New adult passports, and renewals in person or by mail

These requirements are for people applying in person or by mail only. If you’re renewing your passport online, you need a digital passport photo.

• Number of photos you need

• Photo specifications

  • Size

  • Image quality

  • Facial expression

  • Appearance and posture

• Get your guarantor to sign 1 of your photos

Number of photos you need

You must submit 2 identical and unaltered photos with each passport application.

Photo specifications

View the full image

Passport photo size information

Go to a commercial photographer or photo studio to have your photo taken.

Make sure your photo:

• is the right size

• meets our quality requirements

• shows a neutral facial expression

• reflects how you look now (taken no more than 6 months before the date you submit your application)

Size

Your photos must meet these specifications:

• They must be 50 mm wide by 70 mm high (2 inches wide by 2¾ inches high).

• The height of your face must measure between 31 mm (1¼ inches) and 36 mm (1⁷⁄₁₆ inches) from chin to crown (top of head).

Image quality

Your photos may be in colour or in black and white.

They must:

• be clear, sharp and in focus

• have uniform lighting and no shadows, glare or flash reflections

• show a clear difference between your face and the background

• Avoid wearing white clothing. It can blend into the background and will mean that your photo gets rejected.

• reflect or represent your natural skin tone

• be taken in person by a commercial photographer or photo studio

• be professionally printed on plain, high-quality photographic paper

• We don’t accept photos printed at home or on heavyweight paper.

• be an original photo that isn’t altered or edited in any way

• This includes photo editing software, filters, and AI tools. We’ll reject your application if the photos have been altered in any way.

What is an altered photo?

An altered photo is any photo that has been edited or changed in any way, by any means, including:

making technical corrections or enhancements, such as changes to:

• colour

• brightness

• contrast

• sharpness

• cropping around the head and shoulders

• For example, cutting and pasting your image against a white background.

• editing your facial features

• For example, changing the size or shape of your eyes, nose, mouth or ears.

• editing to improve your appearance

• For example, removing glare, red eye, scars or birthmarks, or changing your hair colour.

• editing your clothing, including changing colours

• changing the background, including removing shadows

Facial expression

The International Civil Aviation Organization recommends that passport photos show a neutral expression, which helps us confirm your identity and prevent fraud.

A neutral facial expression means that:

• your eyes are open and clearly visible

• you’re looking straight at the camera

• your mouth is closed

• you’re not smiling or frowning

Appearance and posture

Your photos must show how you look now. This means that your photos must be taken no more than 6 monthsbefore the date you submit your application.

Your photos must also:

• show your face and shoulders centred and squared to the camera, not tilted in any direction

• be taken against a plain white or light-coloured background

If you can’t meet these requirements for medical reasons, Explain the reasons in writing when you apply.

We accept photos with:

• glasses

• Your eyes must be clearly visible.

• There must be no glare on the lenses.

• hair down or up

• Your hair must be off your face, so that the edges of your face are visible.

• hats and head coverings worn daily for religious beliefs or medical reasons

• Your full face must be clearly visible.

• The head covering must not create shadows on your face.

• a wheelchair, if you place a white blanket behind your head

• Your facial features and the edges of your face must both be clearly visible.

Online renewals

• Who needs a digital passport photo

• Digital photo requirements: What you must do, and what we accept and don’t accept in a photo

• Digital photo specifications: Format, size and more

Who needs a digital passport photo

You need a digital passport photo only if you’re renewing your passport online.

If you’re not renewing online, you don’t need a digital photo. Follow the photo requirements for applications submitted in person or by mail.

Ask for both a digital copy of your photo and a printed (physical) copy

This way you can try renewing online, or you can apply in person or by mail if renewing online isn’t an option.

Digital photo requirements:

What you must do, and what we accept and don’t accept in a photo

Your digital passport photo must:

• be taken in person by a commercial photographer

• be taken no more than 6 months before the date you submit your application

• not be a scanned copy of a printed passport photo

Your photo must have:

• your face and shoulders centred and squared to the camera

• a neutral facial expression with

  • eyes open and clearly visible

  • mouth closed, not smiling or frowning

• uniform lighting with

  • no shadows, glare or flash reflections

  • clear, sharp and in focus

  • natural skin tones

• a plain white or light-coloured background with a clear difference between your face and the background

  • Avoid wearing white clothing. It can blend into the background and will mean that your photo gets rejected.

Why you can’t smile on your passport photo

The International Civil Aviation Organization recommends that passport photos show a neutral expression. This lets us use facial recognition systems to help prevent fraud. These systems electronically verify identity based on each person’s unique facial features.

We accept photos with:

• glasses, if your eyes are clearly visible and there is no glare on the lenses

• hair down or up

• hats and head coverings worn daily for religious beliefs or medical reasons if

  • your full face is clearly visible

  • there are no shadows on your face

We don’t accept photos with:

• sunglasses or tinted eye glasses

  • This includes prescription lenses, even when your eyes are clearly visible.

• red-eye effect or red-eye alterations

• hats and head coverings not worn daily for religious beliefs or medical reasons

Photo and photographer details

When you upload your photo, you must provide:

• the studio or photographer’s name

• the studio or photographer’s address

• the date the photo was taken

Digital photo specifications: Format, size and more

The specifications for a digital photo are different from those for a physical photo.

Share these specifications with your photographer when you have your photo taken:

• Your photo must be in .jpeg or .jpg format.

• The image must:

  • have a 3:2 aspect ratio with the camera oriented in portrait mode

  • be at least 1,800 pixels high by 1,200 pixels wide

  • be no larger than 4,500 pixels high by 3,000 pixels wide

  • be between 200 KB and 5 MB in size

  • have a chin-to-crown (top of head) measurement that’s between 45% and 50% of the photo’s height

  • The file must be saved directly from the original file captured by the camera.

  • The photographer can then share the photo with you by, for example, uploading it to an online file-sharing service, saving it to a USB flash drive, or sending it by email.

• We don’t accept scanned copies of printed photos.

• The photo may be either in colour or in black and white.

• The photo must not be altered in any way.

  • Altering includes using photo-editing software, filters, or AI tools.

  • We will reject your application if the photo has been altered in any way.