Botswana photo specifications
Photo sizes and rules for 3 documents issued in Botswana, taken from the issuing authorities and linked to their official pages.
At a glance
Botswana passport applicants abroad hand in two colour prints, which the Washington embassy sizes at 35 x 45 mm; at home immigration offices no photo is listed. Visa photos are 28 x 36 mm colour JPEGs of up to 30 KB on the e-Visa portal, or 3 x 4 cm on paper Form 1. Residence permit Form 15 has a 3 x 4 cm photo box, and work permits need two passport-size photos on white.
Overview
Each of Botswana's three documents follows its own photo route. The Department of Immigration and Citizenship, under the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs, issues passports, visas and residence permits, while work permits come from the Department of Labour and Social Security.
Passports are applied for in person. Inside Botswana the service page lists no photograph; at missions abroad you bring two colour prints, and a Ministry guideline based on the ICAO standard sets the pose, background and headwear rules for both the e-passport and the Omang identity card. Visas are the only document with an online channel, and the e-Visa portal has its own size, file limit and framing rules. Residence and work permits remain paper applications with printed photos.
Photo specifications by document
Passports
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passport | 35 × 45 mm | — | Plain and uniform in colour, no texture of… |
Visas and travel authorisations
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visa | 28 × 36 mm | — | e-Visa: plain light background |
Residence and work permits
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residence permit | 30 × 40 mm | — | Work permit: white background |
Frequently asked questions
No. Washington asks for 35 x 45 mm passport prints, the e-Visa portal wants a 28 x 36 mm digital image, and both the paper visa form and the residence permit form have a 3 x 4 cm photo box. Check the page for your document before printing.
Only visas, through the Department of Immigration and Citizenship's e-Visa portal. Passports are applied for in person at an immigration office or mission, and residence and work permits are paper forms handed in at immigration or Labour offices.
The Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs publishes an ICAO-based guideline for e-passport and Omang images. The e-Visa portal sets its own rules for uploads, and the residence and work permit checklists only state the number of photos, colour and, for work permits, a white background.
Yes. Missions in Washington, Berlin and Geneva ask passport applicants to bring two full-colour photos, and Omang applicants at Washington and Berlin to bring two black-and-white ones. Visa applicants abroad normally use the e-Visa portal instead.
Nearby countries
Other countries in Southern Africa:
Official sources
- Government of Botswana. Botswana Passport Application gov.bw. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Department of Immigration and Citizenship, Botswana. e-Visa Photo Requirements evisa.gov.bw. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Government of Botswana. Residence Permit Application gov.bw. Checked 2 November 2026.
Cite this page
"Botswana photo specifications". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/botswana