Benin passport photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Government of the Republic of Benin (DEI notice) for the Benin passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Benin passport photo?
A Beninese passport photo is 35 x 45 mm, in colour and less than six months old. The Direction de l'Émigration et de l'Immigration asks for a plain background, and the Washington embassy asks for white and ICAO biometric standards. One photo goes in the file. Beninese abroad who renew through the government's ePass app take the portrait with their phone, so no printed photo is involved.
Benin's ordinary biometric passport is issued by the Direction de l'Émigration et de l'Immigration (DEI) in Cotonou. A government notice published on 25 July 2021 says that, since 3 May 2021, an online appointment has been compulsory for a new or renewed ordinary biometric passport in Benin, and that the file includes one colour identity photo.
Abroad, an embassy receives the application and the DEI produces the passport. The Washington embassy says every applicant must appear in person to be enrolled, and that enrolment records fingerprints, a digital photo and personal details. Its file list still asks for a separate photo. Since October 2025 the ePass platform has let Beninese citizens living abroad renew a passport online, and its page says the photo and fingerprints are submitted from a mobile phone.
The DEI notice and the Washington embassy's renewal page both give the photo as 35 mm by 45 mm. A 2 x 2 inch size appears only on an older Washington page that covers the passport, the laissez-passer and the consular card. The current renewal page for the biometric passport does not use it.
Benin passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Government of the Republic of Benin (DEI notice):[1]
| Print size | 35 x 45 mm ("35 mm/45mm" in the DEI notice and on the Washington embassy's renewal page) |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No pixel size published; ePass captures the photo in the app, so there is no file to upload |
| Background | Plain (DEI notice); white (Washington embassy) |
| Colour | Colour photo |
| Photo age | Less than six months old |
| Print quality | Washington embassy: ICAO biometric passport standards; no other quality rule published |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
In the official words
Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:
format 35mm/45mm ; normes ICAO passeport biométrique
Key requirements
- The DEI list: 35 mm by 45 mm, plain background
The notice from the issuing office lists "One (01) colour identity photo, plain background, less than six (06) months old (35 mm/45mm format)" (translated from French). It sits in the list of documents for a new ordinary biometric passport.
- The Washington list: white background, ICAO standards
The embassy's renewal page asks for "A colour identity photo on a white background, less than 6 months old (35mm/45mm format; ICAO biometric passport standards)" (translated from French). It is item 3 of the file, and one photo is asked for.
- Enrolment is in person
In Benin the appointment is booked online and the applicant is enrolled at the DEI. At the Washington embassy every applicant appears in person by appointment, booked by phone or email, and enrolment takes the fingerprints, a digital photo and personal details.
- ePass: no separate photo to prepare
The ePass page for Beninese abroad lists four steps: register, submit the biometric data (photo and fingerprint) from a mobile phone, follow the request, and choose how to receive the passport. It links a video guide to capturing the portrait and publishes no photo size.
- The ICAO baseline behind "biometric standards"
ICAO's photograph guidelines are a baseline, not a Beninese text. They ask for a face filling 70 to 80% of the photograph, eyes open and clearly visible, a neutral expression with the mouth closed, a plain light-coloured background and no shadows or flash reflections on the face.
- Minors need a parental authorisation
The DEI notice adds an authorisation signed by a parent or legal guardian for minors. The Washington embassy asks for an authorisation from one parent for applicants under 18, and ePass asks for one for children and minors.
- The 2 x 2 inch size is not the current rule
An older Washington page asks for two 2 x 2 inch photos, "recent high definition personal passport photos on white background", for the passport, laissez-passer and consular card. The same embassy's renewal page for the biometric passport asks for 35 mm by 45 mm.
- No head size or file size is published
None of the Beninese pages read gives a head height, an eye line, a file size or a pixel size. The ICAO percentage above is the only numeric guidance, and it is a baseline.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Use a colour photo taken less than six months before your application.
- Crop or print it to 35 x 45 mm, width first.
- Use a plain background, and white for an embassy application.
- Face the camera squarely with your eyes open and a neutral expression.
- Book the enrolment appointment before you gather the rest of the file.
- Ask your embassy before printing any other size, such as 2 x 2 inches.
Don't
- Do not assume the 2 x 2 inch size applies to the biometric passport.
- Do not use a photo older than six months.
- Do not wear tinted lenses or let frames cover your eyes.
- Do not use a photo with shadows or flash reflections on your face.
- Do not expect a digital file to be accepted at the DEI or the Washington embassy without asking: their lists name a photo and nothing else.
Sample photos
How a Benin passport photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 35 × 45 mm and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
No Beninese page read sets a rule on glasses. The Washington embassy says the photo must meet ICAO biometric passport standards. ICAO's photograph guidelines, a baseline and not a Beninese text, say that if you wear glasses the photograph must show your eyes clearly, with no flash reflection off the glasses and no tinted lenses, and that the frames must not cover any part of your eyes.
Headwear and religious dress
No Beninese page read sets a rule on headwear. The ICAO baseline that the Washington embassy points to says head coverings are not permitted except for religious reasons, and that the facial features from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead, and both edges of the face, must be clearly shown.
Babies and children
The DEI notice says a minor's file adds a parental authorisation signed by a parent or legal guardian. The Washington embassy asks for an authorisation from one parent for applicants under 18, and the ePass page says it serves adults and minors living abroad, with the authorisation needed for children. None of these pages sets a different photo size or pose for children. A government notice of 28 July 2021 for an operation in the United States and Canada also covered the first passport of children under 10, with the same 35mm/45mm format.
Printed and digital photos
The DEI and Washington lists name "a photo" and give no pixel size or file format, and no page read says a digital file is accepted for them. ePass is different: the app takes the portrait itself, so a Beninese citizen abroad who renews there has nothing to print or upload.
The July 2021 notice for the United States and Canada asked for a digital photo emailed to the embassy: passport format (35mm/45mm), white background, PNG or JPEG, and "no scanned photo will be accepted" (translated from French). It described a one-off operation for renewals and children under 10, so it is not a standing rule. A digital photo can be cropped to 35 x 45 mm and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter.
Where to submit the photo
In Benin, book the appointment online, as the DEI notice requires, then attend the DEI in Cotonou for enrolment. The notice also says urgent cases are received only in person at the DEI, for the categories it lists: urgent medical evacuation, state officials on mission, students with a foreign scholarship about to travel, and diaspora residents on a short stay.
Abroad, the Washington embassy receives applications by appointment, and the DEI in Cotonou issues the passport. Other embassies may run their own routes, so ask the one that serves you. ePass is the online route for citizens living abroad who are renewing: you register with your personal identification number and consular registration number, and choose delivery at home, at the nearest consulate or at the DEI.
How to get your Benin passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Benin passport: 35 × 45 mm print, plain background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: the DEI list: 35 mm by 45 mm, plain background; the Washington list: white background, ICAO standards; enrolment is in person; ePass: no separate photo to prepare.
- Prepare a print or digital file. The DEI and Washington lists name "a photo" and give no pixel size or file format, and no page read says a digital file is accepted for them. ePass is different: the app takes the portrait itself, so a Beninese citizen abroad who renews there has nothing to…
- Submit the photo with your application. In Benin, book the appointment online, as the DEI notice requires, then attend the DEI in Cotonou for enrolment.
Benin passport photo FAQ
35 mm by 45 mm. The DEI notice and the Washington embassy's renewal page both write the format as 35 mm/45mm. The Washington embassy also asks for ICAO biometric passport standards.
The DEI notice says a plain background ("fond uni"). The Washington embassy and the 2021 notice for the United States and Canada say white. A plain white background meets both wordings.
Not for the biometric passport. A 2 x 2 inch size appears on an older Washington embassy page covering the passport, laissez-passer and consular card. The embassy's renewal page for the biometric passport asks for 35 mm by 45 mm.
Less than six months. Both the DEI notice and the Washington embassy's renewal page give "less than six (06) months" or "less than 6 months" for the photo.
One. The DEI list says "One (01)" colour identity photo and the Washington list asks for one. The older Washington page for the passport, laissez-passer and consular card asks for two.
No printed photo. The ePass page says the photo and fingerprints are submitted from a mobile phone, and it links a video guide to capturing the portrait. No photo size is published for it.
No Beninese page read gives a rule. The ICAO baseline, which the Washington embassy names, asks for eyes clearly visible, no flash reflection on the glasses, no tinted lenses and frames that do not cover the eyes.
The Direction de l'Émigration et de l'Immigration (DEI) in Cotonou. Embassies such as Washington accept the application and enrol the applicant, but the Washington embassy says the passport is issued by the DEI.
Related photo specifications
Other Benin documents
Passports nearby
Also 35 × 45 mm
- Afghanistan visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria residence permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria work permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Andorra passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Anguilla passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Antigua and Barbuda passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Armenia visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- All Benin photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Africa
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. Démarrage de l'opération de renouvellement de passeport biométrique pour les Béninois vivant aux États-Unis et au Canada gouv.bj. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Government of the Republic of Benin. Lancement de ePass : la dématérialisation du renouvellement des passeports pour les Béninois de la diaspora 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.
- Embassy of Benin, Washington. Fiche de renseignement pour renouvellement de passeport beninembassy.us. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Benin, Washington. Passport/Travel Documents beninembassy.us. Checked 2 November 2026.
- International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Photograph Guidelines (Doc 9303 Annex A) icao.int. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Government of the Republic of Benin (DEI notice) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Benin passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/benin/passport-photo