The History of the Passport Photo: From Analog to AI

Today it takes seconds to create a biometric passport photo. But the road to get here was long — and surprisingly fascinating. From handwritten physical descriptions to AI-powered image processing, the passport photo has undergone a remarkable evolution.

Before Photography: Physical Descriptions and Sketches

Before cameras existed, travelers had to prove their identity differently. In the 18th and 19th centuries, passports contained handwritten physical descriptions: height, hair color, eye color, distinguishing features like scars or birthmarks.

The results were hardly reliable. Descriptions like “medium height, brown hair, oval face” matched thousands of people. Mix-ups and identity fraud were everyday occurrences.

Some passports even included hand-drawn portraits — a practice only the wealthy could afford, and one that depended entirely on the artist’s skill.

The First Photo Passports (1910s–1920s)

With the spread of photography, a new era began. The first countries introduced passport photos between 1914 and 1918 — driven by World War I, which necessitated stricter border controls.

• 1914: Britain began requiring photos on travel documents.
• 1915: France and Germany followed.
• 1920: Most European countries required passport photos.

Early passport photos were glued on and stamped — a simple but effective method to deter forgery. The photos showed no standardized pose: some people looked to the side, others wore hats or smiled broadly.

First Standardization: The League of Nations (1920s)

The League of Nations (predecessor of the UN) made the first attempt to unify travel documents internationally at the Paris Passport Conference in 1920.

The recommendations covered:

• Passport size: 15.5 × 10.5 cm (a format that has barely changed to this day)
• Photo position: On the first or second page
• Photo quality: Frontal view, recognizable facial features

These recommendations weren’t binding — but they laid the groundwork for what we now know as international standards.

The Invention of the Photo Booth (1925)

Anatol Josepho, a Russian-born inventor, installed the first commercial photo booth in New York in 1925. For 25 cents, the machine delivered a strip of eight photos within minutes.

The success was overwhelming:

• In the first six months, over 280,000 people used the booth.
• Josepho sold the rights for the then-astronomical sum of $1 million.
• Within a few years, photo booths stood in train stations, department stores, and government offices worldwide.

For passport photos, this meant democratization: suddenly anyone could afford a passport picture, not just wealthy citizens who could pay for a professional photographer.

The Era of Standardization (1950s–1980s)

After World War II, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) took on the task of globally standardizing travel documents. Key milestones:

During this period, the format we know today also developed: 35 × 45 mm, frontal view, light background, neutral facial expression.

The Biometric Revolution (Post-2001)

The attacks of September 11, 2001 fundamentally changed the passport photo landscape. In their aftermath, stricter security requirements were introduced worldwide:

• 2002: The USA demands biometric passports from Visa Waiver countries.
• 2004: The EU decides to introduce biometric passports.
• 2005: ICAO publishes Standard 9303 with detailed biometric requirements.

What “Biometric” Means

A biometric passport photo is taken in such a way that software can automatically measure the face:

• Eye spacing
• Position of nose and mouth
• Face shape and proportions
• Head tilt (maximum 5° deviation)

That’s why the rules are so strict: neutral expression (no smiling), closed mouth, no glasses (in many countries), visible forehead, even lighting.

NFC Chips and Digital Passports (2006 Onward)

From 2006, passports were equipped with RFID/NFC chips storing the passport photo digitally — along with fingerprints and other biometric data.

• 2006: Germany introduces the ePassport with chip.
• 2006: Austria follows with the biometric passport.
• 2010: Most EU countries have biometric passports.

The chip enables automated border controls: e-Gates at airports compare the stored photo with the live camera image. This further raised the requirements for photo quality.

AI-Powered Passport Photos (Today)

The latest revolution is happening right now: Artificial Intelligence is taking over the creation and verification of passport photos.

What AI can do today:

• Automatically remove backgrounds and replace them with the standardized white/light grey background
• Detect faces and crop biometrically — with exact positioning
• Check biometric compliance: eye position, head tilt, lighting, shadows
• Assess quality: sharpness, resolution, contrast

PassphotoLabs uses exactly this technology. You take a photo with your smartphone, and AI handles the rest — background removal, biometric cropping, compliance checking. For €4 instead of €15–25 at a photographer’s studio. And with the optional validation for €1, your photo is additionally checked against official requirements by an algorithm.

What’s Next? Digital Identity Wallets

The future of the passport photo may well be: no physical photo at all.

The EU is working on the European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI) — a digital wallet on your smartphone that:

• Stores identity documents digitally
• Contains encrypted biometric data
• Can be used for border controls, government services, and online verification

Pilot projects are already underway. However, it will still be several years before this technology is widely available. Until then, the passport photo — whether printed or digital — remains the central element of every identity document.

From Sketches to AI: A Remarkable Journey

In roughly 200 years, identity verification has evolved from vague physical descriptions to highly precise biometric facial recognition. Each era brought more security, more standardization, and more accessibility.

Today you can create a standards-compliant passport photo in just a few minutes — from home, with your smartphone, powered by AI. Anatol Josepho, standing next to his first photo booth, surely couldn’t have dreamed of that.

Create your passport photo now →