Benin visa photo requirements
The photo rules set by Government of the Republic of Benin for the Benin visa, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What are the Benin visa photo requirements?
The Government of Benin's e-visa platform is the normal way to get a visa for Benin, valid for 30 or 90 days. Its public pages publish no photo size, background or file rules, because the photo is handled inside the application form. For diplomatic and courtesy visas, which embassies still issue, the Benin embassy in Japan lists an identity photo in passport format on a white background.
Benin has moved short-stay visas online. The Washington embassy says that since April 2018 visa applications are made exclusively by electronic means, through the government's e-visa platform, while courtesy visas for technical partners, cooperation actors and charities continue to be issued by embassies and consulates. The platform's FAQ says any foreigner who wishes to visit Benin can apply, that the visa is valid for 30 or 90 days as chosen in the application, and that Africans can visit Benin without a visa for 90 days.
The public pages describe four steps: start with an email address, a travel document number and its expiry date; confirm by a link sent to your email; complete a four-part form (personal data, e-visa data, travel data and passport data); then pay by card and receive a request number. None of these pages lists a photo size, a background colour or a file limit, and the form itself opens only from the emailed link. The Benin embassy in Japan lists nine steps that include "Upload the photo in the specified format", without giving the format.
For visas that embassies handle, the Washington embassy lists "One (1) passport size photo" for diplomatic and international-organisation visas and for extending an e-visa (US citizens only), and the embassy in Japan asks for an identity photo in passport format with a white background for diplomatic and courtesy visas. No official page read says that a visa photo is 35 x 45 mm.
Benin visa photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Government of the Republic of Benin:[1]
| Print size | No size published: embassy lists ask for a "passport format" photo and the e-visa form for a photo "in the specified format" |
|---|---|
| Digital size | Not published; the e-visa photo is uploaded inside the application form |
| Background | E-visa: not published. Diplomatic and courtesy visas: white (Benin embassy in Japan) |
| File size | Not published on the public e-visa pages |
| Print quality | E-visa: no printed photo. Embassy visas: one passport-size photo with the paper form (Washington embassy) |
Key requirements
- Apply on the government platform
The Government of Benin lists its e-visa platform among its official platforms and links it from its main menu, and the platform's footer is signed by the Government of the Republic of Benin. The address is in the sources below, and an older government address now redirects to it.
- The public pages give no photo rules
The how-it-works page, the FAQ and the news pages of the e-visa platform mention no photo size, background, pixel size or file size. The photo step sits inside the application form, which opens from the link emailed after you start a request.
- Diplomatic and courtesy visas: passport format, white background
The Benin embassy in Japan's list for the diplomatic and courtesy visa includes "Identity photo, passport format, with white background". It gives no size in millimetres.
- Washington: one passport-size photo
For diplomatic and international-organisation visas and for the extension of an e-visa for US citizens, the Washington embassy lists "One (1) passport size photo" with the application form, a copy of the 90-day e-visa for an extension, a yellow fever certificate, a round-trip ticket copy and a passport valid for at least six months.
- Details must match your documents
The platform warns that everything entered must match your identity and travel documents, and that the issued e-visa cannot be modified or refunded. Check the photo upload as carefully as the typed details.
- Timing
The FAQ recommends applying at least seven days before the date you enter Benin, and says a request cannot be made more than 90 days before it. The e-visa is valid for 30 or 90 days, as chosen.
- Extensions go through the DEI
The FAQ says that if the e-visa expires during your stay you should approach the Direction de l'Émigration et de l'Immigration to extend it.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Apply only on the government e-visa platform linked in the sources.
- Read the upload instructions inside the form before you pick a photo.
- Use a clear, recent, front-facing photo in passport style on a plain white background.
- Keep the photo as a digital file you can resize if the form asks for a particular size.
- Enter your passport details exactly as printed in your travel document.
Don't
- Do not assume a visa photo is 35 x 45 mm: no official visa page read says so.
- Do not rely on sites that quote a visa photo size the government does not publish.
- Do not pay for an e-visa before checking whether your nationality is exempt.
- Do not expect to change the e-visa after it is issued.
Glasses
No visa page read from Benin mentions glasses. The only international reference is ICAO's photograph guideline for passports, which is a baseline and not a Benin visa rule: if you wear glasses the photograph must show your eyes clearly, with no flash reflection off the glasses and no tinted lenses, and the frames must not cover any part of your eyes.
Headwear and religious dress
No visa page read from Benin sets a rule on headwear. The ICAO passport baseline, which is not a Benin visa rule, says head coverings are not permitted except for religious reasons, and that the face must be clearly shown from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead.
Printed and digital photos
The e-visa is fully digital: the photo is uploaded, you pay by card, and the approved visa is sent to your email. The Washington embassy says to print the e-visa and carry it, to be shown to control officers on arrival and during the stay. No pixel size or file size is published for the photo upload.
Embassy visas for officials are paper files, with one passport-size photo handed in with the form. A digital photo can be cropped and resized to the size an application asks for, or printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter for an embassy file.
Where to submit the photo
Most travellers apply on the government e-visa platform. Payment is by Visa or Mastercard card with 3-D Secure, and the platform lets you follow a request using the number sent by email. The government's cost page also lists a separate tariff for applications made at an embassy.
Diplomatic and courtesy visas, and extensions of the 90-day e-visa for US citizens, go through an embassy such as the one in Washington. If you are unsure which route fits, contact the nearest Beninese embassy before you pay.
How to get your Benin visa photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Benin visa: e-visa: not published. Diplomatic and… background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: apply on the government platform; the public pages give no photo rules; diplomatic and courtesy visas: passport format, white background; washington: one passport-size photo.
- Prepare a print or digital file. The e-visa is fully digital: the photo is uploaded, you pay by card, and the approved visa is sent to your email. The Washington embassy says to print the e-visa and carry it, to be shown to control officers on arrival and during the stay.
- Submit the photo with your application. Most travellers apply on the government e-visa platform. Payment is by Visa or Mastercard card with 3-D Secure, and the platform lets you follow a request using the number sent by email.
Benin visa photo FAQ
No official page read gives one. The e-visa platform's public pages state no photo size, and embassy lists ask for a photo in "passport format" or a "passport size photo". Check the instructions in the application form.
Yes. The Government of Benin links its e-visa platform from its website and lists it among its official platforms. An older government address redirects to it, so use the address given in the sources.
The Benin embassy in Japan lists "Upload the photo in the specified format" among the steps. The platform's public how-it-works page does not mention it, so the requirement is shown in the form that opens from your emailed link.
Not published for the e-visa. For diplomatic and courtesy visas, the Benin embassy in Japan lists an identity photo, passport format, with a white background. A plain white background is the safest choice.
No official visa page says so. The 35 x 45 mm format is published for the Beninese passport on a separate page. Do not copy it to a visa photo unless the form asks for it.
For diplomatic and courtesy visas, yes. The Washington embassy says ordinary short-stay visa applications are made electronically, while courtesy visas continue to be issued by embassies and consulates.
The platform's FAQ says 30 days or 90 days, whichever you choose in the request. It recommends applying at least seven days before arrival and not more than 90 days before.
The platform's FAQ says Africans can visit Benin without a visa for 90 days. Other foreigners are directed to apply for an e-visa. Rules can change, so confirm on the platform before travelling.
Related photo specifications
Other Benin documents
- Passport photo 35 × 45 mm
Visas and travel authorisations nearby
- Burkina Faso visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Ghana visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Mauritania visa photo
- Nigeria visa photo 600 × 600 px
- Togo visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- All Benin photo specifications
- Visas and travel authorisations: photo rules by country
- Photo specifications in Africa
Official sources
- Government of the Republic of Benin. Plateformes et e-services gouv.bj. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Government of the Republic of Benin (e-visa platform). e-Visa - Comment ça marche evisa.bj. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Government of the Republic of Benin (e-visa platform). e-Visa - Foire aux questions evisa.bj. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Benin, Washington. Visas Requirements beninembassy.us. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Republic of Benin to Japan. Visas and Travel beninembassy.jp. 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 before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Benin visa photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/benin/visa-photo