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Bermuda passport photo requirements

The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Government of Bermuda for the Bermuda passport, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 8 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Bermuda passport photo?

Bermuda publishes no photo specification of its own. The Department of Immigration asks for 2 photographs, one of them countersigned, and sends applicants to the GOV.UK printed-photo rules: 35 x 45 mm (45 mm high), head 29 to 34 mm from chin to crown, plain cream or light grey background, in colour, taken in the last month. Its pages describe a paper application with prints and no online photo upload.

In Bermuda the passport for British Overseas Territories citizens is the BOTC (Bermuda) passport, handled by the Department of Immigration of the Government of Bermuda. You have to satisfy the Passport Officer of your identity and your claim to a BOTC passport, and original documents are always required. A 2022 ministerial statement on gov.bm says Bermuda passports are no longer approved or printed in Bermuda, and that applications are sent on to HM Passport Office in the UK.

That history explains the department's photo instruction, which is only one line long. The renewal page, the first-time adult page and the first-time child page each list "2 photographs" with "1 must be countersigned" and tell you to see the photograph requirements on the GOV.UK page "Get a passport photo: Printed photos". The how-to-apply page repeats the link. So the working standard is the one HM Passport Office sets for paper forms, and the department adds the countersignature rule and the form's one-month limit on top.

This page covers the BOTC passport only, because that is all the Bermuda pages describe. A British citizen passport is a different document applied for through the GOV.UK passport service, which has an overseas application route and its own photo rules.

Bermuda passport photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Government of Bermuda:[1]

Print size35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in), 45 mm high by 35 mm wide, per the GOV.UK printed-photo rules Bermuda links
Digital sizeNo digital file: Bermuda's pages describe 2 printed photos sent with the paper form
Head height29 to 34 mm from crown of head to chin
BackgroundPlain cream or light grey, in clear contrast to you
ColourIn colour
Photo ageTaken in the last month
Print qualityProfessional standard on plain white photographic paper, no border; unaltered by computer software
Pixels when printed413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
35 mm45 mm29–34 mm
35 × 45 mm photo drawn to scale, with the 29–34 mm head height from chin to crown. Background: plain cream or light grey.

In the official words

Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:

Your photos must be: ... unaltered by computer software

Get a passport photo: Printed photos[7]

not be a cut down version of a larger picture

Get a passport photo: Printed photos[7]

Key requirements

  • Two photos, one countersigned

    Every Bermuda application page asks for 2 photographs. On the back of only one print, the countersignatory writes "I certify that this is a true likeness of" followed by the full name and title of the person named in section 2 of the form, then signs and dates it. For a child, the countersignatory must also be able to identify the child.

  • No Bermuda-specific photo spec

    The department gives no size, background or head measurement of its own. It points to GOV.UK's printed-photo page, so those figures apply when you apply through Bermuda on the paper form.

  • Size and head height

    Each print is 45 mm high by 35 mm wide, and the image of you from crown to chin must be between 29 mm and 34 mm. The GOV.UK page adds that a print must not be a cut down version of a larger picture.

  • Cream or light grey backdrop

    The background must be plain cream or light grey, with clear contrast between it and you. The photo must show a close-up of your full head and upper shoulders, with no other people or objects and no red eye.

  • Taken in the last month

    The department's application form tells you to enclose two photos taken in the last month that meet the photo guidance, and GOV.UK says you need a new photo with each new passport even if you look the same.

  • Professional print, no software edits

    GOV.UK asks for photos printed to a professional standard on plain white photographic paper with no border, in colour, in focus, without creases or tears, and unaltered by computer software. Both sides stay unmarked, except for the countersignature.

  • Loose in the envelope

    GOV.UK tells applicants to post the two photos separate from each other and loose, not attached to the form. Bermuda's pages give no different instruction, and its form says not to put a label or stamp on the form itself.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Take both prints from one picture so they are identical.
  • Have a countersignatory certify the back of one print only.
  • Face forward, look straight at the camera and keep your mouth closed.
  • Make sure your eyes are open and visible, with no hair across them.
  • Choose even lighting so no shadows fall on your face or behind you.
  • Print on plain white photographic paper with no border.

Don't

  • Do not trim a bigger photo down to size.
  • Do not alter the photo with computer software.
  • Do not wear sunglasses or tinted glasses.
  • Do not cover your face or wear a hat unless for religious or medical reasons.
  • Do not use a photo taken more than a month ago.
  • Do not write on either print, apart from the countersignature on one.

Sample photos

How a Bermuda passport photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 35 × 45 mm, head height and background colour.

Correct
Open-mouth smile
Head tilted
Too close: head too big
Too far: head too small
Busy background
Shadows on face or background
Glare on glasses

Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.

Glasses

GOV.UK, the rules Bermuda points to, says not to wear glasses in the photo unless you have to. If you must keep them on, they cannot be sunglasses or tinted, and the frames, glare, reflection or a shadow must not cover your eyes. Your eyes have to be open and visible, with no hair in front of them.

Headwear and religious dress

The GOV.UK rules the department links allow a head covering only when it is worn for religious or medical reasons, and nothing may cover your face. They also ask for no shadows on your face or behind you, which matters when a scarf or brim throws one. GOV.UK warns that an application is delayed when the photos do not meet its rules.

Babies and children

A child must be alone in the picture. Babies must not hold toys or use dummies. Children under 6 do not have to look at the camera or keep a plain expression, and babies under one may have their eyes closed; a hand supporting the baby's head must not show. The first-time child page lists the same 2 photographs, with 1 countersigned, as the adult page.

Bermuda's application route is paper: you print and complete the form and supply printed photos with it. GOV.UK says printed photos are for paper forms and digital photos are for online applications, but none of the Bermuda pages mentions an online photo upload. If you start from a phone or computer picture, have it printed at a photo counter on photo paper, for example on a 4 x 6 inch sheet, and cut apart only a sheet of identical prints.

Where to submit the photo

The how-to-apply page tells you to download and print the application form (single sided), complete it in black ink, pay online to the department's bank account, and include a copy of the payment receipt with your submission. The pages do not say whether to hand the pack in or post it, so check with the department. Its published address is the Government Administration Building, First Floor, 30 Parliament Street, Hamilton.

How to get your Bermuda passport photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Bermuda passport: 35 × 45 mm print, plain cream or light grey background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: two photos, one countersigned; no Bermuda-specific photo spec; size and head height; cream or light grey backdrop.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. Bermuda's application route is paper: you print and complete the form and supply printed photos with it.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. The how-to-apply page tells you to download and print the application form (single sided), complete it in black ink, pay online to the department's bank account, and include a copy of the payment receipt with your submission.

Make this photo online

Bermuda passport photo FAQ

Bermuda gives no size on its own pages. It sends applicants to the GOV.UK printed-photo rules, which ask for two identical prints, 45 mm high by 35 mm wide (35 x 45 mm), with the head measuring 29 to 34 mm from crown to chin.

Not on the pages read for this page. The Department of Immigration lists 2 photographs, one countersigned, and links to GOV.UK's "Get a passport photo: Printed photos". Its application form adds that the photos must have been taken in the last month. Ask the department if you need more than that.

A countersignatory from the department's list of accepted occupations. They write the certification on the back of one print and sign and date it. The department publishes the accepted occupations for countersignatories on a separate page.

The GOV.UK rules the department links ask for photos printed to a professional standard on plain white photographic paper, and not cut down from a larger picture. They do not mention home printing by name. A booth or photo-lab print is the safest route; a sheet from an ordinary printer on plain office paper does not match the words "photographic paper".

Only if you have to. Sunglasses and tinted glasses are not allowed, and your eyes must not be hidden by the frames, glare, reflection or shadow. If your lenses reflect the flash, it is simplest to take the glasses off for the picture.

It must have been taken in the last month. The department's form asks for two photos taken in the last month, and GOV.UK adds that every new passport needs a new photo even if your appearance has not changed.

The Bermuda pages describe only a printed form with printed photos, so no upload is documented. GOV.UK has a digital-photo route, but that belongs to its own online passport service, which is separate from the Bermuda process.

No. The BOTC (Bermuda) passport is the territory passport handled by the Department of Immigration. A British citizen passport comes from HM Passport Office, and GOV.UK runs an overseas application service for it. Bermuda's passport pages cover the BOTC passport only.

Related photo specifications

Passports nearby

Also 35 × 45 mm

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Official sources

  1. Government of Bermuda. Get a British Overseas Territory passport gov.bm. Checked 3 November 2026.
  2. Government of Bermuda, Department of Immigration. Passport Renewal gov.bm. Checked 3 November 2026.
  3. Government of Bermuda, Department of Immigration. First Time Applicants: Adult (16+ years of age) Requirements gov.bm. Checked 3 November 2026.
  4. Government of Bermuda, Department of Immigration. First Time Applicants: Child (15 years and under) gov.bm. Checked 3 November 2026.
  5. Government of Bermuda, Department of Immigration. British Overseas Territory passport application form (BOT/01/01) gov.bm. Checked 3 November 2026.
  6. Government of Bermuda. Processing of BOTC Bermuda passports (ministerial statement) gov.bm. Checked 3 November 2026.
  7. HM Passport Office (GOV.UK). Get a passport photo: Printed photos gov.uk. Checked 3 November 2026.
  8. HM Passport Office (GOV.UK). Overseas British passport applications gov.uk. Checked 3 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Government of Bermuda before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Bermuda passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/bermuda/passport-photo

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