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Australia NSW driver licence photo requirements

The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Service NSW for the Australia NSW driver licence, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 6 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Australia NSW driver licence photo?

You do not bring a photo for a NSW driver licence. Transport for NSW takes it at a service centre, and online renewals reuse the stored photo if it was taken within 10 years and 6 months of the new expiry date. Only a photo-kit renewal by post, for licence holders temporarily interstate or overseas, needs your own colour passport-size print; the June 2024 kit set it at 35 x 45 mm on a plain light background. Glasses come off and you must not smile.

NSW driver licences are issued by Transport for NSW (TfNSW), and most licence transactions go through Service NSW, online or at a service centre. The licence photo is captured by TfNSW: when you apply for, renew, reissue or replace a card and there is no valid photo of you on file, it is taken at the counter. Every photo in the system is run through a facial recognition system that measures the distances between features such as the eyes, nose and mouth to look for duplicate identities.

A photo already on file can be used again if it passes that check and was taken no more than 10 years and 6 months before the renewed licence expires. That is why an online renewal prints your new card from the stored image, and why Service NSW sends you to a centre if your last renewal was done with a photo-kit.

The photo-kit, a paper renewal posted from interstate or overseas, is the only channel where you supply the picture. Service NSW asks for a colour passport size photograph as detailed on the form. Both photo-kit PDFs it links now open a Transport for NSW notice saying the form no longer exists, so the print details on this page come from the last downloadable edition, dated June 2024. You can still ask for a form by phone.

Australia NSW driver licence photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Service NSW:[1]

Print sizePhoto-kit only: colour passport size; the June 2024 form gave 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in)
Digital sizeNo digital file: TfNSW takes the photo at a service centre or reuses the one on file
BackgroundPhoto-kit: plain, light coloured, no patterns or objects (June 2024 form)
ColourColour
Photo ageStored photo: taken within 10 years 6 months of the new expiry; photo-kit print: under 6 months old
Print qualityPhoto-kit: semi-gloss photographic paper (June 2024 form)
Pixels when printed413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
35 mm45 mm
35 × 45 mm photo drawn to scale. Background: photo-kit: plain.

Key requirements

  • Taken at the counter

    If TfNSW holds no valid photo of you, staff take one when you apply for, renew, reissue or replace a licence. You do not need to bring a print to a service centre.

  • A stored photo lasts 10.5 years

    The photo on file is reused if it passes the facial recognition check and was taken no more than 10 years and 6 months before the new expiry date. Online renewals print the card from it.

  • International pose standards

    Sit up straight and look directly at the camera with your eyes open. Keep a neutral expression with your mouth closed, and make sure your hair is not covering your face, particularly your eyes.

  • No glasses, even for driving

    All glasses and sunglasses come off for the photo, even if you need your glasses to drive. TfNSW lists no exception on its photo requirements page.

  • Photo-kit print: colour, passport size

    For a postal renewal Service NSW wants a colour passport-size photograph. The June 2024 kit specified 35 mm wide and 45 mm high, taken in the 6 months before lodgement, on semi-gloss photographic paper, against a plain light-coloured background with no patterns or objects.

  • Limits on photo-kit renewals

    A full licence holder cannot use a photo-kit if the last renewal was also done by photo-kit, and a provisional licence holder is limited to 2 photo-kit renewal forms. Once you reach the limit, you renew at a Service NSW centre.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Check whether you can renew online before using a photo-kit.
  • Look straight at the camera with your mouth closed.
  • Adjust a religious or cultural head covering so your whole face shows.
  • Ask Service NSW for a current photo-kit form if the download fails.
  • Follow the photo instructions printed on the form you receive.
  • Ask a relative or friend to lodge your photo-kit at a service centre if needed.

Don't

  • Do not wear glasses or sunglasses, even if you need them to drive.
  • Do not smile.
  • Do not wear a hat or novelty wig.
  • Do not let your hair fall over your eyes.
  • Do not use a photo-kit twice in a row on a full licence.
  • Do not try to change your name with a photo-kit form.

Sample photos

How a Australia NSW driver licence 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.

Correct
Open-mouth smile
Head tilted
Too close: head too big
Too far: head too small
Busy background
Shadows on face or background
Glare on glasses

Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.

Glasses

Glasses are not allowed in a NSW licence photo. TfNSW asks you to remove all glasses or sunglasses, even if you need your glasses to drive, and its photo requirements page gives no exception.

The June 2024 photo-kit applied the same rule to posted prints: eye glasses had to be removed whether or not they were required for driving.

Headwear and religious dress

Hats and novelty wigs are not allowed; TfNSW says this follows international photo-capture standards. A head covering worn for cultural or religious reasons is allowed, which TfNSW defines as a garment worn to cover the head and primarily designed for that purpose. It must be adjusted so your whole face is visible from the bottom of your chin to the top of your forehead, including both edges of your face, with no shadows cast on your face.

Hair accessories are acceptable as long as they do not block the view of any facial feature.

There is no photo upload for a NSW licence. The picture is either captured at a service centre or taken from TfNSW records, so most drivers never handle a print. The photo-kit is the exception: you attach a physical colour photo to the paper form and post it.

The June 2024 edition of the kit wanted a print 35 mm wide and 45 mm high showing your head and the top of your shoulders, face centred and in sharp focus, with no shadows across your face or behind your head, no reflections and no red eye, and no other person or object in view. A digital photo can be cropped to that size and printed at a photo counter on semi-gloss paper.

Where to submit the photo

Renew online through a MyServiceNSW Account, which also works while you are temporarily interstate or overseas if you meet the eligibility criteria, or in person at a service centre. You must go in person for a 10-year licence (drivers aged 21 to 44) or if your last renewal used a photo-kit.

A photo-kit suits a licence that is expiring within 6 months or expired less than 5 years ago and is not suspended, cancelled or a temporary paper licence. Post it with your fee to the address on the form, paying by Mastercard, Visa or American Express, or give it to a relative or friend to lodge at a service centre. Processing may take 6 to 8 weeks. If you live in another state for 3 months or more, convert to that state's licence instead.

How to get your Australia NSW driver licence photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Australia NSW driver licence: 35 × 45 mm print, photo-kit: plain background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: taken at the counter; a stored photo lasts 10.5 years; international pose standards; no glasses, even for driving.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. There is no photo upload for a NSW licence. The picture is either captured at a service centre or taken from TfNSW records, so most drivers never handle a print. The photo-kit is the exception: you attach a physical colour photo to the paper form and post it.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Renew online through a MyServiceNSW Account, which also works while you are temporarily interstate or overseas if you meet the eligibility criteria, or in person at a service centre.

Make this photo online

Australia NSW driver licence photo FAQ

No. If TfNSW has no valid photo of you, staff take one at the service centre. If your stored photo was taken within 10 years and 6 months of the new expiry date and passes the facial recognition check, it is used again, which is how online renewals work.

No. All glasses and sunglasses must be removed, even if you need glasses to drive. The rule applies to photos taken at a service centre, and the June 2024 photo-kit applied it to posted prints as well.

No. Keep a neutral expression with your mouth closed, sit up straight and look directly at the camera with your eyes open. TfNSW also asks that your hair does not cover your face, particularly your eyes.

Service NSW asks for a colour passport-size photograph as detailed on the form. The last downloadable edition, from June 2024, wanted a print 35 mm wide and 45 mm high, under 6 months old, on semi-gloss paper with a plain light-coloured background. The download links now say the form no longer exists, so follow the form you are sent.

Yes. If you have a MyServiceNSW Account and meet the criteria you can renew online, and your stored photo is used. Otherwise use the photo-kit for licence holders temporarily overseas with a passport-size photo. If you have taken up residence in another country, Service NSW says to apply for a licence there.

Yes. Head coverings worn for cultural or religious reasons are allowed if your whole face shows from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead, including both edges, and the covering casts no shadow on your face. Hats and novelty wigs are not allowed.

Only a temporary exemption for medical reasons, in exceptional circumstances, and only if no photo of you is already recorded. You then get a temporary paper licence receipt instead of a card and must return to have your photo taken before a photo licence card is issued.

Related photo specifications

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Official sources

  1. Service NSW. Renew or upgrade a NSW driver licence service.nsw.gov.au. Checked 1 November 2026.
  2. Service NSW. Renew a driver licence while temporarily interstate or overseas service.nsw.gov.au. Checked 1 November 2026.
  3. NSW Government (Transport for NSW). Photo requirements nsw.gov.au. Checked 1 November 2026.
  4. NSW Government (Transport for NSW). When we need to take your photo nsw.gov.au. Checked 1 November 2026.
  5. NSW Government (Transport for NSW). Exemptions from having your photo taken nsw.gov.au. Checked 1 November 2026.
  6. Transport for NSW. Photo-kit for a NSW Licensee Temporarily Overseas (Form 1091, 06/2024; download withdrawn) tfnswforms.transport.nsw.gov.au. Checked 1 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Service NSW before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Australia NSW driver licence photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/australia/nsw-driver-licence-photo

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