Cayman Islands passport photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Cayman Islands Government for the Cayman Islands passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Cayman Islands passport photo?
Cayman Islands passport photos are 45 mm high by 35 mm wide (35 x 45 mm), professionally printed, two identical copies. The head must measure 29 to 34 mm from crown to chin, against a plain cream or light grey background, in colour on plain white photographic paper, taken within the last month and unaltered by computer software. Apply in person at the Passport & Corporate Services Office.
The Cayman Islands passport is the British Overseas Territories Citizen (BOTC) passport issued through the Passport & Corporate Services Office, part of the Portfolio of the Civil Service in the Cayman Islands Government. The office serves British Overseas Territory citizens who live in the Cayman Islands. It also evaluates first-time and renewal applications for British citizen passports and forwards them to HM Passport Office in Durham, so the same counter can handle either document.
For the BOTC passport the office says all applications must be submitted in person. In Grand Cayman that means its Sussex House office in George Town; residents of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman apply through District Administration in Cayman Brac. The gov.ky guidance notes add that applications are then forwarded to HM Passport Office by courier for printing, and that the finished passport comes back to the Cayman office for collection.
The Cayman Islands Government publishes its own photo section. Appendix 4 of the BOTC passport guidance, headed "Passport Photo Requirements", sets out size, paper, background, head height and expression. The guide is dated 19 August 2018, and gov.ky still links it from the current office page, so check with the office if anything looks out of date. Applicants who live in the UK use the UK route instead, covered below.
Cayman Islands passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Cayman Islands Government:[1]
| Print size | 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in): 45 mm high by 35 mm wide, professionally printed |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No digital file in the Cayman Islands: 2 printed photos go with the paper form |
| Head height | 29 to 34 mm from the crown of your head to your chin |
| Background | Plain cream or light grey background |
| Colour | In colour on plain white photographic paper |
| Photo age | Taken within the last month |
| Print quality | Professionally printed, clear and in focus, no creases, unmarked on both sides, unaltered by computer software |
| 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:
The photos must be: ... unaltered by computer software
Your photos must be professionally printed and 45 millimetres (mm) high by 35 mm wide. You can't use photos that have been cut down from larger pictures.
Key requirements
- Professionally printed, not cut down
The guide says the photos must be professionally printed and exactly 45 mm high by 35 mm wide. A photo cut down from a larger picture is not accepted, so a print trimmed out of a bigger single picture does not qualify.
- Head 29 to 34 mm
The image of you, from the crown of your head to your chin, must be between 29 mm and 34 mm high. The picture must be a close-up of your full head and shoulders, with only you in it and no other objects or people.
- Cream or light grey, white paper
The background is plain cream or light grey, and you must stand in clear contrast to it. The print itself is colour on plain white photographic paper. The white or off-white background named on the same office page belongs to a different document, the US non-immigrant visa photo, not to the passport.
- Taken within the last month
Both photos must be taken within the last month and be identical. The application form repeats this, asking you to enclose two photos taken in the last month that meet the photo guidance.
- No computer alteration
The photos must be unaltered by computer software. They must also be clear and in focus, not torn, without creases, and unmarked on both sides unless one photo has to be countersigned.
- Neutral face, mouth closed
Face forward and look straight at the camera with a neutral expression and your mouth closed: no smiling or grinning. Nothing may cover the face, and there must be no red eye and no shadows in the picture.
- Countersignature on one photo
A first passport, a replacement, a child's renewal at age 11 or under and a renewal where you cannot be recognised from your current photo each need a countersignatory. They sign one of the passport photos, and the form carries their certification that it is a true likeness.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Order two identical, professionally printed 35 x 45 mm photos.
- Check the head, crown to chin, measures 29 to 34 mm.
- Stand in front of a plain cream or light grey wall.
- Face the camera with a neutral expression and a closed mouth.
- Keep your eyes open, visible and free from glare or reflection.
- Hand in the photos loose, with no staples, paperclips or glue.
Don't
- Do not use a photo cut down from a larger picture.
- Do not change the photo with computer software.
- Do not wear sunglasses or tinted glasses.
- Do not let glasses frames or hair cover your eyes.
- Do not smile or grin.
- Do not use a photo that is more than a month old.
- Do not attach the photos to the form with staples, paperclips or glue.
Sample photos
How a Cayman 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, head height and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
Your photos may be rejected unless your eyes are open, visible and free from reflection or glare from glasses. Sunglasses and tinted glasses are not allowed, and neither are glasses frames or hair that cover your eyes. The guide does not ban ordinary clear glasses, but it requires eyes free from reflection or glare from glasses, so retake the picture or take the glasses off if the lenses reflect light.
Headwear and religious dress
The guide says no head covering unless it is worn for religious or medical reasons. Your face must still be fully visible, with nothing covering it, and you must be in clear contrast to the cream or light grey background. The guide also asks for no shadows in the picture, so make sure a covering does not shade your face.
Babies and children
Children must be on their own in the picture, and babies must not hold toys or use dummies. Children under 6 years of age do not have to look directly at the camera or keep a neutral expression. Babies less than 1 year old do not have to have their eyes open, and if a hand supports the head, that hand must not be visible. For a child's application, the countersignatory certifies the child's photo and gives the child's full name.
Printed and digital photos
Applications from within the Cayman Islands are paper only, with two professionally printed photos. A phone or computer picture is useful only as the source for a print made at a photo lab; the guide does not ask for a file. A print from a lab or booth should come out at 35 x 45 mm. Residents of the UK have another route: the Cayman Islands Government Office in London says they can apply online through GOV.UK, which asks for a digital photo, or on paper at a Post Office. A BOTC passport issued through that route does not carry the Cayman Islands variant cover.
Where to submit the photo
Take the completed BOT application form, the two photos and your documents to the Passport & Corporate Services Office, Sussex House, 128 Elgin Avenue, George Town, Grand Cayman. Applications for residents of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman go to District Administration in Cayman Brac. The guide says to print the form on one side only, in black ballpoint, and not to use staples, paperclips, glue or whiteout on the form or the photographs.
How to get your Cayman Islands passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Cayman Islands passport: 35 × 45 mm print, plain cream or light grey background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: professionally printed, not cut down; head 29 to 34 mm; cream or light grey, white paper; taken within the last month.
- Prepare a print or digital file. Applications from within the Cayman Islands are paper only, with two professionally printed photos. A phone or computer picture is useful only as the source for a print made at a photo lab; the guide does not ask for a file.
- Submit the photo with your application. Take the completed BOT application form, the two photos and your documents to the Passport & Corporate Services Office, Sussex House, 128 Elgin Avenue, George Town, Grand Cayman.
Cayman Islands passport photo FAQ
It is 45 mm high by 35 mm wide, written 35 x 45 mm. The guidance notes ask for two photos that are professionally printed at that size, with the head, from crown to chin, between 29 and 34 mm high.
A plain cream or light grey background, with you in clear contrast to it. The print is in colour on plain white photographic paper. A white background is not what the BOTC passport guidance lists.
No. The guide says the photos must be unaltered by computer software. That rules out retouching and swapping the background. Photos cut down from larger pictures are refused under a separate rule.
The guide asks for photos that are professionally printed on plain white photographic paper, and it refuses photos cut down from larger pictures. A home print is therefore a risk. Use a photo lab or booth that prints the 35 x 45 mm size on photo paper.
No. The guide wants a neutral expression and your mouth closed, with no smiling or grinning. Children under 6 are the exception: they do not have to look at the camera or keep a neutral expression.
In person, with your application, at the Passport & Corporate Services Office in George Town. The office says all BOTC applications must be submitted in person. Residents of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman use District Administration in Cayman Brac.
The Cayman Islands Government Office in London says you can apply online through GOV.UK or by paper form at a Post Office. The UK route issues a BOTC passport without the Cayman Islands variant cover, and that service applies GOV.UK's own photo rules, not the Cayman guide.
Tick the "Changes to your existing passport" box, which covers a change of photo, including where you cannot be recognised from your current one. A countersignatory then completes section 10 and signs one of your new photos. You pay the same as for a renewal, according to the guide.
No more than a month. The guide says the photos must be taken within the last month, and the application form asks for two photos taken in the last month. Photos that miss the rules delay your passport.
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
- British Virgin 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 Cayman Islands photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in North America
Official sources
- Cayman Islands Government. Passport & Corporate Services gov.ky. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Cayman Islands Government. Applying for a British Overseas Territory (Cayman Islands) passport: guidance notes (PDF) gov.ky. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Cayman Islands Government. British Overseas Territory passport application form (BOT OS Form 013) gov.ky. Checked 3 November 2026.
- HM Passport Office (GOV.UK). Get a passport photo: Printed photos gov.uk. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Cayman Islands Government Office, London. BOTC Passport Applications (applying from the UK) cigouk.ky. Checked 3 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Cayman Islands Government before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Cayman Islands passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/cayman-islands/passport-photo