glare or reflections
The US doesn't allow glasses at all. Elsewhere, glare on lenses or frames across your eyes will get the photo rejected. Fix: take them off.
4. Expression, eyes or mouth
Big smiles, open mouths and half-closed eyes are rejected. Fix: neutral face, mouth closed, eyes open and looking at the camera. Babies are usually an exception.
5. Head tilted or turned
Your face must be square to the camera. Fix: sit or stand straight and keep your chin level.
6. Hair, hats or anything covering the face
Hair over your eyes or the edges of your face, hats and headphones are all rejected. Religious and medical head coverings are allowed if your face is fully visible.
7. The photo was edited
Filters, beauty modes, skin smoothing, background replacement and AI tools all lead to rejection, and the US, Canada and New Zealand say so explicitly. Fix: use your phone's normal camera mode and never retouch the photo. If something's wrong, retake it.
Problems with size and format
8. The head is too big or too small
Each country specifies how tall your head must be in the photo, measured from chin to crown. A US photo needs 25 to 35 mm; Australia and Schengen countries want 32 to 36 mm. Fix: let a tool crop to the official measurements rather than doing it by eye.
9. The wrong photo size
A 35 × 45 mm photo won't do for a US application, and China wants 33 × 48 mm, not 35 × 45. Fix: check the size for the exact document you're applying for.
10. The file is the wrong size for the upload
Online forms reject files that are too big or too small. The US visa form (DS-160) wants a square JPEG of 240 KB or less; India wants exactly 630 × 810 pixels and no more than 250 KB; New Zealand wants between 250 KB and 5 MB. Fix: use a file made for that specific form.
11. It's blurry or low resolution
Photos sent through messaging apps are shrunk and compressed, and screenshots lose detail. Fix: use the original photo from your camera.
12. It's too old, or printed at home
Most countries want a photo from the last 6 months; the UK wants one from the last month. Australia doesn't accept home inkjet prints. Fix: take a fresh photo and print at a photo kiosk.
Check before you apply
Altols checks most of these for you before you pay: background brightness and evenness, shadows across your face, sharpness, whether your eyes are open, head tilt, head size and resolution. It can't judge everything a human checker does, such as whether your expression is neutral enough, so look over the photo yourself too.