Algeria work permit photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security (Algeria) for the Algeria work permit, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Algeria work permit photo?
For a foreign employee's Algerian work permit, the employer files six colour identity photos on a white background, less than 6 months old, with the provisional work authorisation (APT) file at the Wilaya Employment Directorate. A renewal needs two identity photos. The Labour Ministry sets no print size; the Interior Ministry's identity photo norm is 35 x 45 mm.
A foreigner taking paid work in Algeria must hold a work permit (permis de travail) or a temporary work authorisation, issued by the employment services of the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security under Law 81-10 of 11 July 1981. The employer applies, not the worker, and Decree 82-510 of 25 December 1982 lists identity photos among the documents for both titles.
The process runs in stages. The employer first obtains an agreement in principle from the ministry's central services, then files a provisional work authorisation (APT) for each worker with the Wilaya Employment Directorate (DEW). The APT file is where the six photos go. The worker then applies for a work visa at an Algerian consulate, and within 15 days of arrival the employer files the remaining papers for the permit.
A permit lasts as long as the fixed-term employment contract and never more than two years. Workers on short postings of under three months a year come on a temporary work visa and are declared to the DEW instead, without an APT.
Algeria work permit photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security (Algeria):[1]
| Print size | Not set by the Labour Ministry; the Interior Ministry's identity photo norm is 35 x 45 mm |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No digital file: printed photos go into the paper APT file |
| Background | White: colour identity photos on a white background |
| Colour | Colour |
| Photo age | Less than 6 months old |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- Six photos with the APT file
The Labour Ministry's procedures guide lists six colour identity photos among the documents of the provisional work authorisation file, which is inadmissible if anything is missing. The worker's passport copy, information sheet, diploma copy and the employer's commitments go in the same file.
- Colour, white background, under six months
These are the only photo conditions the guide sets: colour, a white background and an age of less than six months. It gives no size, head height or pose.
- The employer files them
The file is lodged by the employing organisation at the Wilaya Employment Directorate against a receipt. Decree 82-510 says applications for a permit or temporary work authorisation are filed by the employer that intends to recruit the worker.
- Two photos to renew
A renewal file contains the expiring title, a new fixed-term contract, two medical certificates, a repatriation commitment and two identity photos. A permit renewal is filed at least 45 days before expiry; a temporary authorisation at least 8 days before.
- The work visa has its own photos
The consulate's work visa file is separate. London asks for two recent passport-size photos affixed to its two forms, together with the temporary work permit and the repatriation letter sealed by the wilaya labour office.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Give your employer six colour photos on a white background
- Use photos taken within the last six months
- Keep two more photos for each renewal
- Check which size the employment office expects
- Bring separate photos for the work visa at the consulate
Don't
- Do not send black-and-white photos
- Do not use a coloured or patterned background
- Do not reuse photos older than six months
- Do not start work before the permit or authorisation is issued
- Do not let a renewal slip past the 45-day filing deadline
Sample photos
How a Algeria work permit photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 35 × 45 mm and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Headwear and religious dress
Neither Decree 82-510 nor the Labour Ministry's procedures guide sets any rule on head coverings, glasses or pose for work permit photos; they ask only for colour photos on a white background, under six months old. For comparison only, the Interior Ministry's norm for Algerian passport and ID card photos asks for a bare head without headwear or niqab and thin, untinted glasses, but it is not stated to apply to work permits.
Printed and digital photos
The work permit procedure is on paper. The employer fills in the request forms and annexes, which the guide refers to the ministry's computer application, and lodges them with the six printed photos at the DEW. No upload step, pixel size or file limit is published.
A digital photo can be cropped to the size the office expects, such as 35 x 45 mm, and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter.
Where to submit the photo
Everything goes through the Wilaya Employment Directorate (DEW) of the wilaya where the job is located. After the agreement in principle, the employer must post the job offer for Algerian workers at the Agence de Wilaya de l'Emploi within one month, then lodge the APT file with the photos. The worker takes the APT and the repatriation commitment to the Algerian consulate for the work visa.
Once the worker has entered Algeria, the employer has 15 days, or 45 days for nationals of visa-exempt countries, to file the rest of the permit file: the passport page with the work visa, two medical certificates and the fixed-term contract signed by both parties, against a receipt. The permit is then one of the documents the worker needs to apply for a foreign resident card.
How to get your Algeria work permit photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Algeria work permit: 35 × 45 mm print, white: colour identity photos on a white… background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: six photos with the APT file; colour, white background, under six months; the employer files them; two photos to renew.
- Prepare a print or digital file. The work permit procedure is on paper. The employer fills in the request forms and annexes, which the guide refers to the ministry's computer application, and lodges them with the six printed photos at the DEW.
- Submit the photo with your application. Everything goes through the Wilaya Employment Directorate (DEW) of the wilaya where the job is located.
Algeria work permit photo FAQ
Six colour identity photos on a white background, taken less than six months earlier, for the provisional work authorisation (APT) file that starts the permit. The Labour Ministry's guide asks for two identity photos when the permit is renewed.
The Labour Ministry asks for colour photos on a white background but states no size. The Interior Ministry's photo norm for Algerian identity documents is 35 x 45 mm, the size most often used; ask the employment office if you are unsure.
Your employer does. Algerian law makes the employing organisation responsible for applying for the work permit or temporary work authorisation, and it lodges the APT file, photos included, at the Wilaya Employment Directorate.
Two identity photos, with the expiring permit, a new fixed-term contract, two medical certificates and a repatriation commitment. File a permit renewal at least 45 days before expiry, or at least 8 days before for a temporary work authorisation.
Yes, the consulate sets its own. The London consulate asks for two recent passport-size photos affixed to the two application forms, with your names in pencil on the back. San Francisco asks for one recent standard photo and the work permit issued by an Algerian employment office.
No. The provisional work authorisation (APT) is issued before the visa so that the worker can obtain a work visa. The work permit, or temporary work authorisation for short contracts, is issued after the worker arrives, once the employer files the passport, medical certificates and contract.
Workers posted for less than three months a year come on a temporary work visa without an agreement in principle or APT, and the employer declares them to the DEW. The guide lists no photos for that declaration, but the visa application at the consulate needs its own photos.
Related photo specifications
Other Algeria documents
- Passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Residence permit photo 35 × 45 mm
Residence and work permits nearby
- Algeria residence permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Morocco residence permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Botswana residence permit photo 30 × 40 mm
Also 35 × 45 mm
- Afghanistan visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Andorra passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Anguilla passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Antigua and Barbuda passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Armenia visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Armenia return certificate photo 35 × 45 mm
- Aruba passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Australia passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Australia visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Australia NSW driver licence photo 35 × 45 mm
- All Algeria photo specifications
- Residence and work permits: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Africa
Official sources
- Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security (Algeria). Guide de procédures (emploi de la main d'œuvre étrangère) mtess.gov.dz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Secrétariat Général du Gouvernement (Journal officiel). Journal officiel n° 56 of 1982: Décret n° 82-510 du 25 décembre 1982 (work permits for foreign workers) joradp.dz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of the Interior (Algeria). Carte de résident étranger interieur.gov.dz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Algeria. Entry visa to Algeria mfa.gov.dz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulate General of Algeria in London. Work visa cglondon.mfa.gov.dz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulate General of Algeria in San Francisco. Work visa cgsanfrancisco.mfa.gov.dz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of the Interior (Algeria). Norme relative à l'apposition des photographies d'identité (passport and ID card, PDF) passeport.interieur.gov.dz. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security (Algeria) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Algeria work permit photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/algeria/work-permit-photo