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Australia passport photo requirements

The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Australian Passport Office (DFAT) for the Australia passport, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 8 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Australia passport photo?

An Australian passport application needs 2 printed colour photos, 35 to 40 mm wide and 45 to 50 mm high, with your face measuring 32 to 36 mm from chin to crown. Use a plain white or light grey background and a neutral expression, and leave glasses off unless a medical reason stops you. Photos must be less than 6 months old, professionally printed on glossy paper of at least 200 gsm, and not edited in any way.

Australian passports are issued by the Australian Passport Office, part of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Every application, including renewals and children's passports, comes with 2 printed photos. You can complete the form online or on paper, but either way it is printed and lodged in person, together with the photos, at a participating post office in Australia or at an Australian embassy or consulate overseas. No passport application takes a digital photo file.

Border systems in Australia and other countries use biometric technology to match your face with the image in your passport, which is why DFAT checks photos closely. If yours falls short, you may be asked for a new one at the counter or while the application is being assessed.

DFAT recommends a professional passport photo provider, such as a post office, photographer, camera store, pharmacy or large store with printing facilities. It also says it does not recommend online passport photo services or mobile apps, because they may put you in danger of identity fraud. The rules below come from DFAT's passport photo page and its camera operator guidelines, the one-page sheet it publishes for photographers.

Australia passport photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Australian Passport Office (DFAT):[1]

Print size35 to 40 mm wide x 45 to 50 mm high; the common 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in) print fits
Digital sizeNo digital file: 2 printed photos are lodged in person with the application
Head height32 to 36 mm from chin to crown
BackgroundPlain white or light grey, contrasting with your face
ColourColour prints only
Photo ageLess than 6 months old
Print qualityProfessionally printed by dye sublimation (not inkjet) on heavy glossy paper of at least 200 gsm
Pixels when printed413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
35 mm45 mm32–36 mm
35 × 45 mm photo drawn to scale, with the 32–36 mm head height from chin to crown. Background: plain white or light grey.

In the official words

Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:

No editing, retouching or filters. No removal or replacement of background.

Camera operator guidelines: How to take a good passport photo[2]

Glossy, heavy paper (200 gsm+), professionally printed photos only.

Camera operator guidelines: How to take a good passport photo[2]

Key requirements

  • Print size is a range; face size is strict

    DFAT accepts prints from 35 to 40 mm wide and 45 to 50 mm high, so a standard 35 x 45 mm passport print qualifies. The measurement examiners care about is your face: from the bottom of the chin to the crown it must come to between 32 and 36 mm.

  • Professional prints on glossy paper

    Prints must be good-quality colour photos made by dye sublimation, not on an inkjet printer, using heavy glossy paper of 200 gsm or more. The camera operator guidelines accept professionally printed photos only.

  • No editing of any kind

    Do not retouch the image, add filters, or remove or replace the background. Moles, wrinkles and scars stay as they are. Skin smoothing and an edited background both appear among DFAT's examples of photos it will not accept.

  • Neutral face, looking straight on

    From the age of 3, face the camera straight on with your eyes open and a neutral expression. A smile, and even a subtle expression, is rejected. Keep your head level, neither tilted nor turned, and keep hair away from your eyes and the edges of your face.

  • Even light and enough distance

    Light the face evenly, with the brightness and contrast set so your natural skin tone shows, and with no shadows, reflections or red eye. DFAT tells photographers to stand at least 1.2 metres from the subject and use a focal length of 90 to 130 mm (35 mm film equivalent); a camera held too close distorts the face.

  • Only you in the picture

    Nobody else may appear, not even a parent's hand steadying a baby, and there must be no toys or other objects. Make-up is fine if it is natural, everyday make-up that does not change your appearance.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Get both prints from a professional passport photo provider.
  • Check that your face measures 32 to 36 mm from chin to crown.
  • Keep the camera at least 1.2 metres from your face.
  • Take out wireless earbuds; hearing aids can stay in.
  • Have your guarantor sign the back of one photo in black pen (paper form).
  • Write your full name on the back of one photo when you renew.

Don't

  • Do not print the photos on an inkjet printer.
  • Do not wear glasses without a medical reason and certificate.
  • Do not smile, even slightly.
  • Do not smooth skin or remove moles, wrinkles or scars.
  • Do not clean up or replace the background with software.
  • Do not wear a patterned head covering.
  • Do not hand in a print with streaks, lines or marks across it.

Sample photos

How a Australia passport photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 35 × 45 mm, head height 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 an Australian passport photo unless you cannot take them off for a medical reason. DFAT is explicit that vision impairment alone is not such a reason. If you do keep them on, the frames must not cover any part of your eyes and the lenses must show no reflection. A photo with glasses on is one of the examples DFAT lists as unacceptable.

If a medical condition stops you meeting this or any other photo rule, include a medical certificate with the application, or complete form B-11 to explain why.

Headwear and religious dress

Nothing should sit on your head, and a hat is among DFAT's rejected examples. The exception is a covering you usually wear for religious reasons. It must be plain, with no pattern at all, not even a small one, and worn so your entire face shows from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead, with both sides of the face visible.

Hearing aids you usually wear may stay in, for adults, children and infants. AirPods and other wireless earbuds are not hearing aids and must come out. Jewellery and piercings may stay if nothing covers part of the face, especially around the eyes, nose and mouth, and rings or studs give off no reflection.

Babies and children

Every child needs their own 2 photos, and the adult rules apply with one relaxation: a child under 3 may have their mouth open. Nobody else may be visible, so hold or support a baby out of shot, and keep toys out of the frame. Apart from the open mouth, every other photo rule still applies.

Where a guarantor is needed for a child's application, they sign the back of one of the child's photos in black pen and write that it is a true photo of the child, giving the child's full name.

There is no digital channel for passport photos. Even when you fill in the application online, you print the form and lodge it with 2 physical photos. If the picture was taken digitally, it still has to be printed professionally: dye-sublimation colour prints on glossy paper of at least 200 gsm, not inkjet output.

If someone takes the picture for you outside a photo shop, use DFAT's camera guidance: a high-quality camera, at least 1.2 metres between lens and face, even lighting and a plain white or light grey backdrop. Grainy, blurred or reduced-resolution images are among the rejected examples, and so are photos framed too tightly or too loosely.

Where to submit the photo

In Australia, lodge the application in person at a participating post office and pay the fee there, bringing the completed form, both photos and your original identity documents. Overseas, lodge it at an Australian embassy or consulate; check its website for local arrangements and appointments.

For a new passport on a paper form, your guarantor signs section 11 and the back of one photo, writing in black pen: This is a true photo of, followed by your full name. An online form uses a referee instead, who signs nothing. Renewals need no guarantor or referee: you write your own full name on the back of one photo in black pen.

How to get your Australia passport photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Australia passport: 35 × 45 mm print, plain white or light grey background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: print size is a range; face size is strict; professional prints on glossy paper; no editing of any kind; neutral face, looking straight on.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. There is no digital channel for passport photos. Even when you fill in the application online, you print the form and lodge it with 2 physical photos.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. In Australia, lodge the application in person at a participating post office and pay the fee there, bringing the completed form, both photos and your original identity documents.

Make this photo online

Australia passport photo FAQ

Each of the 2 prints must be 35 to 40 mm wide and 45 to 50 mm high, so a standard 35 x 45 mm passport photo is accepted. Inside the print, your face from chin to crown has to measure 32 to 36 mm. The prints must be in colour and professionally printed on glossy paper of at least 200 gsm.

No, unless you cannot remove them for a medical reason, and poor eyesight alone does not count. If they must stay on, the frames cannot cover your eyes and the lenses cannot reflect light. Back the exception with a medical certificate or a completed form B-11.

No. Anyone aged 3 or over needs a neutral expression, eyes open, facing the camera straight on. DFAT lists both smiling and a subtle expression among its examples of rejected photos. Children under 3 may have their mouth open.

DFAT recommends a professional passport photo provider, and says it does not recommend online passport photo services or mobile apps, which it links to a risk of identity fraud. Whoever takes the picture, both prints must be professionally made by dye sublimation on glossy paper of at least 200 gsm, not on an inkjet printer, and meet every other rule.

Yes. DFAT asks for a plain white or light grey background that stands out against your face. A background that is patterned, too dark, shadowed or edited is among the examples it rejects, and so is one without enough contrast with your hair or skin.

For a new passport on a paper form, your guarantor signs the back of one photo in black pen and writes: This is a true photo of, followed by your full name. Online forms use a referee who signs nothing. When renewing, you write your own full name on the back of one photo.

Less than 6 months old. A photo that fails this or any other rule can be refused when you lodge the application or while it is assessed, and you will then be asked to supply a new one, which can hold up your passport.

No. You can fill in the renewal form online, but you then print it and lodge it in person at a participating post office, or an embassy or consulate overseas, with 2 printed photos and your current passport. There is no way to upload a digital photo.

Related photo specifications

Other Australia documents

Passports nearby

Also 35 × 45 mm

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Official sources

  1. Australian Passport Office (DFAT). Passport photos passports.gov.au. Checked 3 November 2026.
  2. 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.
  3. Australian Passport Office (DFAT). Adult passport: new passport and renewal passports.gov.au. Checked 3 November 2026.
  4. Australian Passport Office (DFAT). Applying outside Australia passports.gov.au. Checked 3 November 2026.
  5. Australian Passport Office (DFAT). Guarantors, referees and witnesses passports.gov.au. Checked 3 November 2026.
  6. Australian Passport Office (DFAT). Camera operator guide (PDF) passports.gov.au. Checked 3 November 2026.
  7. Australian Passport Office (DFAT). Fees passports.gov.au. Checked 3 November 2026.
  8. Australian Passport Office (DFAT). Processing times passports.gov.au. Checked 3 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Australian Passport Office (DFAT) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Australia passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/australia/passport-photo

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