British Virgin Islands passport photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Government of the Virgin Islands for the British Virgin Islands passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the British Virgin Islands passport photo?
The Virgin Islands government publishes no photo size, background or head-size rule for its passport. The Civil Registry & Passport Office in Road Town handles British Overseas Territories Citizen (BOTC) and British (UK) passports, and either can be renewed up to nine months before expiry. HM Passport Office, which sets the rules for UK passports, asks for 35 x 45 mm prints, so ask the office what it wants before you print.
Passports in the Virgin Islands are handled by the Civil Registry & Passport Office, a department of the territory's public service responsible for vital records and travel documents for residents and citizens. Its stated passport mandate is "to manage passports and nationality matters in the Territory of the Virgin Islands". The Passport Office is on the first floor of the Central Administration Building on Wickham's Cay in Road Town, Tortola. GOV.UK guidance says that British Overseas Territories Citizens living in a territory apply for a variant passport at their local government office, and the office's own notices show that it deals with BOTC passports and with British (UK) passports.
The office runs an online services portal that lists an application for a BOTC passport, and the government's Customer Service Care Center takes appointment bookings. Residents therefore have more than one way to start, yet none of the gov.vg pages read for this guide says what the photo must look like, how many prints to bring or whether a digital file is accepted. Older guides and forms that the previous government website linked for the BOTC passport no longer load.
The only Virgin Islands government checklist found that mentions a passport photo is the one for residence status, which asks for one photo meeting "BVI or UK passport standards" without describing either. This page sets out that gap plainly, and gives the HM Passport Office standard from GOV.UK as a labelled reference, because the UK standard is the only published one that a British passport applicant in the territory can check.
British Virgin Islands passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Government of the Virgin Islands:[1]
| Print size | Not published by the Virgin Islands government; UK passport prints are 35 x 45 mm |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No digital specification published for the BOTC passport |
| Background | Not published; UK printed passport photos use plain cream or light grey |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- No Virgin Islands photo standard is published
The gov.vg page for the Civil Registry & Passport Office and its notices on passport renewal and UK passport fees give no size, number of prints, background or recency. Treat any figure quoted by a photo shop as a guess, not as a Virgin Islands rule.
- One office, two kinds of passport
The office handles BOTC passports and British (UK) passports. A photo that suits one may not suit the other, so say which passport you are applying for when you ask what the office needs.
- Renew up to nine months early
A notice of 26 March 2025 reminds the public that BOTC or British passports can be renewed up to nine months before they expire. It followed the United States Virgin Islands' enforcement of the six-month validity requirement, and it points renewals to the passport office.
- The UK standard is the nearest reference
GOV.UK says UK passport prints are 45 mm high by 35 mm wide, with the head 29 to 34 mm from chin to crown, a plain cream or light grey background, colour, and a photo taken in the last month. Paper forms need 2 identical prints, while the online service takes a digital photo of at least 600 x 750 pixels.
- Residence status uses the same phrase
The territory's checklist for residence status asks for one passport photo "meeting BVI or UK passport standards". That shows the government treats the UK standard as acceptable, but it is a different application from a passport and says nothing about size.
- Ask in writing before you print
Email the office at infocris@gov.vg, name the passport type and ask four things: the print size, the number of prints, the background colour and whether a digital file is accepted. Keep the reply with your application.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Contact the Civil Registry & Passport Office before you pay for prints.
- Say whether you need a BOTC passport or a British passport.
- Ask whether the office wants printed photos or a digital file.
- Keep your photo recent, as the UK standard asks for the last month.
- Renew early if you plan to travel to US territories: the office allows renewal up to nine months before expiry.
Don't
- Do not rely on a size quoted by a commercial photo site as a Virgin Islands rule.
- Do not use a print trimmed from a larger picture for a British passport.
- Do not assume the residence status rule applies to passports.
- Do not wait for the last month before expiry to start a renewal.
Sample photos
How a British Virgin Islands 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
The Virgin Islands government publishes no rule on glasses. For UK passports, GOV.UK asks you to go without them unless you must wear them. Sunglasses and tinted lenses are out, and any glare, reflection, shadow or frame over the eyes is a fault. Following that wording is the careful choice until the office says otherwise.
Headwear and religious dress
No Virgin Islands rule on head coverings has been published. GOV.UK accepts a covering in a UK passport photo only when it is worn for religious or medical reasons, and nothing may hide the face. If you wear one, mention it when you contact the office.
Babies and children
The office publishes no separate photo guidance for children. The UK standard on GOV.UK asks for the child to be alone in the picture, with no toys or dummies for a baby, and relaxes the camera-gaze and expression rules for children under 6 and the eyes-open rule for children under 1.
Printed and digital photos
The Virgin Islands pages read do not say whether a BOTC passport application takes printed photos, a digital file or neither. For a UK passport, GOV.UK distinguishes the two routes: a paper form needs 2 identical printed photos, while an online application needs a digital photo of at least 600 x 750 pixels, 50 KB to 10 MB, left uncropped.
Which route the Civil Registry uses for UK passports is not published either, so confirm it with the office. A digital picture can be cropped to passport proportions and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter if prints are wanted. GOV.UK rejects prints cut down from a larger picture for UK passports.
Where to submit the photo
Applications for both kinds of passport go through the Civil Registry & Passport Office in Road Town. The government's Customer Service Care Center takes calls for appointments and general enquiries, and the office's online services portal lists a BOTC passport application with a start link. Business hours shown on the portal are 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday to Friday.
For questions about renewal procedures, the March 2025 notice gives the passport office telephone line, and the page for the office lists the infocris@gov.vg address. Fees and processing times change, so check them with the office rather than relying on third-party summaries.
How to get your British Virgin Islands passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the British Virgin Islands passport: 35 × 45 mm print, not published background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: no Virgin Islands photo standard is published; one office, two kinds of passport; renew up to nine months early; the UK standard is the nearest reference.
- Prepare a print or digital file. The Virgin Islands pages read do not say whether a BOTC passport application takes printed photos, a digital file or neither.
- Submit the photo with your application. Applications for both kinds of passport go through the Civil Registry & Passport Office in Road Town.
British Virgin Islands passport photo FAQ
The Virgin Islands government does not publish a size. HM Passport Office, which sets the rules for UK passports, asks for prints 45 mm high by 35 mm wide, and that is the nearest published standard. Confirm with the Civil Registry & Passport Office before you print.
The Civil Registry & Passport Office of the Government of the Virgin Islands. Its Passport Office is on the first floor of the Central Administration Building on Wickham's Cay in Road Town, and it handles both BOTC and British (UK) passports.
No official page read says. For UK passports on a paper form, GOV.UK requires 2 identical printed photos. Ask the office how many it wants for a BOTC passport, because nothing published confirms a number.
Not confirmed. The gov.vg pages do not mention a digital file, though the office has an online services portal with a BOTC passport application. GOV.UK takes digital photos for the online UK service. Ask the office what it accepts before you upload anything.
Yes. A notice of 26 March 2025 from the Civil Registry & Passport Office says BOTC or British passports can be renewed up to nine months before they expire. It issued the reminder because of the six-month validity requirement for entry to US territories and the US mainland.
Not by any published rule. The residence status checklist refers to "BVI or UK passport standards" without defining them, which suggests the UK standard is accepted as a benchmark. Treat it as a reference and get the office to confirm it for your application.
The Virgin Islands government gives no rule. Under the UK standard on GOV.UK, glasses should come off unless you have to wear them, and sunglasses or tinted lenses are never accepted. Keep frames, glare and reflections off your eyes if you do wear clear glasses.
Related photo specifications
Passports nearby
- Anguilla passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Antigua and Barbuda passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Aruba passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Bahamas passport photo 2 × 2 in
- Barbados passport photo 50 × 50 mm
- Cayman Islands passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Cuba passport photo 45 × 45 mm
- Dominica passport photo 38 × 45 mm
- Dominican Republic passport photo 50 × 50 mm
- Guadeloupe passport photo 35 × 45 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 British Virgin Islands photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in North America
Official sources
- Government of the Virgin Islands. Civil Registry & Passport Office gov.vg. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Civil Registry and Passport Office, Government of the Virgin Islands. U.S. Six-Month Passport Validity Requirement for Travel gov.vg. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Civil Registry and Passport Office, Government of the Virgin Islands. Increase in fees for United Kingdom passports gov.vg. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Government of the Virgin Islands. Required documents for Residence Status gov.vg. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Civil Registry & Passport Office, Virgin Islands. Online services: BOTC Passport crisvi.clients.backofficevi.com. Checked 3 November 2026.
- HM Passport Office (GOV.UK). Types of British passports: caseworker guidance gov.uk. Checked 3 November 2026.
- HM Passport Office (GOV.UK). Get a passport photo: Printed photos gov.uk. Checked 3 November 2026.
- HM Passport Office (GOV.UK). Get a passport photo: Digital photos gov.uk. Checked 3 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Government of the Virgin Islands before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"British Virgin Islands passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/british-virgin-islands/passport-photo