FOID Card Photo Online

If a resident of the Illinois State wants to purchase or possess a firearm or ammunition, they need to apply for a FOID issued by Illinois State Police. FOID has a form of a plastic card with the photograph of the holder to facilitate identification. The IllinoisFOID photo requirements vary significantly in different states, so you need to know exactly how your photo must be in terms of the size, crop, background, head position, facial expression, etc.

You can apply on-line or through a call-in method and in every case you must provide the Police with a color picture of yourself. It cannot be the same photo as for your driving licence, you need to take a new one. What are the requirements for this photo? We explain everything in the text below.

Illinois FOID card photo at home!

Do you ask yourself:

Where to take the FOID card photo in Illinois near me?

The answer is: wherever you wish! You can take it at your place, in the office or on the street - no limits here! There is no requirement of taking the photo for the FOID card in a professional studio or photo booth. All you need are:

• your smartphone
• list of FOID photo card requirements
• Smart Photo Maker which will properly resize, crop and adjust your picture

You do not need to make any special preparations to take a photo of your FOID card. Of course, there is the requirement of a plain, white background but it doesn’t mean that you need to hang up sheets or look for an ideal wall. 

You can take the picture on any background and then use our Intelligent Photo App to adjust your image to the demanding. You do not have to resize the picture and crop it by yourself. Upload your picture to the chosen document template and wait for 3 seconds. If you like your edited picture, you can order it and get it immediately. If not, you are free to take as many shots as you want. You always pay only for the shot you picked up.

Technical requirements for the FOID Illinois card photo

You need to submit a photo in color and of good quality. If you choose to provide a printed picture, it must not be damaged, scratched or marked. For both - digital photos and paper photos for the FOID card in Illinois - there are the same rules of technical quality:

• clear, sharp, and focus
• properly exposed - not underlit or overlit
• well contrasted
• not blurred

If you decide on a digital photo, it must be in a good resolution. This is not specified, but usually, a “good” resolution of a digital image is at least 600 dpi. Moreover, if you attach a paper picture, it must be printed on photo-quality paper with dye-sublimation print.

The required size of the photo for the Illinois FOID card

The required dimensions of the picture for the FOID card in Illinois are in inches: 1 ½ x 1 ¼ (height x width).

Notice that this is the different size that this required for the US passport photo which is 2 inches x 2 inches. So, do not attach your passport photo to your FOID card application!

If you are not sure how to resize the photo you have taken, use the smart Resizing Photo App and obtain the required photo dimensions in 3 second!

Illinois FOID card Photo - demanded crop

No surprises here - the expected crop of the photograph dedicated to the Firearms Owner’s Identification Card in Illinois must show the applicant’s head, neck and shoulders.

The face image must measure 1.05 inches to 1.2 inches from the chin to the top of the head - this is approximately 70% - 80% of the whole photo. Your face must be clearly seen, not obstructed by the hair, any items of massive jewellery or decorations. The head must be positioned in the central spot of the image and some space must be left between the head’s top and the upper edge of the photo as well as on both sides of the face. If you have a voluminous hairstyle, do not reduce the size of the face. Consider wearing your hair.

We know that it might not be easy to crop the photo perfectly to satisfy all rules, but the good news is that you do not need to do it yourself. Use the cropping FOID Photo Tool available online, upload your picture and wait for a couple of seconds. Cropping will be done automatically for you and your perfectly sized and cropped FOID photo will be sent to your email address!

Firearms Owner’s Identification Card in Illinois - Photo validity and originality

Your Firearms Owner’s ID card photo must represent your current look so it must be taken recently. “Recently” is not defined here, but it shall be adopted that the “recently taken” picture of the applicant for any formal document must be not older than 6 months. Remember that you must not attach a picture that is:

• a passport photo (different size is required)
• black and white
• the same as your driving licence picture
• older than 6 months
• cut out from the larger image
• digitally altered

The most important demanding in terms of originality is the prohibition of use any sort of graphic programs to interfere with your photo. You must not use any software, filters or apps to retouch or change anything in this picture. Artificial intelligence that verifies sent photographs detects any alteration and such a photo will be rejected.

Background and colors in the FOID photo (Illinois)

The background in the FOID photo in Illinois must be white, clear and plain, with no patterns or spots. When it comes to colors, the picture should show your natural skin tones and the real color of your eyes. This last part is important because a “red eyes” effect caused by the flash lamp disqualifies the picture. Use daylight to avoid the “red eyes” effect. Daylight is also good because it illuminates your face even if you pose facing the window. This is the requirement: both sides of your face must be symmetrically illuminated and no shadows can appear.

To obtain a satisfying contrast and not to blend into the background, do not wear a white top for a picture.

Remember that no objects or people can be visible behind you. Does it seem difficult to obtain? No, this is really easy!

All you have to do is to upload your picture to the background remover photo app and have it done! This tool is able to change the wrong background into the white, plain one in one second! 

FOID photo - head’s position and facial expression 

You must know the requirements about the head’s position and facial expression in the FOID card photo because if you pose in the wrong way, your photo will be rejected.

Make sure that you do:

• stay straight
• look straight into the camera
• keep your eyes open and mouths closed
• not tilt your head in any direction
• NOT smile!

A neutral facial expression is required, so do not smile or frown, just keep your facial muscles relaxed and don’t blink. Keep your eyes open but without an exaggeration.

Glasses and headgears in the FOID card photo in Illinois

Remember, that the photograph must show your face and eyes clearly, so if you wear glasses, avoid heavy frames and make sure that the frames do not cover any part of the eyes. Take off sunglasses as glasses must be 100% transparent and there must not be reflection or glare on them. Anyway, if you want to be sure that eyeglasses do not cause the rejection of your picture, consider to take them off for a moment of capturing the picture.

The general rule about head coverings is that you must not pose wearing them. Take off the hat, cap or bandana. However, you can pose in headgear worn for religious purposes, so if

a hijab, headscarf, yarmulke, or other head covering is a part of your religious attire, you can keep it while capturing a photo for the Firearms Owner’s Identification Card (FOID) in Illinois.

Just keep in mind that your facial features from bottom of chin to top of forehead and both edges of the face must be visible. Headscarves or other headgear must not obscure your cafe or cast a shadow on it. The head covering must not be white in purpose to obtain a good contrast with the background.

FOID card photo (Illinois) - The main rules in a nutshell

Creating a correct FOID card photo at home can be easy, fast and fun. You may try many hairstyles and outfits, there is not a rush and in the end, you pay only for what you want to get. The intelligent FOID Photo App verifies if your uploaded picture meets all the requirements, so you can be 100% sure that the image you attach to your FOID applications is perfect. Just remember about some rules:

1. Make sure that all your face is clearly visible.
2. Keep a neutral facial expression.
3. Keep your mouths closed and eyes open.
4. Do not tilt your head in any direction.
5. Look directly at the camera lens.
6. Take off your glasses or at least check if their frames do not obscure your eyes and glasses do not give any reflection.
7. Adjust the size, crop, and background of your photo

The last point is the easiest one because the Resizing and Cropping Photo App can do it for you! You can download it from the AppStore for iOS operating devices or from the Google Play Store for Samsung, Nokia, and many other smartphones.

Sources:
https://www.ispfsb.com/Public/FOID.aspx