Tribal ID Photos: Easy & Accurate Native American ID

Does the tribal ID have a photo?

Almost all tribal IDs nowadays have - among other data - a portrait of a tribe member. Tribal cards look very differently from one another, so you can find different placement of the photo, other sizes or even color and no color options on the members' documents. Some tribes like the Choctaw Nation would even issue an ID card without the photo if the picture is not submitted.

What does the tribal ID photo look like?

You can find tribal IDs with different sizes and proportions of the members' portrait. Some cards even have two photos on the front - with a second, smaller version of the same picture.

You can see that some tribal ID photos can be square while others are rectangular. You may find documents where the person is photographed on the blue background, or maybe yellow, or even see some pattern on the wall behind them. You can also find cards where the owner is smiling, while showing your teeth is unacceptable on the U.S. passports and IDs.

And - as always - the good rule would be to contact your enrollment office or tribe authorities before starting to apply for a new ID. You can find the most accurate information regarding your situation on the tribe website or contacting the enrollment officer himself.

How to take your tribal ID photo?

It is best to first check what kind of photo would be accepted in your tribe. It is really important because in some cases the photo you will submit would not even be considered.

That is the case with Cherokee Nation where you cannot send the photo of yourself to the enrollment office, and they only accept the photos they take in person, using the system that creates ID cards.

If that is not the requirement in your tribe you can, in most cases, just send your photo by mail, email it to the enrollment office or give it in person when you submit your application - as is the rule for members of Choctaw Nation Tribe. If you are enrolled in the Chiricahua Apache Nation you can even submit your photo from your computer using the online form on the tribe website.

What are the tribal ID photo requirements?

If the tribe you belong to allows you to submit your photo while applying for your tribal ID card, the question remains - what kind of photo should it be?

On the Choctaw Nation page we can read that our photo should be passport style. It should include our head and shoulders only. It must be in color, and a member should be photographed on the white background. The glasses and hats are not allowed.

Similar requirements we can find on the Chiricahua Apache Nation website. The page only states that the picture we submit should be an official passport photo. It means you should look straight into the camera with no tilting, remove glasses and hats, and make sure the outline of your face is clearly visible. Your face has to be in focus, light in the room must be uniform and your background flat and white. If you want to know all the U.S. passport photo requirements you can find them here.

What size is the tribal ID photo?

As we know - everything about the tribal ID depends on the tribe itself. It is not always easy to find exact requirements that you are looking for on dedicated tribe pages, but it seems most American Indian and Alaskan native tribal entities use either wallet size or 2x2” passport sized photos.

2x2” passport photos for tribal ID

A 2x2” or 51x51 mm is the most commonly used photo size for US documentation. This kind of picture can be found in U.S. passports, IDs and driver's licenses. You can take it in almost every location that sells photo prints, like an UPS store, or a local drugstore.

Can you take a tribal ID photo yourself?

If your tribe does not require you to take your photo in person while at the enrollment office - there is no reason the picture you submit should not be taken by you yourself - or your friend or family member if they wish to help you.

Although there are many specialistic places that can make the photo for you - there is actually no need to pay a professional photographer for a full photo session just to create a simple photo for your ID. Most digital cameras we have at home, or even the phones we keep in our pockets can take the picture, that will meet all the passport photo requirements.

Can you take your tribal ID photo at home?

If you want to skip the unnecessary trip to the photo atelier you can just take your tribal ID photo at home. 

Before you do - find the right place to do it. You should have an even, white background and uniform lighting. Make sure your face is well visible and you are standing a good distance from the camera. Remember to keep your eyes open and keep your mouth closed, while maintaining neutral face expression. 

Use our Passport Photo Online tool to create a perfect photo. Our site will help you take the picture, that will meet all the requirements for passport style photo for your tribal ID card. Don’t worry if you don’t do it correctly on the first try. Our app will help you retake the photo as many times as you want. It will also remove the background, correct the proportions and make sure all the document photo guidelines are followed.

When you finish, you can download your final picture and send your tribal ID photo by mail or upload it to the online form - if your tribe allows it. You can also download it and find a place to print it. But you can skip this step altogether, and choose to order an already printed version of your photo straight to your home.

Can you use your phone to take the tribal ID photo?

There is no reason you should not be able to do the whole process - of creating and ordering your tribal ID photo - on your phone . All you need is a good phone camera - our app will do the rest for you. And the whole process will take just moments.

 You can download it both for Android and IOS and be sure your perfect passport style photo will get accepted for your Tribal ID card and meet all the enrollment office requirements.

Passport Photo Online

PPO is an online tool dedicated to creating professional, high-quality photos for passports, IDs, drivers licences and official documents. With our service you can be sure your picture will meet all the requirements of your chosen format. Passport Photo Online offers you three different options:

• You can download the digital passport style photo template for free in the app, and use it to print your photos at your local store.
• You can decide to create your professional photo with our dedicated app. Your picture will be analyzed by AI as well as revised by a qualified person to make sure it is perfect for your purposes. You can be certain that the photo will be accepted and the service costs only $9.95.
• If comfort and time is important to you - as well as the quality - you can order your photos already printed and shipped right to your home for just $14.95.

Tribal ID photo 

Make sure to contact your enrollment officer to gather all the necessary information about your Tribal ID card photo.

You can take the picture yourself at home, by your phone. Passport Photo Online app will make sure your photo looks professional, is high-quality and meets all the tribal ID photo criteria.

You can download the digital picture from the app, or - if your enrollment office requires a paper version - order it from Passport Photo Online already printed.

Last update: 9/30/23