Botswana passport photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Government of Botswana for the Botswana passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Botswana passport photo?
Inside Botswana, the government's passport service page lists your Omang, supporting documents and fee but no photographs, and you apply in person at an immigration office. Abroad, missions ask for two recent full-colour passport photos; the embassy in Washington sizes them at 35 x 45 mm (1.37 x 1.77 in). The Ministry's guideline for e-passport and Omang images asks for a full-face pose, neutral expression, plain uniform background, no hats, wigs or sunglasses, and no glare on glasses.
Botswana passports, including the e-passport, are issued by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship under the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs. The government's service page names the departmental headquarters in Gaborone, the regional and district immigration offices and missions abroad as the places to apply. Every applicant must present themselves in person, and anyone aged 17 or younger must come with a parent or guardian. The documents it lists are the Omang (national identity card) for adults, a birth certificate and a parent's Omang for minors, and the fee. Photographs are not on that list.
Abroad, the application form is completed at the embassy and photos are handed in as prints. The embassies in Washington and Berlin and the mission in Geneva each ask for two full-colour passport photos for adults, for children and for a lost passport. Washington is the only one of these to give a size: 35 x 45 mm for applicants aged 16 and over. Fingerprints must be captured in black ink.
The photo rules themselves come from a Ministry guideline titled Frontal Images for Omang and ePassport, which Washington and Berlin both publish. It says production of the national identity card and the e-passport follows the ICAO facial image standard in Doc 9303, and lists 17 rules on pose, expression, background, lighting, hair, glasses and headgear, illustrated with right and wrong example photos.
Botswana passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Government of Botswana:[1]
| Print size | Abroad (Washington embassy): 35 x 45 mm (1.37 x 1.77 in); the in-country service page lists no photo |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No online application: missions take two printed photos with a paper form completed at the embassy |
| Background | Plain and uniform in colour, no texture of lines or curves; no colour is named, approved examples are light-coloured |
| Colour | Passport: full colour; Omang applications at the embassies: black and white |
| Photo age | Recent; no time limit is stated |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- Two colour prints at a mission
Washington, Berlin and Geneva all list two full-colour passport photos for a new e-passport, a child's passport and a lost passport. Washington alone gives dimensions, 35 x 45 mm, and only in its checklist for applicants aged 16 and over.
- No photo on the in-country checklist
For applications made at an immigration office in Botswana, the government page lists identity documents, parents' details and the fee, with no photographs. Applicants must attend in person. If you are unsure whether to bring prints, ask the office before you go.
- Full face, neutral, mouth closed
The Ministry guideline asks for a full-face frontal pose, with a neutral expression, both eyes open normally rather than wide open, and the mouth closed. Its examples reject a grin, a smile, closed or tilted eyes and a portrait-style turned pose.
- Uniform background, centred face
The background must be plain, with no texture of lines or curves, in a uniform colour or a single-colour pattern. The face must be centred, and a busy, patterned backdrop is shown as a fail.
- Even lighting
Light must be spread evenly over the face, with no strong direction from the photographer's point of view. The guideline rules out shadows on the face and red eye, and its examples reject shadows behind the head and flash reflecting off the skin.
- Your own hair, uncovered eyes
Artificial hair extensions are not allowed and wigs must be removed. The examples also reject hair hanging across the eyes and hair covering the ears.
- Omang photos are black and white
The same guideline covers the national identity card. When you apply for or renew an Omang at the Washington or Berlin embassy, you bring two recent black-and-white passport-sized photographs, not colour ones.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Bring two recent full-colour passport photos to a mission.
- Use 35 x 45 mm prints when applying through Washington.
- Face the camera with both eyes open and your mouth closed.
- Stand in front of a plain backdrop of one uniform colour.
- Light your face evenly from the front.
- Lower a veil so your face shows from crown to chin and ear to ear.
Don't
- Do not wear a hat, cap or wool hat.
- Do not wear sunglasses or dark tinted lenses.
- Do not wear a wig or artificial hair extensions.
- Do not smile, grin or turn into a portrait pose.
- Do not include another person or a toy in a child's photo.
- Do not bring colour photos for an Omang at a mission; they ask for black and white.
Sample photos
How a Botswana 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
You may keep your glasses on. The Ministry guideline asks for no glare on glasses or spectacles, and for frames that avoid covering the eyes where possible. Its examples reject heavy frames, frames that sit across the eyes and flash reflecting on the lenses; the accepted example shows lighter frames with the eyes fully visible.
Sunglasses are not allowed, and the examples also mark dark tinted lenses as wrong.
Headwear and religious dress
Hats, caps and other headgear must be removed; the guideline notes that caps affect the algorithms. If you wear headgear for cultural or religious reasons, a statutory affidavit must be completed for that purpose. Traditional or religious headgear must not cast shadows on the face.
A veil must be lowered to expose the centre of the face, roughly from crown to chin and from ear to ear. The example photos reject a covered face, a covered chin, a covered hairline and covered ears, and accept a headscarf or turban that leaves the face fully open.
Babies and children
Inside Botswana, applicants aged 17 and younger must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, and the application needs the child's birth certificate and a parent's or guardian's Omang. Abroad, a parent or guardian completes a passport application for a child under 16 in person at the embassy, the child must also be present, and two full-colour passport photos are required.
The Ministry guideline includes a child among its examples. A photo that shows another person, or in which the child has the mouth open or is holding a toy, is marked wrong; the accepted photo shows the child alone, facing the camera.
Printed and digital photos
There is no online passport application. Missions take printed photos with a form completed at the embassy, and fingerprints must be captured in black ink. Berlin does not take fingerprints itself; it points applicants to certain government offices or private providers in Germany. Washington's checklist for emergency travel documents also asks for a prepaid, self-addressed envelope, so part of its service runs by post.
For prints of 35 x 45 mm, a digital photo can be cropped to that shape and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter. Inside Botswana, the service page does not ask for prints.
Where to submit the photo
In Botswana, apply at the Department of Immigration and Citizenship headquarters in Gaborone or at any regional or district immigration office, and check the outcome at the office where you applied. The same offices handle the emergency travel document, which is for urgent travel to neighbouring countries other than South Africa.
Abroad, apply at the nearest Botswana embassy or high commission. Berlin says you must be personally present, with no provision for representatives. Washington, Berlin and Geneva ask for two colour photos for an e-passport, and Washington and Berlin ask for two for an emergency travel document.
How to get your Botswana passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Botswana passport: 35 × 45 mm print, plain and uniform in colour background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: two colour prints at a mission; no photo on the in-country checklist; full face, neutral, mouth closed; uniform background, centred face.
- Prepare a print or digital file. There is no online passport application. Missions take printed photos with a form completed at the embassy, and fingerprints must be captured in black ink.
- Submit the photo with your application. In Botswana, apply at the Department of Immigration and Citizenship headquarters in Gaborone or at any regional or district immigration office, and check the outcome at the office where you applied.
Botswana passport photo FAQ
The embassy in Washington asks applicants aged 16 and over for two full-colour photos of 35 x 45 mm (1.37 x 1.77 in). The Berlin and Geneva missions ask for full-colour passport photos without giving a size. The government page for applying inside Botswana lists no photograph at all.
The government's passport service page does not list photographs. Adults bring a valid Omang and a copy, children a birth certificate and a parent's Omang, plus the fee, and every applicant must appear in person. If in doubt, ask the office before your visit.
Yes, but there must be no glare on the lenses, and the frames should not cover the eyes if that can be avoided. Heavy frames are shown as wrong in the Ministry's examples. Sunglasses and dark tinted lenses are not allowed.
Yes. Headgear worn for cultural or religious reasons is allowed if a statutory affidavit is completed for that purpose. It must not shadow the face, and a veil must be lowered to show the face from roughly crown to chin and ear to ear. Hats and caps must come off.
No. The expression must be neutral, with both eyes open normally and the mouth closed. The Ministry's guideline shows a grin and a smile as examples of photos that are not acceptable.
No. The Ministry guideline says there shall be no artificial hair extensions and that wigs must be removed. Your hair should also be kept away from your eyes, as the examples reject hair hanging across them.
At the embassies in Washington and Berlin, first-time, renewal and replacement Omang applications each need two recent black-and-white passport-sized photographs, and you must attend in person. The Ministry's photo guideline covers both the Omang and the e-passport, so the same pose and background rules apply.
The guideline names no colour. The background must be plain and uniform, either one colour or a single-colour pattern, with no texture of lines or curves. The accepted example photos all use light-coloured backgrounds, and a busy patterned backdrop is marked wrong.
Related photo specifications
Other Botswana documents
- Visa photo 28 × 36 mm
- Residence permit photo 30 × 40 mm
Passports nearby
- Eswatini passport photo 37 × 48 mm
- Namibia passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- South Africa passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Angola passport photo
- Benin passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Burkina Faso passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Cameroon passport photo 40 × 40 mm
- Central African Republic passport photo 40 × 40 mm
- Chad passport photo 40 × 40 mm
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 Botswana photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Africa
Official sources
- Government of Botswana. Botswana Passport Application gov.bw. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Government of Botswana. Electronic Emergency Travel Document (ETD) gov.bw. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Republic of Botswana, Washington DC. Photo Requirements for Passport and National ID botswanaembassy.org. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Republic of Botswana, Washington DC. E-Passport Application botswanaembassy.org. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Republic of Botswana, Washington DC. National Identity Card (Omang) botswanaembassy.org. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Republic of Botswana in Germany. Core Consular Services embassyofbotswana.de. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Botswana in Switzerland and Permanent Mission to the UN, Geneva. Passports botswanamission.ch. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Government of Botswana before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Botswana passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/botswana/passport-photo