Benin photo specifications
Photo sizes and rules for 2 documents issued in Benin, taken from the issuing authorities and linked to their official pages.
At a glance
The Beninese passport photo is 35 mm by 45 mm, in colour, taken within the last six months, on a plain or white background. The visa is the government's e-visa, whose public pages publish no photo size or background. Embassy visas for officials ask for a passport-format photo on white. Diaspora passport renewals through ePass use a phone-captured portrait.
Overview
Benin's passports are issued by the Direction de l'Émigration et de l'Immigration (DEI) in Cotonou. Applicants in Benin book an appointment online and enrol at the DEI, while embassies such as Washington enrol applicants abroad and send the file to Cotonou. Since October 2025 the ePass platform has also let Beninese living abroad renew online, with the portrait taken in the app.
Visas work differently. Short-stay visas are requested on the Government of Benin's e-visa platform, with the photo handled inside the application form, and embassies keep a paper route for diplomatic and courtesy visas. The passport photo size is published; no equivalent size is published for visas, so do not copy one document's photo onto the other.
Photo specifications by document
Passports
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passport | 35 × 45 mm | — | Plain |
Visas and travel authorisations
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visa | — | — | E-visa: not published. Diplomatic and courtesy… |
Frequently asked questions
35 mm by 45 mm, in colour, less than six months old. The DEI asks for a plain background and the Washington embassy for white, with ICAO biometric standards. See the passport guide for the full rules.
No official size is published. The e-visa platform's public pages are silent on the photo, and embassy lists for diplomatic and courtesy visas ask for a passport-format photo on a white background.
Only on an older Washington embassy page that lists the passport, laissez-passer and consular card. The same embassy's renewal page for the biometric passport asks for 35 mm by 45 mm.
Citizens living abroad can use ePass, which the government launched in October 2025. The portrait and fingerprints are submitted from a mobile phone, and the passport is delivered to your home, a consulate or the DEI.
Nearby countries
Other countries in Western Africa:
- Burkina Faso
- Côte d'Ivoire
- Ghana
- Liberia
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Saint Helena
- Sierra Leone
- Togo
Official sources
- Government of the Republic of Benin (DEI notice). Prise de rendez-vous en ligne obligatoire pour l'établissement ou le renouvellement de passeport biométrique au Bénin gouv.bj. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Government of the Republic of Benin. ePass - renouvellement du passeport pour la diaspora béninoise epass.gouv.bj. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Government of the Republic of Benin. Plateformes et e-services gouv.bj. Checked 2 November 2026.
Cite this page
"Benin photo specifications". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/benin