Bolivia registration of birth photo requirements
The 30 × 30 mm photo rules set by Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Bolivia for the Bolivia registration of birth, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Bolivia registration of birth photo?
In most cases no photo is needed to register a birth with Bolivia's civil registry (SERECI). The consular requirement lists for children under 12, adolescents aged 12 to 18 and adults include no photograph. The one official exception found is the Bolivian embassy in Canada, which asks for two 3 x 3 cm (30 x 30 mm) colour photos with a white background when registering a child aged 12 to 18.
Births of children with a Bolivian mother or father are recorded in the civil register kept by SERECI, the Servicio de Registro Cívico. Abroad, the head of a Bolivian consular office also acts as civil registry officer and can register the birth once the legal requirements are met, so that the person receives a Bolivian birth certificate.
What the registry wants is proof and witnesses, not pictures. For a child up to 12, the consular list asks for a Bolivian mother or father, the presence of the child and of the parents (both if possible, or one), the live-birth certificate from the hospital, the foreign civil registry birth certificate (original or legalised copy, translated if not in Spanish), the parents' passports or cédulas, their marriage certificate if they are married, and two adult witnesses who are not relatives and must be present.
Adolescents from 12 to 18 follow a similar list, and adults over 18 register with a foreign birth certificate that is apostilled or legalised, their own identity document, the Bolivian parent's identity document and two witnesses. None of these lists, on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs pages or on the embassy page in Stockholm, includes a photo. The embassy in Canada is the exception: for ages 12 to 18 it asks for two 3 cm x 3 cm colour photos with a white background.
Bolivia registration of birth photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Bolivia:[1]
| Print size | No photo in the consular lists; Ottawa embassy, ages 12 to 18 only: 3 x 3 cm (30 x 30 mm) |
|---|---|
| Background | Ottawa embassy, ages 12 to 18: white |
| Colour | Ottawa embassy: colour |
| Print quality | Ottawa embassy: two prints; no other channel lists prints |
| Pixels when printed | 354 × 354 px at 300 dpi · 709 × 709 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
In the official words
Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:
two photos of 3 cm x3cm in color with background White
Tres (3) fotografías del menor, 4 x 4cm, a colores, fondo blanco, actual
Key requirements
- No photo in the standard lists
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs requirement lists for registering a birth abroad, for every age group, contain no photograph. The consular answers on registering a minor born abroad list none either.
- The person registered attends
The child or adolescent being registered must be present, with the parents (both if possible, otherwise one). An adult registers with an identity document issued abroad or other proof of identity.
- Two witnesses
Bring two adult witnesses who are not relatives. They may be foreigners, must bring an identity card, passport or other identity document, and must be present at the moment of registration.
- Translated, legalised documents
A foreign birth certificate not in Spanish must be translated, and the translation must also be legalised or apostilled.
- Canada: photos for teenagers
The embassy in Ottawa asks for two 3 cm x 3 cm colour photos with a white background, but only for registrations of children between 12 and 18 years old.
- Adults prove the Bolivian parent
If the foreign birth document does not show the Bolivian parent, filiation is proved with a suitable official document from a competent authority that contains the full name of the Bolivian mother or father.
- Supplementary documents in special cases
Where the birth document would have to come from a country in armed conflict, or the person is stateless, a refugee or an asylee, supplementary documents may be accepted with prior written authorisation from consular officials.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Bring the person being registered to the consulate.
- Bring two adult witnesses who are not relatives, with their identity documents.
- Have a foreign birth certificate translated into Spanish and the translation legalised or apostilled.
- Bring the hospital live-birth certificate for a child under 18.
- Confirm your appointment with the consulate in advance.
- Bring two 3 x 3 cm colour photos on white if you register a 12 to 18 year old in Canada.
Don't
- Do not buy photos for a registration at most consulates; none are listed.
- Do not bring relatives as witnesses.
- Do not use 4 x 4 cm prints for the Ottawa embassy; it asks for 3 x 3 cm.
- Do not leave a foreign certificate untranslated if it is not in Spanish.
Sample photos
How a Bolivia registration of birth photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 30 × 30 mm and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Babies and children
The lists differ by age. Up to 12, the hospital live-birth certificate and the foreign civil registry certificate are central, and both parents should attend if possible, or at least one. Between 12 and 18 the documents are similar, the adolescent must be present and the two witnesses need valid identity documents.
The mother or the father must be Bolivian, and married parents bring their marriage certificate. Once registered, a child born abroad without an identity number can have one assigned at the consulate, which is needed before a cédula or a passport.
Printed and digital photos
No digital photo or upload is part of a consular birth registration. The registration is made at the consulate with the parents and witnesses present, using the documents you bring.
If you register a 12 to 18 year old at the embassy in Ottawa, have two 3 x 3 cm colour prints made with a white background. A digital photo can be cropped to 30 x 30 mm and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter.
Where to submit the photo
Register at the Bolivian consulate or embassy consular section for your area, with everyone involved present. In Canada, the embassy asks for a cover letter requesting the registration, signed by one or both parents with their address, phone and email, and it keeps the Canadian birth certificate to send to SERECI later.
Registering an adult at the Ottawa embassy needs the same kind of proof and two witnesses, and no photos are listed for it.
How to get your Bolivia registration of birth photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Bolivia registration of birth: 30 × 30 mm print, ottawa embassy background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: no photo in the standard lists; the person registered attends; two witnesses; translated, legalised documents.
- Prepare a print or digital file. No digital photo or upload is part of a consular birth registration. The registration is made at the consulate with the parents and witnesses present, using the documents you bring.
- Submit the photo with your application. Register at the Bolivian consulate or embassy consular section for your area, with everyone involved present.
Bolivia registration of birth photo FAQ
Usually not. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists for registering births of children under 12, adolescents and adults include no photograph, and the Stockholm embassy page gives the same lists. Bring the documents, the child and two witnesses instead.
The Bolivian embassy in Ottawa asks for two 3 cm x 3 cm colour photos with a white background, but only for registrations of children aged 12 to 18. It lists none for younger children or for adults over 18.
Two adults who are not relatives. They can be foreigners, must bring an identity card, passport or other identity document, and must be present at the consulate at the time of the registration.
Yes, if the mother or father is Bolivian. Bring the foreign birth certificate (apostilled or legalised, and translated if needed), your own identity document, the Bolivian parent's cédula, passport or birth certificate, and two witnesses. No photo is listed.
No current official page sets 4 x 4 cm. The consular lists ask for no photo, and the only official photo rule found, from the embassy in Canada for ages 12 to 18, is 3 x 3 cm with a white background.
Consulates can issue a duplicate certificate of a birth that is in the civil registry database. Only first-degree relatives (parents, siblings, spouse or children) may request it, with documents showing the relationship; anyone else needs a notarial power of attorney.
Related photo specifications
Other Bolivia documents
- Passport photo
- Visa photo 40 × 40 mm
- ID card photo 30 × 30 mm
- Certificate of residence photo
- Safe conduct photo 30 × 40 mm
Other documents nearby
- Brazil employment record book photo 30 × 40 mm
- All Bolivia photo specifications
- Other documents: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 30 × 30 mm photo
- Photo specifications in South America
Official sources
- Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Bolivia. Registro civil: inscripción de partidas de nacimiento consulados.cancilleria.gob.bo. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Bolivia. Trámites consulares: Registro Civil consulados.cancilleria.gob.bo. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Bolivia. Registro civil (Embajada en Suecia) embajadas.cancilleria.gob.bo. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Bolivia. Preguntas frecuentes: SERECI (Consulado General en Madrid) consulados.cancilleria.gob.bo. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Plurinational State of Bolivia in Canada. Birth registration of children born abroad from a Bolivian mother or Bolivian father bolivianembassy.ca. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Plurinational State of Bolivia in Canada. Registry of birth for persons over 18 years of age born abroad bolivianembassy.ca. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Bolivia before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
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"Bolivia registration of birth photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/bolivia/registration-of-birth-photo