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Bahrain e-passport photo requirements

The 32.5 × 43 mm photo rules set by Nationality, Passports & Residence Affairs, Ministry of Interior for the Bahrain e-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 Bahrain e-passport photo?

NPRA's terms for the Bahraini e-passport photo set an image of 32.5 x 43 mm (3:4 aspect ratio) and at least 933 x 1244 pixels, in colour on a pure white background. The face is centred and covers 70% to 80% of the length (30 to 34 mm), with 3 to 4 mm of space above the head. The photo must be under 6 months old, natural and unedited.

Bahrain's electronic passport went into service in March 2023. The Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs (NPRA) started taking e-passport applications on 20 March 2023 through its website, the government portal and its service centres in Muharraq and Isa Town, and in the same week announced new conditions for the photo. The e-passport is not an extra document you choose: NPRA's service pages now price every ordinary passport as an ePassport first issue or ePassport renewal, so anyone applying for a Bahraini passport today gets one.

The photo conditions are published as NPRA's Terms of E-Passport Photo, the document the national portal links as its passport photo requirements. They describe a single image, 32.5 mm wide and 43 mm high in a 3:4 ratio, with a face that fills most of the frame. This page explains those terms clause by clause: the frame, the face, the light, glasses and editing. The 4 x 6 cm print that NPRA counters still accept is covered under print and digital below.

Bahrain e-passport photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Nationality, Passports & Residence Affairs, Ministry of Interior:[1]

Print size32.5 x 43 mm (3:4 aspect ratio)
Digital sizeAt least 933 x 1244 pixels, 3:4 aspect ratio
Head heightFace 30 to 34 mm on the 43 mm image (70% to 80% of its length); 3 to 4 mm of space above the head
BackgroundPure white
ColourColour, with natural skin tones
Photo ageTaken no more than 6 months before the application
File sizeUp to 2 MB in NPRA's March 2023 English terms; the current edition's limit could not be read
File formatJPG or JPEG on bahrain.bh
Pixels when printed384 × 508 px at 300 dpi · 768 × 1016 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
32.5 mm43 mm30–34 mm
32.5 × 43 mm photo drawn to scale, with the 30–34 mm head height from chin to crown. Background: pure white.

In the official words

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

In addition, the image must not be altered in any way and must be coloured with pure white background.

NPRA announces new conditions for the e-passport photo[3]

Key requirements

  • One frame: 32.5 x 43 mm

    The terms define the image as 32.5 mm wide and 43 mm high, a 3:4 aspect ratio. The current Arabic edition gives the resolution as a minimum of 933 x 1244 pixels.

  • Face 30 to 34 mm high

    The face is in the centre of the frame and covers 70% to 80% of the image's length, which the diagram marks as 30 mm minimum and 34 mm maximum on the 43 mm height.

  • Shoulders in, 3 to 4 mm on top

    A small part of the top of the shoulders must show. Between the top of the head and the upper edge of the image there must be empty space of no less than 3 mm and no more than 4 mm.

  • Natural and untouched

    The photo must look natural, free of make-up, shading, shine and light reflections, and the skin must keep its natural colour. No modification of any kind may be made to it, Photoshop included.

  • Uniform light on pure white

    Lighting must be even, with no shadows, glare or flash reflections. The photo is in colour and the background pure white.

  • Straight at the camera

    Face and shoulders point forwards and you look directly into the lens with a neutral, steady expression. The English edition of the terms also asks for the mouth to be closed.

  • No frame, under 6 months old

    The image must have no frame or outline around it, and it must have been taken no more than 6 months before you submit the application.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Crop the image to 3:4, 32.5 mm wide by 43 mm high
  • Export at 933 x 1244 pixels or more
  • Make the face 30 to 34 mm high on the 43 mm image
  • Show the top of your shoulders
  • Light your face evenly from the front
  • Look straight into the lens with a neutral face

Don't

  • Do not retouch, smooth or recolour the photo
  • Do not wear make-up or let your skin shine
  • Do not draw a frame or outline around the image
  • Do not leave more than 4 mm above your head
  • Do not let glasses reflect light or hide your eyes
  • Do not smile with an open mouth

Sample photos

How a Bahrain e-passport photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 32.5 × 43 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 allowed only if your eyes remain clearly visible. The current Arabic terms say a photo with prescription glasses is not accepted unless the eyes are clearly visible, and that a photo with the face or eyes covered is not accepted. The March 2023 English terms say the photo will not be accepted if your eyes do not appear clearly.

Because the terms also ban glare and light reflections, clean the lenses and angle the light so the flash does not bounce off them, or take the glasses off for the photo.

Headwear and religious dress

The terms do not give a separate rule for the ghutra, agal or hijab in the part that could be read. Both editions use the same model photo: a man in a white ghutra and black agal, with his face in full view, set inside the 32.5 x 43 mm frame.

The rule that does apply is that the face and the eyes must not be covered. Keep the head covering clear of your face and check that it throws no shadow across it, since the terms require uniform lighting without shadows.

The terms are written around a digital image: a 32.5 x 43 mm frame at 3:4 and at least 933 x 1244 pixels, which on bahrain.bh you attach as a JPG or JPEG. The English edition of March 2023 capped the file at 2 MB and gave the resolution as 762 x 1016 pixels; the later Arabic edition raised the figure to a minimum of 933 x 1244, so work to that.

NPRA's service pages still ask for a printed photo of 6 x 4 cm (4 cm wide, 6 cm high) on white when you apply at a counter, so the digital frame and the counter print are different sizes. The proportions are the same for both: face 70% to 80% of the length, centred, with a small gap above the head.

A recent digital photo can be cropped to 3:4 and exported at 933 x 1244 pixels or larger.

Where to submit the photo

You attach the e-passport photo when you apply on bahrain.bh with your eKey, whether for a renewal, a damaged passport or a child's first passport. If the photo is not accepted, NPRA's passport FAQ says it can be modified through the portal by checking the application status and completing the actions the system asks for.

NPRA also takes e-passport applications at its centres in Isa Town and the Muharraq Security Complex, after you book an appointment in the Mawaeid app. Citizens abroad apply on bahrain.bh or through a Bahraini embassy or consulate.

How to get your Bahrain e-passport photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Bahrain e-passport: 32.5 × 43 mm print, 933 × 1244 px digital file, pure white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: one frame: 32.5 x 43 mm; face 30 to 34 mm high; shoulders in, 3 to 4 mm on top; natural and untouched.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. The terms are written around a digital image: a 32.5 x 43 mm frame at 3:4 and at least 933 x 1244 pixels, which on bahrain.bh you attach as a JPG or JPEG.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. You attach the e-passport photo when you apply on bahrain.bh with your eKey, whether for a renewal, a damaged passport or a child's first passport.

Make this photo online

Bahrain e-passport photo FAQ

32.5 mm wide and 43 mm high, a 3:4 aspect ratio, according to NPRA's Terms of E-Passport Photo. NPRA announced this size in March 2023, when it started issuing e-passports. For applications made in person, NPRA's service pages ask for a 6 x 4 cm print instead.

At least 933 x 1244 pixels in the current Arabic edition of NPRA's terms. The first English edition of March 2023 gave 762 x 1016 pixels, so an image of 933 x 1244 or more meets both. Keep the 3:4 shape.

No. Since 20 March 2023 NPRA issues the ordinary Bahraini passport as an e-passport, and its service pages list the fees as ePassport first issue and ePassport renewal. The e-passport photo terms are therefore the photo rules for any Bahraini passport application.

No. The Arabic terms say the photo must be natural and free of make-up, shading, shine and light reflections, and that the skin colour must look natural. The English edition likewise asks you to show natural skin tones.

Between 3 mm and 4 mm on the 43 mm high image. NPRA's terms ask for empty space between the top of the head and the top edge of the photo of no less than 3 mm and no more than 4 mm, with part of the shoulders visible at the bottom.

Yes. NPRA's passport FAQ says photo modification through the government portal is done by checking the application status and reviewing the actions required from the applicant. Upload a new photo that meets the terms when the portal asks for it.

Related photo specifications

Other Bahrain documents

Passports nearby

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Official sources

  1. Nationality, Passports & Residence Affairs, Ministry of Interior. Terms of E-Passport Photo (Arabic) npra.gov.bh. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Nationality, Passports & Residence Affairs, Ministry of Interior. Terms of E-Passport Photo (English, March 2023 edition) npra.gov.bh. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Nationality, Passports & Residence Affairs, Ministry of Interior. NPRA announces new conditions for the e-passport photo npra.gov.bh. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Nationality, Passports & Residence Affairs, Ministry of Interior. ePassport npra.gov.bh. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. Nationality, Passports & Residence Affairs, Ministry of Interior. FAQ: Passports npra.gov.bh. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. Bahrain National Portal. Passport Photo Requirements bahrain.bh. Checked 2 November 2026.
  7. Bahrain National Portal (NPRA service). Issuance of Passport (ordinary) bahrain.bh. Checked 2 November 2026.
  8. Bahrain National Portal (NPRA service). Passport Replacement (ordinary) bahrain.bh. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Nationality, Passports & Residence Affairs, Ministry of Interior before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Bahrain e-passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/bahrain/e-passport-photo

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