Burkina Faso passport photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Office National d'Identification (ONI), Burkina Faso for the Burkina Faso passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Burkina Faso passport photo?
In Burkina Faso an adult's passport photo is captured on the spot: the e-passport requires you to attend the Division de la Migration, where your photo and fingerprints are taken. For a minor, ONI lists two identity photos written 4.5 x 3.5 cm (35 x 45 mm). Abroad, the Washington embassy asks for three passport photos taken from the front, face and ears clear, with no jewellery and no glasses unless medical.
The ordinary Burkinabè passport is issued by the Ministry in charge of Security through the Direction Générale de la Police Nationale (DGPN) and its Division de la Migration, the passport service in the Gounghin district of Ouagadougou. The Office National d'Identification (ONI) publishes the procedure on its website. Since 30 August 2018 the passport has been biometric: an e-passport that meets ICAO standards, with a chip holding the holder's biometric data.
Because the photo and fingerprints are captured instantly, every applicant has to appear in person for enrolment. ONI's list of documents for an adult therefore contains no photo, while its list for a minor asks for two prints. An older Police Nationale page still lists three passport-format photos for every applicant, so check with the Division de la Migration whether you need to bring any.
Burkinabè living abroad apply through an embassy or consulate general. The Washington embassy's list for the biometric ordinary passport combines a form carrying the applicant's fingerprints with three printed passport photos, and it spells out what those photos must not show.
Burkina Faso passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Office National d'Identification (ONI), Burkina Faso:[1]
| Print size | 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in), written 4.5 x 3.5 cm by ONI for minors' prints; adults are photographed at enrolment |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No upload: adults are photographed at the Division de la Migration; other channels take prints |
| Background | Not stated by ONI, the Police Nationale or the Washington embassy |
| Print quality | Minors in Burkina Faso: two prints (ONI). Washington: three passport photos, not stapled |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
In the official words
Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:
white background, size 4.5 cm by 3.5 cm
Key requirements
- Photo captured at enrolment
ONI explains that the e-passport makes the applicant's presence compulsory because the photo and fingerprints are captured instantly. Adults enrol in person at the Division de la Migration, commonly called the passport service.
- Two prints for a minor
ONI's list for minors includes two identity photos in the 4.5 x 3.5 cm format, which is 35 x 45 mm with the height given first. The same list asks for a parental authorisation and the CNIB or passport of both parents.
- Three photos through Washington
The Washington embassy asks every applicant, adult or child, for three passport photos taken from the front with the face and ears uncovered. The list is the same for a first passport and a renewal.
- What the photo must not show
Washington names the photo faults it sees most: a photo not taken from the front, photos stapled to the file, jewellery such as earrings or neck chains, glasses other than medical ones, an open mouth, and hair that hides the forehead or ears.
- Fingerprints on the form abroad
Adults applying abroad hand in a form that carries their biometric fingerprints; a minor's form is submitted without them. A CNIB or consular identity card is compulsory for anyone aged 15 or over.
- Older lists still mention adult prints
The Police Nationale passport page and its 2018 note on the e-passport list three identity photos for adults, while ONI's list leaves them out. If the office handling your file asks for prints, use 35 x 45 mm.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Attend the Division de la Migration in person to enrol.
- Bring two 35 x 45 mm prints for a child applying in Burkina Faso.
- Send three front-facing passport photos with a Washington file.
- Keep your face, forehead and both ears clear.
- Take off earrings and neck chains for the photo.
- Obtain a CNIB or consular card first if you are 15 or older.
Don't
- Do not staple the photos to the form.
- Do not wear glasses unless you need them for medical reasons.
- Do not open your mouth in the photo.
- Do not go through intermediaries; the police advise against it.
Sample photos
How a Burkina Faso 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
Washington's guidance on photo quality rules out glasses except medical ones ("pas de lunettes sauf médicale"). If you wear glasses for a medical reason you may keep them on; otherwise take them off before the picture.
ONI and the Police Nationale publish no glasses rule for the photo captured at enrolment in Burkina Faso, so follow the instructions of the operator who takes it.
Headwear and religious dress
The Washington embassy asks for the face and ears to be uncovered ("dégagé le visage et les oreilles") and rejects a hairstyle that hides the forehead or the ears. It does not mention hats, caps or religious head coverings, and no Burkinabè source read for this page publishes a rule on them.
Babies and children
In Burkina Faso, ONI's list for a minor contains a parental authorisation, the CNIB or passport of both parents, legalised copies of the birth certificate and nationality certificate, and two identity photos in the 4.5 x 3.5 cm format. Residence permits are required if the parents live abroad outside ECOWAS.
Through the Washington embassy, a child's form is filled in without fingerprints and goes with a birth certificate, a nationality certificate, a parental authorisation, a school or university enrolment certificate, copies of both parents' identity documents and three passport photos.
Printed and digital photos
No photo file is uploaded for a Burkinabè passport. In Burkina Faso an adult's portrait is taken by the passport service during enrolment, so you do not supply one. Prints are needed for a minor's file in Burkina Faso and for applications made abroad, where they travel with the paper file to the Division de la Migration.
For those prints, a digital photo can be cropped to 35 x 45 mm and printed several times on one 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter. Washington asks that the prints are not stapled.
Where to submit the photo
In Burkina Faso, files go to the Division de la Migration of the Police Nationale in Gounghin, Ouagadougou, on weekday mornings according to the police page. A lost or stolen passport is reported to the same service so that the DGPN can cancel it.
Abroad, apply at the embassy or consulate general for your country of residence. In the United States the fee is paid by money order to the embassy or consulate, and the Division de la Migration may ask for more documents, such as copies of both parents' identity documents, a residence permit or a family record book.
How to get your Burkina Faso passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Burkina Faso passport: 35 × 45 mm print. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: photo captured at enrolment; two prints for a minor; three photos through Washington; what the photo must not show.
- Prepare a print or digital file. No photo file is uploaded for a Burkinabè passport. In Burkina Faso an adult's portrait is taken by the passport service during enrolment, so you do not supply one.
- Submit the photo with your application. In Burkina Faso, files go to the Division de la Migration of the Police Nationale in Gounghin, Ouagadougou, on weekday mornings according to the police page. A lost or stolen passport is reported to the same service so that the DGPN can cancel it.
Burkina Faso passport photo FAQ
ONI gives the format for a minor's prints as 4.5 x 3.5 cm, height first, which is 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in). Adults in Burkina Faso are photographed at enrolment. The Washington embassy asks for passport photos without giving a size.
Yes, for adults applying in Burkina Faso. ONI says the photo and fingerprints are captured instantly, which is why you must enrol in person at the Division de la Migration. Minors and applicants abroad still hand in prints.
Only medical glasses, according to the Washington embassy's photo guidance. No other official source publishes a glasses rule, so remove glasses you do not need for medical reasons.
Two identity photos in the 4.5 x 3.5 cm format for a minor applying in Burkina Faso, according to ONI. The Washington embassy asks for three passport photos for a minor, as for an adult.
Yes, through the embassy in Washington or the consulate general. You send a form carrying your fingerprints, civil documents, a legalised copy of your CNIB or consular identity card, three passport photos and the fee by money order.
No official Burkinabè source read for this page states one: ONI, the Police Nationale and the Washington embassy describe the number of photos and the pose but not the background. Ask the office handling your file if in doubt.
Not for a Washington application. The embassy lists jewellery such as earrings and neck chains among the faults that cause problems with photos, together with glasses that are not medical and an open mouth.
Related photo specifications
Other Burkina Faso documents
- Visa photo 35 × 45 mm
Passports nearby
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 Burkina Faso photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Africa
Official sources
- Office National d'Identification (ONI), Burkina Faso. Le passeport ordinaire (pièces à fournir, coût et validité, renouvellement) oni.bf. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Police Nationale du Burkina Faso. Passeport police.gov.bf. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Police Nationale du Burkina Faso. Eclairages sur le passeport biométrique burkinabè police.gov.bf. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ambassade du Burkina Faso à Washington DC. Activités consulaires: passeport burkina-usa.org. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Office National d'Identification (ONI), Burkina Faso before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Burkina Faso passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/burkina-faso/passport-photo