Brazil passport photo requirements
The 50 × 70 mm photo rules set by Polícia Federal for the Brazil passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Brazil passport photo?
If you are 5 or older and apply in Brazil, do not bring a photo: the Polícia Federal (PF) photographs you at the appointment. A child under 5 needs a recent 5 x 7 cm (50 x 70 mm) print with a white background. Abroad, consulates ask for a print in the local passport size on white, for example 3.5 x 4.5 cm (35 x 45 mm) in London and 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) in Chicago, with a neutral expression.
Brazilian passports are issued in Brazil by the Polícia Federal (PF). You fill in the online application, pay the fee that the form generates, book a slot at a PF passport office and attend in person with your original documents. At that appointment the officer records your fingerprints and takes a facial photograph. Asked whether applicants may bring a photo instead, the PF answers no: every applicant over 5 must be photographed during the appointment, in line with international civil aviation rules.
Children under 5 are the exception. The PF asks for a recent 5 x 7 cm photograph with a white background, handed in with the documents, and the child must still come to the appointment.
Brazilians living abroad apply through the embassy or consulate that covers their address, part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty). The usual route is the ministry's online form, which produces a Receipt of Application Submission (RER), followed by the e-consular system, where you upload scans and wait for validation before attending or posting the originals. Consulates want a printed photo stuck on the signed RER in the passport size used locally. If you apply through a consulate in the United States, that means 2 x 2 inches; London asks for 3.5 x 4.5 cm. If you also add a photo file to the online form, its photo field takes JPG, GIF or PNG files of at least 431 x 531 pixels and no more than 300 KB.
Brazil passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Polícia Federal:[1]
| Print size | Brazil: taken by the PF (age 5+); under 5: 5 x 7 cm (50 x 70 mm). Consulates: local size, e.g. 35 x 45 mm or 2 x 2 in |
|---|---|
| Digital size | None in Brazil. Optional upload to the MRE online form abroad: at least 431 x 531 pixels |
| Background | White (PF under-5 prints and consulate prints) |
| Colour | Colour print (Chicago consulate) |
| Photo age | Under-5 print: recent (PF); Chicago: taken in the last 6 months |
| File size | MRE online form: up to 300 KB |
| File format | MRE online form: JPG/JPEG, GIF or PNG |
| Print quality | Chicago: high-quality photo paper, high resolution, no ink marks or creases; do not trim it to fit the RER box |
| Pixels when printed | 591 × 827 px at 300 dpi · 1181 × 1654 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- Photographed at the PF appointment
In Brazil the PF captures the passport photo itself, together with your fingerprints. Its FAQ says anyone older than 5 must be photographed at the appointment, so a print you bring is not used. The image is checked by the system, and the PF will not take another one just because you dislike the result.
- Under 5: a 5 x 7 cm print
Bring one recent 5 x 7 cm (50 x 70 mm) photograph on a white background with the documents. The child still attends. The PF refuses the print if gear, ornaments or adornments partly cover the face, or if it no longer identifies the child.
- Neutral face, no smile
Asked whether you may smile, the PF answers no: civil aviation rules require a neutral expression. Consulates apply the same idea to prints. Chicago asks for a neutral face, neither smiling nor frowning, with the eyes open and visible.
- Accessories and lenses
Earrings, necklaces, make-up and scarves may stay on provided they do not cover the eyebrows or the outline of the face. Coloured contact lenses are banned, because the colour of your eyes must not be changed.
- Consulate print on the RER
Abroad, print the RER, sign it and stick your photo in the box marked for it. Chicago asks for a colour print on high-quality photo paper, taken in the last 6 months, close up on the head and top of the shoulders, and tells applicants not to cut the photo down to fit the box. A photo used in an earlier passport is refused.
- Local print size abroad
Each consulate sets its print size by the local standard. Chicago asks for the US passport size of 2 x 2 inches, London for 3.5 x 4.5 cm, and the e-consular page for Faro, Portugal accepts 3 x 4 or 5 x 7 cm. Follow the page of the post that holds your application.
- Online form photo field
The ministry's online form, used for passports and visas, has a photo field that accepts JPG, JPEG, GIF or PNG files of at least 431 x 531 pixels and up to 300 KB. Washington calls uploading a photo there optional but recommended; the printed photo on the RER is still required.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Book your PF appointment and bring original documents, not a photo, if you are 5 or older.
- Bring a recent 5 x 7 cm print on white for a child under 5.
- Keep a neutral expression with your eyes open.
- Use your consulate's local print size and a white background abroad.
- Stick the print on the signed RER in the box provided.
- Save any file for the online form as JPG, GIF or PNG of at least 431 x 531 pixels.
Don't
- Do not smile during the PF capture.
- Do not wear coloured contact lenses.
- Do not let a scarf, hair accessory or jewellery cover your eyebrows or face outline.
- Do not reuse a photo from a previous passport at a consulate.
- Do not trim the consulate print to fit the RER box.
- Do not expect a retake because you dislike how you look.
Sample photos
How a Brazil passport photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 50 × 70 mm and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
The PF publishes no separate glasses rule for its own camera. Its FAQ deals with accessories and lenses instead: items may be worn if they leave the eyebrows and the outline of the face uncovered, and coloured contact lenses are forbidden under ANAC and ICAO rules.
For prints made for a consulate, Chicago is specific. If you wear glasses, the lenses must not reflect room light or the camera flash, and sunglasses or glasses with thick or very conspicuous frames are not allowed under any circumstances.
Headwear and religious dress
At a PF appointment, scarves and similar items are treated like other accessories: they may be worn only if they do not cover the eyebrows or the shape of the face in the picture.
Chicago's photo rules ban all headwear except items worn for religious reasons, and even those must leave the whole face clearly visible. The same page advises against white clothing, which merges with the white background.
Babies and children
Applicants under 5 bring a 5 x 7 cm print on white, and minors of any age must attend in person. The PF accepts closed eyes only from a newborn and rejects a photo in which gear or ornaments partly hide the child's face.
For consulate prints, Chicago asks that small children look as neutral as possible, with only the face and shoulders in the frame, no toys and no hands of the person holding them. Washington asks both parents to sign the RER for an applicant under 16. A minor's passport is valid for 1 year up to age 1, 2 years from 1 to 2, 3 years from 2 to 3, 4 years from 3 to 4, and 5 years from 4 to 18.
Printed and digital photos
In Brazil you need neither a file nor a print unless the applicant is under 5; the PF captures the image at the counter. A 5 x 7 cm print for a young child can be made from a digital photo and printed at a photo counter.
Abroad, the photo is both printed and scanned. You stick the print on the signed RER, upload the signed RER and your documents to e-consular for validation, then bring or post the originals. A photo file in the online form is optional at Washington; if you add one, it must be at least 431 x 531 pixels and no more than 300 KB. A digital photo can be cropped to 2 x 2 inches or 3.5 x 4.5 cm and printed on a 4 x 6 inch sheet.
Where to submit the photo
In Brazil the passport is a Polícia Federal service: fill in the form, pay the fee generated when you send it, book a slot at a PF passport office, attend with your originals and return to the same office to collect the passport. A child under 12 may have the passport handed to a legal guardian who shows the child's original document.
Abroad, apply to the consulate for your place of residence. Every Chicago application is screened first on e-consular; residents of its jurisdiction may then post the originals with a USPS money order and a prepaid USPS return envelope instead of attending. Other posts, such as London, also accept some passport applications by post.
How to get your Brazil passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Brazil passport: 50 × 70 mm print, 431 × 531 px digital file, white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: photographed at the PF appointment; under 5: a 5 x 7 cm print; neutral face, no smile; accessories and lenses.
- Prepare a print or digital file. In Brazil you need neither a file nor a print unless the applicant is under 5; the PF captures the image at the counter. A 5 x 7 cm print for a young child can be made from a digital photo and printed at a photo counter.
- Submit the photo with your application. In Brazil the passport is a Polícia Federal service: fill in the form, pay the fee generated when you send it, book a slot at a PF passport office, attend with your originals and return to the same office to collect the passport.
Brazil passport photo FAQ
Not if you are 5 or older and applying in Brazil. The Polícia Federal photographs every applicant over 5 at the appointment, following civil aviation rules, and does not use prints. Only children under 5 bring one: a recent 5 x 7 cm photo with a white background.
5 x 7 cm, which is 50 mm wide and 70 mm tall, recent and with a white background. The child must still come to the PF office. Closed eyes are accepted only for a newborn, and anything partly covering the face leads to refusal.
No. The PF says the holder's expression must be neutral under international civil aviation rules, and it advises against smiling while the photo is taken. Consulate print rules, such as Chicago's, also ask you not to smile or frown.
A printed 2 x 2 inch colour photo with a white background, taken in the last 6 months, according to the Chicago consulate. Stick it on the signed RER without trimming it. Washington asks for a close-up of head and shoulders, in sharp focus and high quality, with no ink marks or creases.
They use the local passport size. London asks for 3.5 x 4.5 cm (35 x 45 mm), front-facing on a white background and less than 6 months old. The consulate in Faro, Portugal accepts a recent colour print of 3 x 4 or 5 x 7 cm on white. Check your own consulate's page before printing.
Earrings, necklaces, make-up and scarves are allowed as long as they leave your eyebrows and the outline of your face visible. Coloured contact lenses are prohibited by ANAC and ICAO rules, because the photo must show your real eye colour.
Not because you dislike it. The PF explains that looks are not assessed, and a photo the system has approved on technical grounds is not retaken or edited. A different hairstyle from your previous passport photo is not a problem.
The PF form in Brazil does not. For the ministry's form used abroad, Washington calls adding a photo optional but recommended. If you add one, the field takes JPG, JPEG, GIF or PNG of at least 431 x 531 pixels and up to 300 KB. You still need the print on the RER.
Related photo specifications
Other Brazil documents
- Passport or visa photo 50 × 70 mm
- Visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- ID card photo 30 × 40 mm
- Driving licence photo 640 × 480 px
- SPTrans bilhete único photo 30 × 40 mm
- Employment record book photo 30 × 40 mm
Passports nearby
Also 50 × 70 mm
- Canada passport photo 50 × 70 mm
- Canada secure Certificate of Indian Status photo 50 × 70 mm
- Canada permanent resident photo 50 × 70 mm
- Canada citizenship photo 50 × 70 mm
- Canada Security licence photo 50 × 70 mm
- Canada Quebec health insurance card photo 50 × 70 mm
- Comoros visa photo 50 × 70 mm
- All Brazil photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 50 × 70 mm photo
- Photo specifications in South America
Official sources
- Polícia Federal. Documentação necessária: lista geral (Portuguese) gov.br. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Polícia Federal. Fotografia 5x7: o que preciso? (Portuguese) gov.br. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Polícia Federal. Foto: posso levar uma fotografia ao invés de tirar na hora? (Portuguese) gov.br. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Polícia Federal. Acessórios, brincos, lenços etc: posso usar durante a fotografia? (Portuguese) gov.br. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Polícia Federal. Foto: posso sorrir? (Portuguese) gov.br. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Polícia Federal. Lentes de contato coloridas (Portuguese) gov.br. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Polícia Federal. Foto: não gostei, posso pedir que outra seja tirada? (Portuguese) gov.br. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Polícia Federal. Cabelo diferente da foto do passaporte anterior (Portuguese) gov.br. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Government of Brazil (gov.br). Obter passaporte comum para brasileiro (Portuguese) gov.br. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Consulate General of Brazil in Chicago. Fotografia para Passaporte - Especificações (Portuguese) gov.br. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Consulate General of Brazil in Chicago. Passaporte para maior de 18 anos (Portuguese) gov.br. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Consulate General of Brazil in Chicago. Passaporte por correio (Portuguese) gov.br. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Consulate General of Brazil in Washington. Passport gov.br. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Consulate General of Brazil in London. Passaporte para menor de 18 anos: solicitação no Consulado (Portuguese) gov.br. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Consulate General of Brazil in London. Guide to uploading documents to the SCI-NG visa online form gov.br. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil (Itamaraty). e-consular: Consulado do Brasil em Faro (Portuguese) ec-faro.itamaraty.gov.br. Checked 3 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Polícia Federal before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Brazil passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/brazil/passport-photo