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1. The camera

Good: a 20+ megapixel digital camera, or a modern phone in bright light if no camera is available.

Avoid: low-resolution webcams, old phones, screenshots of another photo, cropped social media pictures.

2. The background

Good: a plain, single-color wall in a light or neutral tone, with dark clothing for contrast.

Avoid: patterned walls, outdoor settings, light clothes on a light wall, other people or objects in the frame.

3. Face and posture

Head straight to the lens, eyes open, calm neutral expression, no glasses and no hat. Keep hair tidy and clear of the face.

4. Distance and light

Stand 6 to 8 feet (about 2 meters) from the camera, framed from the waist up. Flash on - cropping and color are handled on our side. Even lighting with no yellow/red tint and no harsh shadows. Camera at eye level, not angled up or down.

5. Photos that get rejected

Selfies or head-only shots · pictures taken outside or in sunlight · photos of a phone screen · hats, hoods, glasses or face coverings · more than one person in frame · text, watermarks or timestamps over the image.

1. The pen - most orders stumble here

Good: a standard black Sharpie Fine Point with a round tip, available at any stationery or convenience store.

Avoid: chisel-tip or wide markers, ballpoint pens, gel pens, fineliners, highlighters and permanent markers. If you have to ask whether it's a Sharpie, it isn't.

2. The paper

Good: plain white printer paper, blank, letter or A4 size.

Avoid: lined notebook pages, receipts, napkins, colored paper, cardboard or whatever else is sitting on the desk.

3. The signature itself

Sign your full name the way you would on a card receipt - same style and slant as your real ID. Keep it about 5-6 cm wide, letters readable, centered on the page, normal pressure.

Avoid: tiny signatures, a quick squiggle, initials only, or tracing over the line twice.

4. Photographing the signature

Hold the phone directly above the paper, flat and not tilted. Fill most of the frame with the paper. Use daylight or a bright lamp so no hand shadow falls on the signature, and retake if it looks blurry on screen.

5. Signatures that get rejected

A photo of a phone screen instead of the paper · paper resting on a lap or blanket instead of a table · tilted, cut-off or half-visible signatures · blurry, dark or shadowed shots · anything not written in black Sharpie.