US passport renewal photo error: “Your head is not centered”

What the message says

The head size and/or position within the frame does not appear to be correct. Please review the instructions for uploading an acceptable photo and retake the photo accordingly. Make sure your head is not tilted to either side and centered within the frame with upper shoulders show.

So the check looks at three things: how big your head is in the frame, whether it’s in the middle, and whether it’s tilted.

Why it happens

• The camera was too close (the head fills the frame and the shoulders are cut off) or too far away (the head is small).
• You’re off to one side of the frame, or the photo was cropped unevenly.
• Your head is tilted to one side, or the phone wasn’t held level.
• It’s a selfie: at arm’s length the head looks large and the shoulders are often missing.

How to fix it

1. Ask someone to take the photo from about 1.5 m (5 ft) away, holding the phone level at your eye height.
2. Frame from the middle of your chest to a little above the top of your head, with your head in the middle.
3. Keep your head straight: imagine a line through both eyes that is level.
4. Upload the photo as it was taken. The online renewal asks for the original photo, so don’t crop or resize it.

Before you try again

IDPlain’s free checker measures where your head is and how large it is, and how level it is, against the US rule, on your device, before you upload.