The default answer is six months — nearly every spec in the dataset sets that ceiling. But the rule has two notable exceptions, and the way it’s actually enforced is worth understanding before you dig out an old photo.

The standard: six months

The six-month rule comes from ICAO Doc 9303’s portrait guidance, which recommends a photo taken within the last six months so the image remains a reliable likeness. Most authorities adopted it verbatim: the US (passport, visa and DV lottery), Schengen consulates, China, India, Canada, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Germany, France and Brazil all state a six-month maximum age.

The exceptions

• United Kingdom — one month online. GOV.UK’s online passport application requires a photo “taken in the last month” — the tightest window in the dataset. Paper applications through other channels follow the more familiar recent-photo guidance; if you’re renewing online, plan around the 30-day window, not six months.
• DV lottery — six months before entry. The diversity-visa rule is anchored to your entry submission, not the later visa paperwork. A photo taken in spring for an October entry is fine; reusing the same file for a follow-up application two years later is not.
• Everywhere else — six months of capture date, per the country’s spec card.

What the clock actually measures

The countdown starts at capture, not at export. Re-scanning an old print, re-cropping a two-year-old studio file or stripping EXIF data does not reset the photo’s age — the DV instructions explicitly reject scanned photographs for this reason. The question is always “was this image taken recently enough to still be you?”

The rule at a glance

Document	Maximum photo age
US passport / visa	6 months
US DV lottery	6 months before the entry date
UK passport — online application	1 month
Schengen visa	6 months
China visa	6 months
India passport / e-visa	6 months
Canada, Australia, Japan, NZ, Germany, France, Brazil	6 months

The pattern is simple: six months everywhere, one month for a UK online form. If your spec card shows a different window, that card wins — the table is the common case, not a promise.

Why the rule exists

The photo isn’t decoration — it’s the biometric reference. Automated face-matching and the officer at the counter both measure whether the applicant in front of them matches the photo on file. Faces drift: weight changes, facial hair, surgery, age. Six months is where authorities decided “still recognizably you” ends for the average adult; children’s faces change faster, which is one reason infant and child photos get separate guidance on some country pages.

When to reshoot early

You can need a new photo inside the six-month window if your appearance changed meaningfully: facial surgery, significant weight change, new facial tattoos or piercings, or — for children — simply growing. Routine changes (haircut, hair colour, a beard) usually don’t void the photo under the “still looks like you” test, but the judgement is the examiner’s, not yours.

The cheap rule of thumb: for any live application, shoot a new photo. A reshoot costs minutes and a few dollars; a rejected photo costs the application timeline.

Related: glasses rules by country · why photos get rejected · passport photo size in pixels.

Frequently asked questions

Is it six months from the photo date or the application date?

The photo must have been taken within six months of when you submit the application — it's the capture date that counts, not when the file was edited, printed or exported. For the DV lottery the window is six months before your entry date.

Can I reuse a digital file that's just over six months old?

It may pass the upload check — portals read dimensions and file size, not the shooting date — but the age limit is enforced by the officer comparing the photo to your face. An application that sails through the portal can still be returned at review. The photo is cheap; the delay is not.

I grew a beard / cut my hair — do I need a new photo?

Not necessarily. The test every authority applies is whether you still look like the photo. A haircut, dyed hair or facial hair alone normally doesn't force a reshoot; facial surgery, major weight change, a new face tattoo or piercing, or a child's face changing does. When in doubt, reshoot — a fresh photo removes the question.

Does anyone actually check the photo's capture date?

Sometimes. Upload portals can read EXIF metadata, and a file created long ago can flag a manual look — but most enforcement is human: the photo looks noticeably unlike you, and the examiner asks for another. Assume the date is judged, not the metadata.