Barbados passport photo requirements
The 50 × 50 mm photo rules set by Barbados Immigration Department for the Barbados passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Barbados passport photo?
A Barbados passport photo must be no larger than 5 x 5 cm (50 x 50 mm). You send 2 recent prints, taken full face, without a hat, on a white background and not mounted. The Immigration Department says they should be taken by a professional photographer, and the person who certifies the application endorses the back of 1 copy. Applicants abroad also send 2 photos. Photos become government property.
Barbados passports are issued by the Immigration Department in Bridgetown. Adults and everyone over 16 use Form A, and children under 16 use Form B. The passport is machine-readable and valid for 10 years for people aged 16 and over and 5 years for younger children, so a photo is needed for each new passport, renewal and replacement.
The photo rule is short, and it appears in the notes printed on the application form: two copies of a recent photograph, taken full face, without a hat, on a white background, not mounted, and "not more than 5 centimetres by 5 centimetres". That is a ceiling, not an exact size, so a 50 x 50 mm print fits, and so does anything smaller. The photograph box on the form is also labelled 5 cm by 5 cm. The Immigration Department's passport page and the government portal both add that the photos "should be taken by a professional photographer".
Nothing on the department's pages gives a head size, an eye position, an expression rule or a pixel size, and there is no photo upload, because the application is a printed form with printed photographs. People who live abroad apply through a Barbados mission, which helps with the paperwork while the passport itself is issued in Bridgetown.
Barbados passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Barbados Immigration Department:[1]
| Print size | No more than 5 x 5 cm (50 x 50 mm); the Form A photograph box is labelled 5 cm by 5 cm |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No upload: two printed photographs go with the paper Form A or Form B |
| Background | White |
| Photo age | A recent photograph (no number of months is given) |
| Print quality | Not mounted; one copy endorsed on the back by the certifier; "taken by a professional photographer" |
| Pixels when printed | 591 × 591 px at 300 dpi · 1181 × 1181 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- A size limit, not an exact size
Form A and Form B both say the size must not be more than 5 centimetres by 5 centimetres, and the Immigration Department's page uses the same wording. No minimum size and no head size are published.
- Full face, no hat, white background
The notes on the form require photographs taken full face, without hat, on a white background. A recent photograph is required, though the number of months is not stated.
- Two copies, not mounted
Include two copies of the photograph. They must not be mounted on card or paper. Applicants abroad must also submit two photos, according to the form.
- One copy endorsed by the certifier
The person who certifies Section 12 of the application, such as a Justice of the Peace, bank manager, medical practitioner, lawyer, police officer of gazetted rank, minister of religion, school principal or senior civil servant, endorses the back of one copy. The words are "I certify that this is a true photograph of the applicant", followed by the name, and the certifier signs.
- Professional photographer
The Immigration Department and the Government of Barbados passport pages both say the photographs should be taken by a professional photographer. The form's own notes do not repeat this, and the mission instructions we found do not mention it.
- Hair and ears for mailed applications
The temporary mail-in instructions for Barbadians abroad add that paper clips must not be used, hair must not cover the forehead and the ears must be clearly visible. The photo must be certified and signed by a Notary Public, with the back stating it is a true photograph of the applicant.
- Photos are kept
All photographs included with an application become the property of the Government of Barbados when the application is lodged, so do not send a print you need to keep.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Take two copies of the same recent photograph.
- Use a white background and face the camera fully.
- Keep each print within 5 x 5 cm (50 x 50 mm).
- Leave the prints loose, not mounted on card or paper.
- Have the certifier sign the back of one copy with the required words.
- Keep hair off the forehead and ears visible if you apply by mail from abroad.
Don't
- Do not wear a hat in the photograph.
- Do not mount the photos or fix them with paper clips.
- Do not send a print larger than 5 x 5 cm.
- Do not use a photo that is not recent.
- Do not expect the photos back.
Sample photos
How a Barbados passport photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 50 × 50 mm and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
Barbados publishes no rule about glasses. The form says only that photographs must be taken full face, without hat, on a white background, and neither the Immigration Department's pages nor the Foreign Affairs ministry pages mention eyewear, expression or lighting.
Where no rule is published, the safest course is to ask the Immigration Department before you apply, or the Barbados mission that will take your application, rather than guess. A photograph that shows your face fully and clearly, as the form asks, leaves the least to question.
Headwear and religious dress
The notes on Form A and Form B both say photographs must be taken without a hat. They list no exception for religious or medical head coverings, and the Immigration Department's pages do not mention one. If you wear a head covering for religious or medical reasons, ask the Immigration Department or your mission before you have the photographs taken.
The mail-in instructions for Barbadians abroad say hair must not cover the forehead and the ears must be clearly visible, which also points to a fully visible face.
Babies and children
Children under 16 apply on Form B, and its notes give the photograph rule in the same words: two copies of a recent photograph of the child, taken full face, without hat, on a white background, not mounted and not more than 5 centimetres by 5 centimetres. The person certifying the application endorses the back of one copy with the words "I certify that this is a true photograph of", followed by the child's name.
The Immigration Department's passport page says minors must accompany their parents for passport applications, so bring the child to the appointment.
Printed and digital photos
Only printed photographs are accepted. The application is a paper form, completed in block capitals, and the photographs go in with it; there is no digital photo upload for passports. A digital photo can be cropped to 5 x 5 cm and printed at a photo counter, but the Immigration Department's page says the photos should be taken by a professional photographer, so ask whether a home photo will be accepted.
The temporary mail-in measures announced during the COVID-19 pandemic asked Barbadians abroad for two clean passport-size photographs sent by courier with the expired passport. Photographs must not be mounted, and one copy carries the certifier's endorsement on the back.
Where to submit the photo
In Barbados, complete Form A or Form B and use the Immigration Department's online Passport Appointment System to book a slot, with your National Registration number. People over 16 apply in person, and children must come with a parent. The page says originals and photocopies of documents must be submitted, and that fees are paid when the application is lodged.
Overseas, Barbados missions may help with the application, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the documents are issued by the Immigration Department in Bridgetown. Ask the mission what it needs, because its instructions can differ from those for an application made in Bridgetown.
How to get your Barbados passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Barbados passport: 50 × 50 mm print, white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: a size limit, not an exact size; full face, no hat, white background; two copies, not mounted; one copy endorsed by the certifier.
- Prepare a print or digital file. Only printed photographs are accepted. The application is a paper form, completed in block capitals, and the photographs go in with it; there is no digital photo upload for passports.
- Submit the photo with your application. In Barbados, complete Form A or Form B and use the Immigration Department's online Passport Appointment System to book a slot, with your National Registration number. People over 16 apply in person, and children must come with a parent.
Barbados passport photo FAQ
No larger than 5 x 5 cm (50 x 50 mm). Form A and Form B say the size must not be more than 5 centimetres by 5 centimetres, and the photograph box on the form is labelled 5 cm by 5 cm. No minimum size is published.
White. The notes on Form A say photographs must be taken full face, without hat, on a white background. Nothing else about colour, shadows or lighting is published.
The Immigration Department and the government portal both say the photographs should be taken by a professional photographer. The application form notes do not say so, and the mission instructions we found are silent. Treat it as the department's stated expectation and ask your mission if you want to use a home photo.
Two copies of the same recent photograph. The person who certifies your application, such as a Justice of the Peace, bank manager, medical practitioner, lawyer or senior civil servant, endorses the back of one copy with a signed statement that it is a true photograph of you.
No online passport application is described on the Immigration Department's or the government's pages. You complete Form A or Form B on paper and book an appointment online. Entry visas, by contrast, are now applied for online.
No rule on glasses is published. The form says photographs must be taken without a hat and lists no exception for religious or medical head coverings. Ask the Immigration Department or your mission before you have the photos taken.
Through a Barbados embassy, high commission or consulate, which can facilitate the application; the passport is issued in Bridgetown. During the COVID-19 temporary measures, applicants posted the form, the expired passport and two clean passport-size photographs by courier to the Immigration Department.
Yes. Form B asks for two copies of a recent photograph of the child, with the same rules as for adults: full face, no hat, white background, not mounted and no larger than 5 x 5 cm. One copy is endorsed by the certifier.
Related photo specifications
Other Barbados documents
Passports nearby
- Anguilla passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Antigua and Barbuda passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Aruba passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Bahamas passport photo 2 × 2 in
- British Virgin Islands passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Cayman Islands passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Cuba passport photo 45 × 45 mm
- Dominica passport photo 38 × 45 mm
- Dominican Republic passport photo 50 × 50 mm
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Also 50 × 50 mm
- Chile visa photo 50 × 50 mm
- Costa Rica visa photo 50 × 50 mm
- Costa Rica ID card photo 50 × 50 mm
- Dominican Republic passport photo 50 × 50 mm
- Israel visa photo 50 × 50 mm
- Palestine visa photo 50 × 50 mm
- All Barbados photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 50 × 50 mm photo
- Photo specifications in North America
Official sources
- Barbados Immigration Department. Application for a Barbados Passport: Form A (over 16) immigration.gov.bb. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Barbados Immigration Department. Application for a Barbados Passport: Form B (under 16) immigration.gov.bb. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Barbados Immigration Department. How do I apply for a passport? immigration.gov.bb. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Barbados Immigration Department. Barbados Travel Documents immigration.gov.bb. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Barbados Immigration Department. Replacement of Passports immigration.gov.bb. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Barbados Immigration Department. Immigration Passport Appointment System: Instructions immigration.gov.bb. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Government of Barbados. Apply for a Passport gov.bb. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Barbados. Consular Services: Application for Passports foreign.gov.bb. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulate General of Barbados, Toronto. Processing Barbados Passports with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic toronto.foreign.gov.bb. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Barbados Immigration Department before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Barbados passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/barbados/passport-photo