Glasses in Passport Photos — Country-by-Country Rules (2026)

Whether you can wear glasses in a passport photo depends entirely on which country issued the passport. The US led the global trend by banning them in 2016, and most other countries have followed — but several still allow them under specific conditions. Submitting a photo with glasses to a country that bans them is one of the most common rejection causes.

Countries that BAN glasses in passport photos

• United States — banned since November 2016 (US State Department rule)
• Canada — banned (IRCC current rule)
• France — banned since 2016 (French Government)
• Germany — banned since 2020 (Federal Government rule update)
• Netherlands — banned since 2020
• Switzerland — banned (Fedpol rule)
• Sweden — banned (Polisen rule)
• Norway — banned since 2020
• Australia — banned (Australian DFAT)
• Austria — banned since 2022
• Belgium — banned (biometric matching rule)

Countries that ALLOW glasses (with conditions)

• United Kingdom — allowed if no glare and the eyes are clearly visible (HM Passport Office)
• Ireland — allowed under similar conditions to UK
• Japan — allowed if no glare and eyes fully visible (MOFA Japan)
• Singapore — allowed under similar conditions
• India — preferred without, but allowed if no glare
• Italy — generally allowed if conditions met
• Spain — generally allowed
• Mexico — recommended without, but acceptable

Why so many countries banned glasses

The shift started with facial recognition. Modern e-gates at airports use biometric matching software that compares the passport photo to the live person at the gate. Glasses — even clear ones — create reflections, refraction artifacts, and frame occlusion that make matching unreliable. The State Department reported that pre-2016 US passport photos with glasses had a 20% higher false-rejection rate at automated gates.

Countries with newer e-gate infrastructure (US, Australia, Canada, much of EU) banned glasses to improve match accuracy. Countries with older infrastructure or less reliance on automated gates (UK, Japan) kept the allowance.

What about medical exemptions?

Most countries that ban glasses allow a medical exemption — but it requires a signed doctor's statement explaining why glasses cannot be removed (typically because removal would cause eye damage or prevent the applicant from keeping eyes open). This is rare and not granted for routine vision needs.

Sunglasses, tinted lenses, transition lenses

Universally banned in every country. Even transition lenses that are clear indoors but darken in sunlight are flagged if they have any visible tint at the time of the photo. Take the photo in shaded indoor light to ensure transition lenses are fully clear.

If you normally wear glasses, do this

1. Check which country's rules apply (the country issuing your passport, not where you live)
2. If banned: remove glasses for the photo. Have someone help you focus on the camera since you may have trouble seeing the lens
3. If allowed: ensure no glare, take the photo with even light coming from the front (not above or behind)
4. Take multiple photos with and without glasses if you're unsure — submit the better one
5. Don't wear contact lenses that change eye color (colored contacts are banned in Korea, increasingly elsewhere)

Common rejection: glare on glasses

Even in countries that allow glasses, the #1 rejection cause is lens glare from camera flash or overhead lighting. To eliminate glare:

• Tilt your head down very slightly (5°) — moves the light reflection off the lens
• Take the photo with diffuse natural light, not direct sun or flash
• Use anti-reflective coated lenses if you have them
• Remove glasses, take the photo, then digitally re-add only the frame outline (this is now banned in 2026 as AI editing — don't do it)