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Burkina Faso visa photo requirements

The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by visaburkina.bf, Ministère de la Sécurité / Direction Générale de la Police Nationale for the Burkina Faso visa, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 8 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Burkina Faso visa photo?

Burkina Faso's official visa site, visaburkina.bf, asks for a recent colour identity photo on a white background in the 3.5 x 4.5 cm format, which is 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in). The French pages list one photo per application and the English pages two. The Washington embassy wants two passport-format photos showing the face and ears. No pixel size or file limit is published.

Since 1 February 2023, entry visas for Burkina Faso have been issued through an electronic system run by the Ministry of Security and the Direction Générale de la Police Nationale. Its information site, visaburkina.bf, describes the visa types and the documents; the application itself is made on the applicant portal, where the fee is paid online. The foreign ministry's website links to the same platform.

Visitors choose between three types: transit (up to five days), short stay (up to 90 days, for tourism, business or family visits) and long stay (over 90 days). Each type lists the same photo, a recent colour identity photo on a white background in the 3.5 x 4.5 cm format. The lists also ask for the application form, a medical certificate, health insurance and the stamp-duty receipt.

You can instead apply through a Burkinabè embassy, which registers your file in the same system and hands you the decision after about 72 hours. The Washington embassy publishes its own embassy checklist, with two photos.

Burkina Faso visa photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by visaburkina.bf, Ministère de la Sécurité / Direction Générale de la Police Nationale:[1]

Print size35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in), written 3,5 x 4,5 cm
Digital sizeNot published on the visaburkina.bf information pages
BackgroundWhite (fond blanc)
ColourColour (en couleur)
Photo ageRecent (récente); no time limit published
Print qualityOne photo on the French pages, two on the English; Washington embassy: two passport-format photos
Pixels when printed413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
35 mm45 mm
35 × 45 mm photo drawn to scale. Background: white.

In the official words

Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:

doing some work on the site

Le visa de court séjour[1]

Key requirements

  • White background, in colour

    Every visa list on visaburkina.bf asks for a recent identity photo "en couleur sur fond blanc", in colour on a white background. A grey or patterned backdrop does not meet that wording.

  • The 3.5 x 4.5 cm format

    The format is written 3,5 x 4,5 cm, width first: a standard 35 x 45 mm portrait photo. The size is the same for transit, short-stay and long-stay visas.

  • One photo or two

    The French pages ask for one photo per application, but the English version of the short-stay page says two, and the Washington embassy also asks for two. Keeping a second identical print avoids a delay at an embassy.

  • Face and ears visible

    For applications handed in at the Washington embassy, the photos must be taken from the front with the face and ears uncovered ("prise de face avec visage et oreilles dégagés").

  • A pre-visa to carry

    After a favourable decision you receive a pre-visa as a PDF or a printout. You show it when boarding and at the border, where your passport is stamped, and keep it until you leave the country.

  • Renewals in person

    A visa must be renewed within the seven clear days before it expires. Renewals are made in person at the migration service, with your original documents.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Use a recent colour photo on a plain white background.
  • Crop the photo to 35 x 45 mm proportions.
  • Apply through visaburkina.bf or its applicant portal.
  • Take two prints to an embassy appointment.
  • Keep your face and ears visible.
  • Carry the pre-visa until you leave Burkina Faso.

Don't

  • Do not use a black-and-white photo.
  • Do not use an off-white, grey or patterned background.
  • Do not apply through sites other than the official platform.
  • Do not let a visa expire before you renew it at the migration service.

Sample photos

How a Burkina Faso visa 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.

Correct
Open-mouth smile
Head tilted
Too close: head too big
Too far: head too small
Busy background
Shadows on face or background
Glare on glasses

Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.

Headwear and religious dress

The visaburkina.bf lists do not mention head coverings. The only rule on what may cover the head comes from the Washington embassy, which asks for photos showing the face and ears uncovered.

If you wear a head covering for religious reasons, ask the embassy or the migration service before you apply, because no official exception is published.

Online applications are made on the applicant portal, where you fill in the form and pay electronically. The information pages do not publish the photo file's pixel size, format or weight, so prepare a sharp 35 x 45 mm colour photo on white and follow any limits the upload screen shows.

At an embassy the agent takes your documents and enters the application for you; bring the originals. The Washington embassy's list is a paper file with two application forms and two photos. A digital photo can be cropped to 35 x 45 mm and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter.

Where to submit the photo

Most visitors apply online through visaburkina.bf. Applicants who prefer an embassy pay at the mission in cash or electronically and return after 72 hours for the answer, which comes from the migration service in Ouagadougou.

In the United States, holders of diplomatic and official passports apply at the embassy in Washington or the consulate general in New York, and other applicants who have difficulty online can hand in a complete file there in person. Once in Burkina Faso, renewals go to the Division de la Migration.

How to get your Burkina Faso visa photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Burkina Faso visa: 35 × 45 mm print, white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: white background, in colour; the 3.5 x 4.5 cm format; one photo or two; face and ears visible.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. Online applications are made on the applicant portal, where you fill in the form and pay electronically.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Most visitors apply online through visaburkina.bf. Applicants who prefer an embassy pay at the mission in cash or electronically and return after 72 hours for the answer, which comes from the migration service in Ouagadougou.

Make this photo online

Burkina Faso visa photo FAQ

3.5 x 4.5 cm, which is 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in), for transit, short-stay and long-stay visas alike. The official site does not give a pixel size for the online upload.

White. The visa lists on visaburkina.bf ask for a recent colour identity photo on a white background ("fond blanc"). Use a plain white wall with even light.

One according to the French pages of visaburkina.bf, two according to the English short-stay page. The Washington embassy asks for two passport-format photos with two application forms.

visaburkina.bf, run by the Ministry of Security and the Direction Générale de la Police Nationale, with applications on its applicant portal. The foreign ministry's website and the Washington embassy both point to it.

Yes. An embassy agent registers your file in the visa system, you pay at the mission, and the embassy gives you the decision about 72 hours later as a PDF or printout.

Yes. The transit, short-stay and long-stay pages on visaburkina.bf all ask for one recent colour identity photo on a white background in the 3.5 x 4.5 cm format.

No official rule addresses it. The Washington embassy asks for the face and ears to be uncovered; ask the embassy or the migration service before applying if you wear a head covering.

Related photo specifications

Other Burkina Faso documents

Visas and travel authorisations nearby

Also 35 × 45 mm

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Official sources

  1. visaburkina.bf, Ministère de la Sécurité / Direction Générale de la Police Nationale. Le visa de court séjour visaburkina.bf. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. visaburkina.bf, Ministère de la Sécurité / Direction Générale de la Police Nationale. Le visa de transit visaburkina.bf. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. visaburkina.bf, Ministère de la Sécurité / Direction Générale de la Police Nationale. Le visa de long séjour visaburkina.bf. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. visaburkina.bf, Ministère de la Sécurité / Direction Générale de la Police Nationale. Entry visas to Burkina Faso: the short term visa visaburkina.bf. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. visaburkina.bf, Ministère de la Sécurité / Direction Générale de la Police Nationale. Obtenir son visa en ambassade visaburkina.bf. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. visaburkina.bf, Ministère de la Sécurité / Direction Générale de la Police Nationale. Get your visa at the border with immigration services (renewals) visaburkina.bf. Checked 2 November 2026.
  7. Ministère des Affaires étrangères, Burkina Faso. Ministère des Affaires étrangères (link to the visa application platform) diplomatie.gov.bf. Checked 2 November 2026.
  8. Ambassade du Burkina Faso à Washington DC. Activités consulaires: visa burkina-usa.org. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with visaburkina.bf, Ministère de la Sécurité / Direction Générale de la Police Nationale before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Burkina Faso visa photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/burkina-faso/visa-photo

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