Belize residence permit photo requirements
The 2 × 2 in photo rules set by Ministry of Immigration, Governance and Labour, Belize for the Belize residence permit, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Belize residence permit photo?
For permanent residence in Belize, you and each dependant on the application hand in 2 printed photos of 2 x 2 inches (50.8 x 50.8 mm), front view, on a white background, taken within the last 6 months, with no sleeveless clothing. The Qualified Retirement Program also asks for two 2 x 2 inch photos per person, one of them notarised or certified. An older PDF guide says 35 x 45 mm.
Belize offers two residence statuses through the Immigration department: permanent residence for people who want to make Belize their home, and temporary residence for investors who commit at least BZ$500,000 but cannot meet the ordinary permanent residence rules. You submit the application, with originals and copies of your documents, at an Immigration Office authorised to accept residence applications. The office then schedules an interview with you and your referees, and a Special Branch police officer interviews you at your home later.
Photographs sit in the permanent residence document list between the financial proof and the spouse and child documents. Everyone named on the application provides their own set: you, a legally married spouse who is included, and each child. Common-law partners apply separately. The residence card is collected at the Belmopan office after the fee is paid, and the pages read do not say which picture appears on it.
Retired people can take a different route. The Belize Tourism Board runs the Qualified Retirement Program (QRP) for people aged 40 or over with a retirement income from outside Belize, and it issues a QRP resident card to members and dependants. Its photo wording is separate from the Immigration department's, so the two are covered below.
Belize residence permit 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); 2 photos per person |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No digital file: printed photos go in with the paper application |
| Background | White |
| Photo age | Taken within the last 6 months |
| Pixels when printed | 600 × 600 px at 300 dpi · 1200 × 1200 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- Two photos for every person
The permanent residence page says you and your dependants must provide 2 photographs each. The Residence Requirements Guide counts them out: two of the applicant, two of the spouse if one is included, and two of each child.
- The listed specification
The page lists a size of 2 x 2 inches, taken within the last 6 months, a white background, a facial front view, and no sleeveless clothing. It sets no head-size, glasses or expression rule.
- An older guide says 35 x 45 mm
The Residence Requirements Guide PDF, marked "Revised Feb. 2019", says photos must be 35 mm by 45 mm, full-face view with a neutral expression, taken within the last 6 months, on a uniform, plain white or off-white background. It points to the old ins.gov.bz website for details. Ask the Immigration Office which size it expects.
- Temporary residence lists no photo
The temporary residence page names a passport, a police record, a letter to the Director, evidence of residence and evidence of an investment of at least BZ$500,000, but no photograph. The same application form serves both statuses, so confirm the photo requirement with the office handling your file.
- QRP photos are partly certified
The Belize Tourism Board asks for two 2 x 2 inch frontal passport photos for the applicant and each dependant: one recent notarised or certified photograph and one uncertified photograph of the same image. Renewals ask for the same pair.
- QRP photo checklist
Its application form says the photos follow Belize Immigration specifications: a white background, in focus, no red-eye or reflected light, head straight and facing the camera, a neutral expression with no smiling or frowning, eyes clearly visible, and preferably no glasses or shades.
- Replacing or transferring a PR stamp
The Permanent Residence Transfer Form asks for 2 passport size photographs if the residence document was lost, if you received residence as a minor, or if you have held it for more than 10 years. It gives no dimensions.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Bring 2 printed photos for yourself and 2 for each person on the application.
- Use 2 x 2 inches, a white background and a front view.
- Take the photos within 6 months of submitting the application.
- Wear a top with sleeves.
- Ask the Immigration Office whether it wants 2 x 2 inches or 35 x 45 mm.
- For the QRP, get one of the two photos notarised or certified.
Don't
- Do not wear a sleeveless top in the photo.
- Do not rely on the older 35 x 45 mm guide without checking with the office.
- Do not assume a temporary residence file needs no photo: confirm it.
- Do not smile or frown in a QRP photo.
- Do not submit a QRP photo with red-eye or reflected light on the face.
Sample photos
How a Belize residence permit photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 2 × 2 in and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
The permanent residence page publishes no glasses rule. The QRP form says "preferable no glasses, no shades", and the Immigration department's passport specification, which the QRP form calls its reference, bans glasses and tinted lenses outright. Remove glasses for every residence photo.
Headwear and religious dress
None of the residence pages or the QRP form sets a rule on head coverings. The Immigration department's passport photo page allows coverings for religious, cultural or medical reasons, but it applies to passports. If you wear a covering, ask the office that will take your application how it wants the face shown.
Babies and children
Children are added to a parent's application, and each child provides their own 2 photographs. The pages give children no separate photo rules. The child's other documents include a birth certificate, a letter of financial support, and either a letter of consent from the parent who is not making the application or, if that parent is outside Belize, a notarised authorisation letter.
Printed and digital photos
Residence applications are paper files handed in at an Immigration Office, so every photo is a print. No pixel size or file size is published. A digital photo can be cropped to a 2 x 2 inch square and printed on a 4 x 6 inch sheet at a photo counter, which gives several copies from one sheet.
For the QRP, one of the two prints must be notarised or certified, so allow time for a notary before submitting.
Where to submit the photo
Submit permanent or temporary residence applications at an Immigration Office authorised to accept them: Belmopan Headquarters, Belize City, Corozal Town, Orange Walk Town, San Pedro Town, Big Creek, or the Belize Southern Border Station in Punta Gorda. The offices open Monday to Thursday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM and on Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. The page asks for originals plus a copy of each document.
QRP applications go to the Belize Tourism Board, not to Immigration. After approval, the QRP card carries the data of your biometric passport page and is used together with your national passport.
How to get your Belize residence permit photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Belize residence permit: 2 × 2 in print, white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: two photos for every person; the listed specification; an older guide says 35 x 45 mm; temporary residence lists no photo.
- Prepare a print or digital file. Residence applications are paper files handed in at an Immigration Office, so every photo is a print. No pixel size or file size is published.
- Submit the photo with your application. Submit permanent or temporary residence applications at an Immigration Office authorised to accept them: Belmopan Headquarters, Belize City, Corozal Town, Orange Walk Town, San Pedro Town, Big Creek, or the Belize Southern Border Station in Punta Gorda.
Belize residence permit photo FAQ
Two for each person on the application. The Immigration department's document list says you and your dependants must provide 2 photographs each, and its guide counts two for the applicant, two for an included spouse and two for each child.
2 x 2 inches (50.8 x 50.8 mm), according to the permanent residence documents page. An older Residence Requirements Guide, marked "Revised Feb. 2019", says 35 x 45 mm. The web page is the department's current list, but ask the office if you are unsure.
White. The permanent residence page lists a white background, a facial front view and no sleeveless clothing. The older guide accepts a uniform, plain white or off-white background. Use plain white to satisfy both.
The temporary residence documents page does not list any. The application form is shared with permanent residence, and the guide asks for photographs, so confirm with the Immigration Office handling your file whether it wants them and in which size.
Two 2 x 2 inch frontal passport photos for the applicant and each dependant: one recent notarised or certified photograph and one uncertified photograph of the same image. Renewal applications ask for the same pair. The Belize Tourism Board runs the programme.
It is safest not to. The permanent residence page is silent, the QRP form says "preferable no glasses, no shades", and the passport specification forbids glasses. Take them off to meet every version of the rule.
Sometimes. The transfer form asks for 2 passport size photographs if the residence was lost, if you were a minor when you received it, or if you have held it for more than 10 years. It does not give a size.
Related photo specifications
Other Belize documents
- Passport photo 2 × 2 in
- Visa photo 2 × 2 in
Residence and work permits nearby
- Mexico permanent resident visa photo
- Canada permanent resident photo 50 × 70 mm
- Canada study and work permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Cuba residence abroad photo 45 × 45 mm
- United States employment authorization photo 2 × 2 in
- United States green card photo 2 × 2 in
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
- Residence and work permits: 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. Documents You Need for Permanent Residence immigration.gov.bz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Immigration, Governance and Labour, Belize. Documents You Need for Temporary Residence immigration.gov.bz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Immigration, Governance and Labour, Belize. Residence Process immigration.gov.bz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Immigration, Governance and Labour, Belize. Do You Qualify for Residence immigration.gov.bz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Immigration, Governance and Labour, Belize. Residence: where to apply immigration.gov.bz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Immigration, Governance and Labour, Belize. Residence Requirements Guide (revised Feb. 2019) immigration.gov.bz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Immigration, Governance and Labour, Belize. Application for Transfer of Permanent Residence immigration.gov.bz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Belize Tourism Board. The Qualified Retirement Program belizetourismboard.org. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Belize Tourism Board. Qualified Retirement Program application form (QRP06-1121) belizetourismboard.org. 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 residence permit photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/belize/residence-permit-photo