Photograph guidelines

When lodging a passport application, you must provide two recent identical colour photos of yourself with your completed application form.

For a new application, one of these photos must be endorsed on the back with the words "This is a true photo of (your full name)" and then signed by your guarantor.

For a renewal application, which is the one page form, one of your photos must have your name printed on the back.

The photos must be no more than six months old.

The following guidelines will help you provide suitable photographs so that your application is not delayed by having to submit new photographs in the required format.

The basics

45–50mm (1 ³/_⁴" -1 ¹⁵/_¹⁶" ) high and 35–40mm (1 ³/^₈" -1 ⁹/_¹⁶" ) wide
show head and top of shoulders close up, so the measurement of the face from the bottom of the chin to the crown (i.e. top of head without hair) is between 32mm and 36mm (1 ¹/^₄" -1 ⁷/_¹⁶" ).


Too close	Too far away	Too dark

Too light	Ink marked/ creased

Quality and style

print on high-quality paper and use high resolution
show natural skin tones and have appropriate brightness and contrast, no flash reflections and no red eye
show you with a neutral expression and mouth closed
have a plain, lightcoloured background (e.g. white, cream or
pale blue)
show you looking directly at the camera
show you with no hair across your eyes
show both edges of your face clearly
not show you looking over one shoulder (portrait style) or with
head tilted
photograph cannot be manipulated, for example, by removing spots or softening lines.


Washed out colour	Pixelated


Flash reflection on skin	Red eye	Not a neutral expression


Hair across eyes/face	Eyes closed	Not looking at the camera


Head tilted/ portrait style

Head coverings

Head coverings are not permitted except for religious reasons:

in which case, facial features from bottom of chin to top of forehead and both edges of your face must be clearly shown.


Wearing a hat	Sunglasses on head


Face edges not visible		Full face not visible

Glasses

If you usually wear glasses, you do not have to wear them for your passport photograph, but
if you do they must show your eyes clearly:

no dark tinted lenses which restrict a clear view of your eyes
no flash reflection off the lenses
frames should not cover any part of your eyes
lighter framed glasses are preferable if you have them.


Lenses too dark	Flash reflection on lenses	Frames covering eyes


Heavy frames

Children and babies

Photos of children and babies should:

show the child or baby awake, looking straight at the camera with mouth closed and no pacifier
show the child or baby's face clearly without any other objects (including a parent's supporting hand) visible
show the child or baby without any hair across the eyes.

Shows another
person Child's toy visible

Hair across eyes Shadows behind
head


Parent's hand visible	Dark background	Eyes closed

Looking away	Mouth open/face covered


Shows another person	Child's toy visible


Hair across eyes		Shadows behind head