Belize passport photo requirements
The 2 × 2 in photo rules set by Ministry of Immigration, Governance and Labour, Belize for the Belize passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Belize passport photo?
A Belize passport needs one printed photo of 2 x 2 inches (50.8 x 50.8 mm) on a plain white background, taken less than 6 months before you apply. The head takes up 70 to 80 percent of the photo, both ears show, the mouth is closed and the expression is neutral. Glasses and tinted lenses are not allowed. Nothing is uploaded: you hand the print in at an Immigration Office or a Belizean mission, where your face is captured again.
Belize e-passports are issued by the Immigration department of the Ministry of Immigration, Governance and Labour, whose offices the website also calls Nationality and Passport Department offices. Adults (16 and over) and children (under 16) follow separate application routes, and both are told to meet the same photo specification. A first passport, a renewal and a replacement each need one photo.
Applications are made in person only. In Belize you go to an Immigration Office in Belmopan, Belize City, Corozal, Orange Walk, Dangriga, Punta Gorda or San Pedro, where an appointment is recommended. Abroad you go to a Belizean diplomatic or consular mission that accepts passport applications; the department lists the High Commission in London, the embassies in Washington and Taipei, and consulates in Los Angeles, Florida and Chicago.
The photo you hand in is not the picture that ends up in the passport. At the appointment you go to a data capturing station, where your facial image and fingerprints are taken, and the department says the photo taken there is used on the biodata page. The printed photo is still part of the package that staff review, and the department warns that an unacceptable photo delays processing.
Missions add their own wording. The embassy in Washington asks for a 2 x 2 inch photo with no sleeveless clothing, no smiling, mouth closed, no glasses, no earrings, and ears, chin, forehead and neck visible. The London checklist asks for the hairline and both ears to be fully visible.
Belize passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Ministry of Immigration, Governance and Labour, Belize:[1]
| Print size | 2 x 2 inches (50.8 x 50.8 mm) |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No digital file: one printed photo is handed in with the application |
| Head height | 70 to 80% of the photo height (the same page also gives 1.25 to 1.41 inches) |
| Background | White; uniform lighting with no shadows or reflections |
| Colour | Colour with natural skin tones; black and white is not acceptable |
| Photo age | Less than 6 months old |
| Print quality | High quality paper, high resolution; a true image, not altered in any way |
| Pixels when printed | 600 × 600 px at 300 dpi · 1200 × 1200 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
In the official words
Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:
Photo must be a true image, not altered in any way.
head size a maximum 80% of the photo (1.41 inches) and minimum 70% of the photo (1.25 inches)
Key requirements
- Head size and the inch figures
The head must take up 70 to 80 percent of the photo and sit in the centre, with a clear gap around the sides and top, hair included. The same page quotes 1.25 to 1.41 inches as the matching head sizes, but 70 and 80 percent of 2 inches are 1.4 and 1.6 inches. Only a head of about 1.4 inches (35.5 mm), which is 70 percent, fits both versions.
- Close-up of head and shoulders
The photo shows the head and the top of the shoulders, facing the camera, with both ears showing. The chest area must be covered: no sleeveless shirts or tank tops, and no camouflage tops, military or government uniforms.
- Neutral face
Eyes open without squinting, mouth closed, and no smiling or frowning. Hair must not cross the face or eyes. Facial jewellery must be minimal so it does not reflect light or distract, unless it is worn for religious, cultural or medical reasons.
- White background, even light
The background must be white. Lighting is uniform, with no shadows or reflections on the face or the background, and clothing must contrast with the background, so no white shirt against white.
- Sharp, true image
The photo is in focus with no red-eye or reflected light on the face, and it has adequate brightness and contrast. The department requires a true image that is not altered in any way. Black-and-white photos are not acceptable.
- Less than 6 months old
The photo page says it must be less than 6 months old, and the documents page says it must be taken no more than 6 months before the application. The London checklist uses the same limit.
- A recommender signs the back
The application instructions (version 3, revised 3 April 2023) tell the recommender to write on the back of the photo that it is a true image of the applicant and to sign it. The recommender is a Belizean citizen by birth or descent, or a consular officer, aged 18 or over, who has known you for at least a year and holds a valid machine-readable Belizean passport. You submit a copy of that passport. The Washington embassy repeats the signature rule.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Print one 2 x 2 inch photo on high-quality photo paper.
- Take the photo less than 6 months before you apply.
- Face the camera squarely with both ears visible.
- Keep the head centred and 70 to 80 percent of the photo height.
- Wear a top with sleeves that covers your chest and contrasts with white.
- Ask a qualifying recommender to sign the back of the print.
- Check your mission's own page before printing if you apply abroad.
Don't
- Do not wear glasses, tinted shades or sunglasses.
- Do not smile, frown or squint.
- Do not wear a sleeveless top, a tank top, camouflage, or a military or government uniform.
- Do not retouch or alter the photo in any way.
- Do not hand in a black-and-white photo.
- Do not let hair cover your face or eyes.
- Do not wear a head covering unless it is for religious, cultural or medical reasons.
Sample photos
How a Belize passport photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 2 × 2 in, head height and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
Glasses, tinted shades and sunglasses are not allowed. The photo page and the application instructions both say so, and the Washington embassy lists "no glasses" in its own wording. None of the pages read offers a medical exception for glasses, so take them off for the photo.
Headwear and religious dress
The photo page allows head coverings only for religious, cultural or medical justification. It does not say how a covering fits with its requirement that both ears show and that the hairline and sides of the head leave a clear gap, and the London checklist asks for the hairline and both ears to be fully visible. If you wear a covering, ask the Immigration Office or mission before you print.
Babies and children
Children under 16 apply by their own route, and the website gives no separate photo rules for them: the child's photo must meet the same specification. One parent must accompany the child at submission, and the department says a child aged 10 who can write their name should sign the form. The recommender endorses the back of the child's photo in the same way as for an adult, and only the parent who attended can collect the passport.
Printed and digital photos
Belize accepts no uploaded photo. The application is made in person and the print goes in with the paper form, so there is no pixel size or file size to meet. Print on high-quality, high-resolution photo paper at 2 x 2 inches.
A digital photo can be cropped and resized to a 2 x 2 inch square, or printed on a 4 x 6 inch sheet at a photo counter and cut down. The department requires a true image that is not altered in any way, so do not retouch it or change its background.
Where to submit the photo
In Belize, apply in person at an Immigration Office. Applications are accepted Monday to Thursday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM and on Fridays from 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM, and an appointment is recommended. Bring the signed application form, your photo and your original documents. The department says to allow about three weeks before collecting the passport.
Abroad, contact the mission before you travel to it. The Washington embassy takes applicants by appointment only and vets the documents first. The London High Commission vets the application by email, then books a mandatory in-person biometric appointment. Overseas processing can take longer than in Belize, and expedited service is available only in Belmopan.
How to get your Belize passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Belize passport: 2 × 2 in print, white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: head size and the inch figures; close-up of head and shoulders; neutral face; white background, even light.
- Prepare a print or digital file. Belize accepts no uploaded photo. The application is made in person and the print goes in with the paper form, so there is no pixel size or file size to meet. Print on high-quality, high-resolution photo paper at 2 x 2 inches.
- Submit the photo with your application. In Belize, apply in person at an Immigration Office. Applications are accepted Monday to Thursday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM and on Fridays from 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM, and an appointment is recommended.
Belize passport photo FAQ
2 x 2 inches (50.8 x 50.8 mm). The Immigration department's photo page gives that as the actual photo size, and the application instructions show a square with 50.8 mm (2 in) sides. You hand in one printed photo with a first, renewal or replacement application.
No upload route is described. Applications are made in person at an Immigration Office or at a Belizean mission, and you bring a printed photo with your form and original documents. Your facial image and fingerprints are then captured at a data capturing station.
No. The photo specification says no glasses, tinted shades or sunglasses, and the Washington embassy repeats "no glasses". No medical exception for glasses is published in the pages read, so remove them.
Less than 6 months old. The photo page says it must be less than 6 months old, and the documents page says the photo must be taken no more than 6 months before the application. A photo taken earlier than that risks being refused.
A recommender. The application instructions say the recommender endorses the reverse of the photo with a statement that it is a true image of the applicant, then signs. The recommender must be a Belizean citizen by birth or descent, or a consular officer, aged 18 or over, and must have known you for a year.
The head and face should take up 70 to 80 percent of the photo, centred with a clear gap at the top and sides. The department's page also quotes 1.25 to 1.41 inches, which does not match those percentages of a 2 inch photo, so a head of about 1.4 inches suits both.
Its wording is stricter. It asks for one 2 x 2 inch photo with no sleeveless clothing, no smiling, mouth closed, no glasses, no earrings, and ears, chin, forehead and neck visible, signed on the back by the applicant's recommender. Applications there are by appointment only.
The department says the photo taken at the data capturing station is used on the passport biodata page. The printed photo you bring is still required with your application and must meet the specification.
Related photo specifications
Other Belize documents
- Visa photo 2 × 2 in
- Residence permit photo 2 × 2 in
Passports nearby
- Costa Rica passport photo
- Mexico passport photo
- Panama passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- 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
- Barbados passport photo 50 × 50 mm
- Bermuda passport photo 35 × 45 mm
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Also 2 × 2 in
- American Samoa passport photo 2 × 2 in
- Armenia eVisa photo 2 × 2 in
- Bahamas passport photo 2 × 2 in
- Bahamas eVisa photo 2 × 2 in
- Bahamas visa photo 2 × 2 in
- Democratic Republic of the Congo passport photo 2 × 2 in
- Egypt visa photo 2 × 2 in
- Ethiopia eVisa photo 2 × 2 in
- Guam passport photo 2 × 2 in
- India visa photo 2 × 2 in
- All Belize photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 2 × 2 in photo
- Photo specifications in North America
Official sources
- Ministry of Immigration, Governance and Labour, Belize. Passport Photo Specifications immigration.gov.bz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Immigration, Governance and Labour, Belize. Passport Requirements (documents you need) immigration.gov.bz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Immigration, Governance and Labour, Belize. How to get an adult e-passport immigration.gov.bz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Immigration, Governance and Labour, Belize. How to get a child e-passport immigration.gov.bz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Immigration, Governance and Labour, Belize. Where to apply for e-passports immigration.gov.bz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Immigration, Governance and Labour, Belize. Application for Passport: instructions on how to complete the application (v3, April 2023) immigration.gov.bz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Belize, Washington, DC. Belize Passport Requirements/Application belizeembassyusa.mfa.gov.bz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Belize High Commission, London. Passport Application: Electronic Passport belizehighcommission.co.uk. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Belize High Commission, London. Checklist of required documents for renewal, replacement or first issue of a Belize regular passport (09.2025) belizehighcommission.co.uk. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Ministry of Immigration, Governance and Labour, Belize before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Belize passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/belize/passport-photo