Australia photo specifications
Photo sizes and rules for 14 documents issued in Australia, taken from the issuing authorities and linked to their official pages.
At a glance
An Australian passport needs 2 printed photos, 35 to 40 mm wide and 45 to 50 mm high. Online visa applications take a JPG facial image of 70 KB to 3.5 MB, and paper visa forms ask for 35 x 45 mm prints. VETASSESS wants a passport-sized JPEG. NSW, Queensland and Victorian driver licences and the Queensland photo ID card are photographed at the counter; Queensland and Victorian mail-in kits use 35 x 45 mm prints.
Overview
An Australian passport photo is a colour print 35 to 40 mm wide and 45 to 50 mm high, with the face 32 to 36 mm from chin to crown, on a plain white or light grey background; there is no digital passport photo, because 2 prints are lodged in person, while online visa applications take a JPG of 70 KB to 3.5 MB.
Australian photo rules depend on who issues the document. The Australian Passport Office (DFAT) issues passports and wants printed photos lodged in person. The Department of Home Affairs handles visas, mostly online with a digital facial image. State transport agencies issue driver licences and photo ID cards and usually take the photo themselves, and assessing authorities such as VETASSESS set their own rules for skills assessments.
Passport: both prints must be less than 6 months old, professionally printed on glossy paper of at least 200 gsm, and lodged with the application at a participating post office or an Australian embassy or consulate.
Visa: a JPG facial image of 70 KB to 3.5 MB uploaded in ImmiAccount (Home Affairs' photo guidance prefers 1200 x 1600 pixels). Paper forms such as Form 47CH ask for passport-sized prints of 35 x 45 mm. ETA applicants take their photo inside the Australian ETA app.
Adult proof of age card: Queensland replaced it in April 2019 with the photo identification card. The photo is taken in person; remote-area mail applicants send 2 colour prints of 35 x 45 mm.
Degree assessment: VETASSESS asks for one passport-sized colour photo as a JPEG of 500 KB, with no millimetre or pixel size published.
NSW driver licence: Transport for NSW takes the photo at a service centre, and online renewals reuse the stored photo. Licence holders temporarily interstate or overseas can renew with a photo-kit and a colour passport-size photo.
Queensland driver licence: the photo is taken at a customer service centre when a new one is needed. Remote-area mail renewals use 2 identical colour prints of 35 x 45 mm.
Victoria driver licence: VicRoads takes the photo at a Customer Service Centre or Photo Point. Its Photo Kit, for people overseas, interstate, medically unfit to drive or in prison, takes a 35 x 45 mm colour passport photo on unglazed paper with a white background.
Taxi ID card: NSW driver authorities have not been valid since 1 November 2017. Taxi drivers now display a Driver ID containing their photo and an identification number, issued by their taxi service provider; no official photo size is published for it.
Photo specifications by document
Passports
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passport | 35 × 45 mm | — | Plain white or light grey, contrasting with… |
Visas and travel authorisations
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electronic travel authority (subclass 601) | — | — | Plain |
| Visa | 35 × 45 mm | 1200 × 1600 px | Plain |
Identity cards
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| ImmiCard | — | 1200 × 1600 px | Stand close to an 18% grey backdrop |
Driving licences
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driver licence | — | — | Photo kit |
| NSW driver licence | 35 × 45 mm | — | Photo-kit: plain, light coloured, no patterns… |
| Queensland driver licence | 35 × 45 mm | — | Not stated by TMR |
| Taxi driver ID card | 65 × 65 mm | — | Not set by NSW for the Driver ID |
| Victoria driver licence | 35 × 45 mm | — | Photo Kit: white. VicRoads rejects dark… |
Citizenship and naturalisation
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citizenship application photo | 1200 × 1600 px | 1200 × 1600 px | Neutral or light grey, contrasting with your… |
Student cards
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| University student card | — | — | Plain white or light-coloured |
Licences and permit cards
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working with children check card | — | 406 × 521 px | Victoria: plain and light-coloured. NT: pale |
Other documents
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult proof of age card | 35 × 45 mm | — | Not specified by TMR |
| Degree assessment | 35 × 45 mm | — | Plain white or light grey, contrasting with… |
Frequently asked questions
35 to 40 mm wide and 45 to 50 mm high, with the face 32 to 36 mm from chin to crown. You need 2 colour prints, professionally printed on glossy paper of at least 200 gsm, and they must be less than 6 months old.
Not exactly. Passports always use 2 printed photos, while most visa applications take a JPG upload of 70 KB to 3.5 MB in ImmiAccount. Paper visa forms that ask for prints want passport-sized 35 x 45 mm photos. The two departments publish separate guidance.
Usually not. NSW, Queensland and Victoria take licence photos at their service centres (in Victoria also at Photo Points), and online renewals reuse a stored photo while it is still current. Printed photos are for mail-in kits, such as the Queensland remote-area renewal and the Victorian Photo Kit, both 35 x 45 mm.
The Australian Passport Office bans editing, retouching, filters and background removal or replacement. Home Affairs' photo guidance asks for an unedited photo with the background left alone, VETASSESS bans retouching of any kind, and Queensland TMR refuses mailed prints that have been digitally altered.
Taxi drivers providing rank and hail services must display a Driver ID with their photo and an identification number from their taxi service provider, which issues it. It replaced the driver authority, which has not been valid since 1 November 2017.
You can crop a photo to size online, but check two limits first. DFAT recommends a professional passport photo provider and says it does not recommend online passport photo services or mobile apps, which it links to identity fraud risk. The rules also ban removing or replacing the background, so the original must be taken against plain white or light grey, and both prints must be professionally printed by dye sublimation on glossy paper of at least 200 gsm, not on an inkjet. An ImmiAccount visa photo is simpler: a JPG of 70 KB to 3.5 MB cropped from an original digital photo.
Not unless you need them for a medical reason and can prove it; poor eyesight alone does not count. DFAT's camera operator guidelines show a photo with glasses on as non-compliant. If medical glasses stay on, the frames must not cover the eyes and the lenses must not reflect, and you include a medical certificate or form B-11 with the application.
Nearby countries
Other countries in Australia and New Zealand:
Official sources
- Australian Passport Office (DFAT). Passport photos passports.gov.au. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Australian Passport Office (DFAT), via the Australian Consulate-General Noumea. Camera operator guidelines: How to take a good passport photo noumea.consulate.gov.au. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Department of Home Affairs. Attach documents to your application immi.homeaffairs.gov.au. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Queensland Government (Department of Transport and Main Roads). Photo identification card qld.gov.au. Checked 3 November 2026.
- VETASSESS. Passport Photo: Specification Requirements vetassess.com.au. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Service NSW. Renew a NSW driver licence service.nsw.gov.au. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Service NSW. Renew a driver licence while temporarily interstate or overseas service.nsw.gov.au. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Queensland Government (Department of Transport and Main Roads). Renewing your licence: in person qld.gov.au. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Queensland Government (Department of Transport and Main Roads). Renewing your licence: living in a remote area qld.gov.au. Checked 3 November 2026.
- VicRoads. How to renew your licence vicroads.vic.gov.au. Checked 3 November 2026.
- VicRoads (Department of Transport and Planning, Victoria). Photo Kit (licence renewal form) edge.sitecorecloud.io. Checked 3 November 2026.
- NSW Point to Point Transport Commissioner. Information for and relating to drivers pointtopoint.nsw.gov.au. Checked 3 November 2026.
Cite this page
"Australia photo specifications". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/australia