A hijab is allowed. Shadows in the cloth and a hidden hairline are not.

Face fully visible. Cloth not a second background.

Pull the fabric so the forehead shows and both cheeks are clear to the edge of the face. A covering that hides the hairline at the forehead, or that drops a shadow across the eyes or one cheek, is what fails — not the fact of a hijab. Sunglasses are still out, religious covering or not, unless you have a signed medical statement for glasses.

Prefer a plain covering. A busy pattern can read as clutter against the background check. The wall behind you still has to be plain white to off-white. The cloth is not a substitute for that wall.

Measure chin to crown. Do not guess the cloth as the skull.

Head height is chin to the crown of the head — 50–69% of the frame. Cloth that sits above the skull can fool auto-crop into treating the top of the fabric as the crown. That makes the “head” look taller than it is, or it clips the face when you compensate. Check the measurement. Do not assume a loose crop is safer.

We measure face position, background brightness, cast, and uniformity on the file you upload. We do not judge whether a covering is “religious enough.” That is policy for the officer.

Questions

Does the covering have to be white?

No. It has to leave the face fully visible and not cast shadows on it. The background behind you still needs to be white to off-white.

Can hair show at the forehead?

The forehead must be visible. How you pin the fabric is your choice as long as chin, forehead, and both edges of the face are clear.

What about other religious coverings?

The same visibility rule: face fully visible, no shadows from the cloth, same digital file rules. Hats and fashion coverings that are not for religious purposes are a different case — they are not allowed.