Colombia passport photo requirements
The photo rules set by Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería) for the Colombia passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What are the Colombia passport photo requirements?
You do not bring a photo for a Colombian passport. Cancillería offices in Bogotá, the authorised governorates and Colombian consulates photograph you digitally at the appointment, at no extra cost. The one exception is online renewal for adults holding an electronic passport issued since 17 November 2017: that form takes an uploaded colour JPG of up to 495 KB, with the face filling 70% to 80% of the image, a plain light background and the mouth closed.
Colombian passports are issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Cancillería). In Colombia you apply at the Ministry's passport offices in Bogotá or at a departmental governorate (gobernación) authorised to issue them. Abroad, Colombian consulates are the only bodies allowed to issue or renew the passport. The rules are now set by Cancillería Resolution 10927 of 4 August 2026, which replaced Resolution 6888 of 2021. Ordinary and executive passports are valid for 10 years.
Most applications are made in person after booking an appointment. You bring your documents, and the office takes your photograph, fingerprints and signature on the spot. Cancillería states plainly that you do not need to bring photos, and this holds in Bogotá, at the governorates and at consulates.
Adults whose current passport is an electronic one issued on or after 17 November 2017, and who passed biometric authentication when it was issued, can instead request a replacement online. That form has a required photo field, which makes it the only passport channel where you supply the picture yourself.
Colombia passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería):[1]
| Print size | No print: the office or consulate takes the photo; online renewal takes a digital file with no set dimensions |
|---|---|
| Digital size | Online renewal only: no pixel size published |
| Head height | Online renewal: face fills 70% to 80% of the image, in a close-up of face and shoulders |
| Background | Online renewal: plain and light-coloured; in person, the office photographs you |
| Colour | Online renewal: colour, sharp and of good resolution |
| File size | Online renewal: up to 495 KB |
| File format | Online renewal: JPG |
In the official words
Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:
la cara debe ocupar entre el 70 % y el 80 % de la imagen
Key requirements
- No photos at the appointment
For an in-person application, in Colombia or at a consulate, the photograph is taken digitally at the passport office as part of the procedure and costs nothing extra. Cancillería tells adults, and the adults who accompany minors, that it is not necessary to bring photos.
- Come ready to be photographed
Cancillería recommends a simple hairstyle and asks you to avoid jewellery and accessories, since the picture is taken there and then. Your fingerprints and signature are captured during the same visit.
- Online renewal: face 70-80% of the frame
The online form asks for a close-up of face and shoulders in which the face takes up 70% to 80% of the image. Only you may appear, with no other people or objects in the picture.
- Online renewal: pose and expression
Look straight at the camera without tilting your head. Keep a neutral expression with your mouth closed, and your eyes open and visible, with no hair falling over them.
- Online renewal: light and background
Stand against a plain, light-coloured background in even light, with no shadows and no reflections from the flash. Skin tones should look natural, neither too dark nor too light.
- Online renewal: the file
Upload a colour JPG of no more than 495 KB that is sharp and of good resolution. The form gives no pixel size, and it checks the photograph against its requirements when you attach it.
- Who may renew online
Only adults with an ordinary or executive electronic passport issued from 17 November 2017, whose biometric authentication succeeded when it was issued. Accepted reasons are a voluntary change, damage, a full passport, loss or theft, and expiry. The new passport keeps the class and the biographical data of the old one.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Book the appointment with the cédula (CC) number of the applicant or companion.
- Arrive with a simple hairstyle.
- Leave jewellery and accessories off for the office photo.
- For online renewal, upload a colour JPG under 495 KB.
- Frame face and shoulders so the face fills 70-80% of an uploaded image.
- Use even light and a plain, light-coloured background for an upload.
Don't
- Do not bring printed photos to the passport office or consulate.
- Do not wear dark lenses, or frames that cover your eyes, in an uploaded photo.
- Do not tilt your head or open your mouth in the online renewal photo.
- Do not include other people or objects in the picture.
- Do not wear a cap or hat unless it is for religious reasons.
- Do not try to renew a child's passport online: that route is for adults only.
Glasses
For an in-person application, Cancillería publishes no glasses rule of its own. Staff take the photo at the appointment, and the general advice is to avoid accessories.
For online renewal, the form requires your eyes to be visible, with no reflections and no dark lenses, and the frame must not cover your eyes. If your lenses catch the light, removing the glasses is the simplest way to meet that rule.
Headwear and religious dress
The online renewal form does not accept caps or hats. The only exception is headwear worn for religious reasons, and the face must then stay uncovered from the chin to the forehead.
For photos taken at the office, Cancillería's published advice is limited to simple hairstyles and no jewellery or accessories. If you wear a religious head covering, ask the issuing office before your appointment.
Babies and children
Children cannot use online renewal, which is open only to adults. A child's passport is always applied for in person: after booking, both the child and the accompanying parent or legal representative go to the chosen office, where the child's photo, fingerprints and signature are taken. No photos need to be brought.
The accompanying adult shows a valid cédula. If the parents cannot attend, they can authorise a third person through a special power of attorney signed before a notary or judge, or before a consulate abroad. Cancillería notes that children do not have to change passport on turning 7 or 18; a new one is needed when it expires, is damaged or lost, or when identity data change.
Printed and digital photos
No Colombian passport channel uses a printed photo. At an office or consulate the image is captured digitally on site. The newest passport model, which Cancillería calls the data sovereignty model, carries a latest-generation chip, a ghost image of the holder and 30 interior designs.
Online renewal is the only channel that takes your own photo, as a colour JPG of up to 495 KB. A digital photo can be cropped and resized to the 70-80% face framing, but it still needs a plain, light background and even light.
Where to submit the photo
Book an appointment through Cancillería's online scheduling system, entering the cédula de ciudadanía (CC) of the applicant or of the adult accompanying a minor. Then attend in person at the passport office in Bogotá, the authorised governorate or the Colombian consulate you chose. Adults collect the passport in person with their cédula; a child's passport is handed to the parent, representative or proxy who applied with the child.
Online renewals go through Cancillería's SITAC form, where you choose the delivery office from the Bogotá offices, the governorates and the consulates. You collect the new passport there in person with your cédula and your previous passport, unless it was lost or stolen. The old passport is cancelled when the new one is handed over.
How to get your Colombia passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Colombia passport: online renewal: plain and light-coloured background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: no photos at the appointment; come ready to be photographed; online renewal: face 70-80% of the frame; online renewal: pose and expression.
- Prepare a print or digital file. No Colombian passport channel uses a printed photo. At an office or consulate the image is captured digitally on site.
- Submit the photo with your application. Book an appointment through Cancillería's online scheduling system, entering the cédula de ciudadanía (CC) of the applicant or of the adult accompanying a minor.
Colombia passport photo FAQ
No, not for an in-person application. Cancillería says the photos are taken digitally at the passport office as part of the procedure, at no cost, and that bringing photos is not necessary. This covers the Bogotá offices, the governorates and consulates abroad. Only online renewal asks you to upload a photo.
A colour JPG of up to 495 KB, sharp and of good resolution, showing a close-up of face and shoulders with the face taking 70% to 80% of the image. Face the camera with a neutral expression and closed mouth, against a plain, light-coloured background, with even light and no shadows.
Yes, if you are an adult whose current ordinary or executive passport is electronic, was issued from 17 November 2017, and your biometric authentication succeeded when it was issued. You fill in the form, upload your photo, choose a delivery office and collect the passport there in person.
Yes. Consulates are the only bodies authorised to issue passports abroad, and they follow the same in-person procedure: photo, fingerprints and signature are captured at the appointment. Cancillería's requirements say no photos need to be brought, for adults and for minors.
For online renewal, only if your eyes are visible, there are no reflections, the lenses are not dark and the frame does not cover your eyes. For photos taken at the office, Cancillería publishes no specific glasses rule, but it asks you to avoid accessories.
In an online renewal photo, yes: caps and hats are refused except for religious reasons, provided your face is uncovered from the chin to the forehead. For a photo taken at the office, Cancillería publishes no separate rule, so ask the issuing office before your appointment.
Cancillería recommends a simple hairstyle and avoiding jewellery and accessories. It publishes no clothing rule for the passport photo. The photo, fingerprints and signature are all captured during the same appointment.
No prints are needed. The child attends in person with a parent or legal representative, and the office takes the photo, fingerprints and signature. Online renewal is not available for minors.
Related photo specifications
Other Colombia documents
- Visa photo 30 × 40 mm
- ID card photo 40 × 50 mm
- Driving licence photo
- Residence visa photo 30 × 40 mm
- Nationality photo 40 × 50 mm
Passports nearby
- All Colombia photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Photo specifications in South America
Official sources
- Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería). Pasaportes – Requisitos cancilleria.gov.co. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería). Pasaportes – Preguntas frecuentes cancilleria.gov.co. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería). Pasaportes – Información general cancilleria.gov.co. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería). Pasaporte en Línea (SITAC form) tramitesmre.cancilleria.gov.co. Checked 1 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Colombia passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/colombia/passport-photo