Can you smile in a passport photo?

Almost always no. Of the countries whose rules have been read for this site, one allows a smile and the rest require a neutral expression with the mouth closed.

If you want the short answer: do not smile. A neutral face is accepted everywhere. A smile is accepted in one place.

The exception: the United States

The US is genuinely different, and its own guidance says so twice. The passport photo page states:

Avoid exaggerated facial expressions. You can smile in your photo. Just make sure your eyes are open and your mouth is closed.

And the digital upload page:

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

So: a closed-mouth smile is fine for a US passport photo. Teeth are not. This is worth knowing precisely because it contradicts what almost everyone believes, including many photo booths.

Note the summary bullet on the same US page still says "neutral facial expression … and mouth closed", which is where the confusion comes from. The detailed section is the operative one, and it permits the smile.

Everywhere else

| Country | Rule | |---|---| | United Kingdom | "plain expression and your mouth closed" | | Netherlands | neutral expression, looking straight at the camera, mouth closed | | Ireland | "make sure your expression is neutral, do not smile and close your mouth" | | France | l'expression doit être neutre et la bouche doit être fermée | | Schengen / EU | "a neutral expression and your mouth closed" | | Australia | neutral expression required for anyone over three | | New Zealand | "keep your expression neutral – no smiling"; mouth closed, eyes open | | Canada | mouth closed, "not smiling or frowning" | | Brazil | sem sorrir ou franzir o cenho — without smiling or frowning |

China's standard asks for a "natural expression" (表情自然), which neither clearly permits nor forbids a closed-mouth smile. Because it is genuinely ambiguous, this site records it as unknown rather than guessing — and a neutral face satisfies it either way.

Several other countries in the tool publish no expression rule at all that has been read. Absence of a rule is not permission; it means nobody has confirmed one.

Why the rule exists

It is not aesthetic. Passports are read by face-recognition systems at borders, and those systems compare the photo against a live capture of your face.

Smiling changes a lot of the geometry those systems use. The mouth widens, the cheeks lift, the eyes narrow, and the distances between facial landmarks shift. A neutral face is the most reproducible expression a person can make — you can repeat it at a border gate ten years later. A smile cannot be reproduced consistently, which is exactly the problem.

The ICAO standard that most national rules derive from is built around this. That is why "neutral, mouth closed" appears in near-identical wording across countries that otherwise agree on nothing.

What counts as smiling

This is where people get caught, because a "slight" smile still reads as an expression.

• Raised cheeks count, even with the mouth closed.
• Teeth showing fails everywhere, including the US.
• An open mouth fails everywhere, smiling or not.
• A tense, forced neutral can also fail — several authorities reject "exaggerated" expressions in either direction, and frowning is named explicitly by Canada and Brazil.

The target is a relaxed face, not a stern one.

How to actually do it

A neutral expression is harder to hold than it sounds, because being photographed makes most people smile reflexively.

• Let your jaw relax so your teeth are not clenched. Clenching tightens the whole lower face.
• Breathe out just before the shot. It settles the shoulders and the mouth.
• Look at the lens, not at the person holding the camera.
• Take a lot of frames. The neutral ones are usually the third or fourth, once the reflex to smile has passed.
• Do not ask anyone to make you laugh first. The residue lasts several frames.

Children and babies

The rules relax with age, and the thresholds are specific.

• Australia: a neutral expression is required for anyone over three.
• Brazil: from three years old, including adults, the photo is taken at the appointment anyway.
• Netherlands: children under six are exempt from the neutral expression, looking at the camera, and mouth-closed requirements.
• New Zealand and Australia: for children under three the mouth may be open.
• US: a child's expression must be neutral, but it is acceptable if a baby's eyes are not fully open.

There is a separate guide to infant photos covering the practical side.

The safe answer

If you are applying anywhere other than the United States, a neutral expression with your mouth closed is required. If you are applying to the United States, it is still accepted — a smile is merely also allowed.

So there is no country where a neutral face is the wrong choice. If you are uncertain, or if the same photo might be used for more than one application, that settles it.

The checker on this site only flags expression for countries that actually forbid a smile — it does not nag US applicants about something their authority explicitly permits, and it says outright when a country has published no rule.