Costa Rica passport photo requirements
The photo rules set by Banco de Costa Rica, appointment portal for Migración passports for the Costa Rica passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What are the Costa Rica passport photo requirements?
You do not bring a photo to apply for a Costa Rican passport: the picture is taken at your appointment, at a Banco de Costa Rica service point or at the consulate. No official page read gives a print size, so neither 35 x 45 mm nor 2 x 2 inches is an official figure. At the bank, avoid a white or black top.
The Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (DGME) issues Costa Rican passports, and they are biometric: the booklet holds fingerprints, a photograph, a signature and a security chip. Inside Costa Rica you book a slot by calling 1311, through the appointment portal of the Banco de Costa Rica (BCR), or at an electronic services window (VES) run with Correos de Costa Rica. You attend with your original cédula and, for a renewal, your previous passport if it is still valid. The checklists for adults name no photograph to bring.
The BCR portal does show that the picture is taken at the counter. It asks you not to wear a white or black blouse or shirt, "para facilitar la toma de la fotografía" (to make taking the photograph easier). Abroad, the consulate takes your application through the DGME computer capture system, and the passport is printed in Costa Rica and sent by courier. The embassy in Bogotá states that the photo that stays in the passport "se toma en el Consulado el día de la cita" (is taken at the consulate on the day of the appointment), and the embassy in Panama says the consulate captures your photo, signature and fingerprints.
Neither 35 x 45 mm nor 2 x 2 inches has an official basis in the pages read. The only passport-size print asked for in this process is a photo for the consular register (padrón consular) form in Bogotá, and its size is not stated. The DGME passport page refused automated access, so its rules for its own offices could not be read.
Costa Rica passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Banco de Costa Rica, appointment portal for Migración passports:[1]
| Print size | No print size published: the photo is taken at the appointment |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No upload: no channel read accepts a digital photo from the applicant |
| Background | Not published: the camera at the office or consulate sets it |
| Print quality | None for the passport itself; Bogotá asks for a passport-size print for the consular register form |
Key requirements
- The photo is taken in person
At the BCR and the consulates read, you attend personally and the picture is captured there. The Bogotá embassy calls attendance "estrictamente indispensable" (strictly essential), because all the data goes electronically to the DGME for the passport to be produced.
- Nothing to print for the passport
The BCR requirement lists and the Correos and DGME infographic (1311 service) ask for your cédula, your previous passport if valid and a signed consent form. They list no photograph.
- No white or black top at the BCR
The BCR pages for adults and for minors both ask you to avoid a white or black blouse or shirt so the photo can be taken properly.
- Passport-size print for the consular register
Bogotá lists "Una fotografía tamaño pasaporte" for the padrón consular form, for adults and for minors, and separates it from the passport photo. The page does not give its dimensions.
- Both parents for a minor
The BCR says both parents must be present on the day of the appointment, with limited exceptions such as a deceased parent. Bogotá has both parents sign an authorisation, and the consulate photographs the child.
- No official size to match
No page read states a passport photo size, background colour, head height or glasses rule. Do not print a 35 x 45 mm or 2 x 2 inch photo for this passport.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Book the appointment with the DGME, the BCR or your consulate before you travel.
- Arrive 10 minutes early; the BCR and the DGME infographic both ask for it.
- Bring your original cédula in good condition, and the previous passport if it is still valid.
- Wear a top that is neither white nor black if you apply at the BCR.
- In Bogotá, bring the passport-size photo for the consular register form.
Don't
- Do not bring your own photo for the passport itself.
- Do not wear a white or black blouse or shirt at the BCR.
- Do not treat 35 x 45 mm or 2 x 2 inches as an official passport size.
- Do not attend without the parent or parents when the passport is for a minor.
Glasses
No page read sets a rule on glasses for the Costa Rican passport photo. Because the picture is captured at the counter, ask the BCR or your consulate when you book whether you should keep your glasses on or take them off.
Headwear and religious dress
No official page read describes a headwear rule for the passport photo. The only clothing instruction found is the BCR request to avoid a white or black blouse or shirt.
Babies and children
A minor is photographed at the appointment as well. At the BCR, both parents attend; for ages 12 to 17 the child brings a valid TIM identity card, and for ages 0 to 11 the page says the parents need not present the birth certificate. In Bogotá, both parents sign an authorisation and the child's passport photo is taken at the consulate, while a separate passport-size photo of the minor goes with the consular register form.
Printed and digital photos
The passport photo is captured live, so there is no print and no upload, and the image is stored in the chip with your fingerprints and signature. A print is needed only for the Bogotá consular register form, whose size is not stated. A digital photo can be printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter and cut to the size that your consulate asks for.
Where to submit the photo
In Costa Rica, the 1311 service books appointments for the VES windows at Correos de Costa Rica, and the BCR runs its own appointment portal. The BCR page says passport applications there cost a bank commission, are paid in colones at its Punto País counter during the appointment, and are valid for 10 years. The BCR does not handle diplomatic passports, which go through the DGME only.
Abroad, apply at the Costa Rican consulate for your area, usually by appointment. The Bogotá embassy sends the data to the DGME, which prints the passport and returns it to the consulate by courier. Ottawa asks you to book online, bring your cédula and old passport, a prepaid envelope and the forms.
How to get your Costa Rica passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Costa Rica passport. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: the photo is taken in person; nothing to print for the passport; no white or black top at the BCR; passport-size print for the consular register.
- Prepare a print or digital file. The passport photo is captured live, so there is no print and no upload, and the image is stored in the chip with your fingerprints and signature. A print is needed only for the Bogotá consular register form, whose size is not stated.
- Submit the photo with your application. In Costa Rica, the 1311 service books appointments for the VES windows at Correos de Costa Rica, and the BCR runs its own appointment portal.
Costa Rica passport photo FAQ
No. The BCR and consulate pages read ask you to bring your cédula and previous passport, not a photo, and the picture is taken at your appointment. The Bogotá embassy asks for one passport-size photo, but only for the consular register form.
No official page gives one, because the photo is captured at the counter. The Bogotá embassy asks for a "tamaño pasaporte" print for the consular register form and gives no dimensions. 35 x 45 mm and 2 x 2 inches have no official basis in the pages read.
Not at the Banco de Costa Rica. Its adult and minor pages ask you not to wear a white or black blouse or shirt to make taking the photograph easier. No consulate page read repeats the instruction.
At the consulate. Bogotá says the photo that stays in the passport is taken there on the day of the appointment, and the embassy in Panama says the consulate captures the photo, signature and fingerprints after the bank deposit.
No print is asked for the passport. At the BCR both parents attend with the child, and the photo is taken at the appointment. In Bogotá the consulate photographs the child, and a passport-size photo of the minor is needed for the consular register form.
The Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería issues it. The Banco de Costa Rica and Correos de Costa Rica receive applications in Costa Rica, and consulates receive them abroad. The BCR page gives the validity as 10 years.
Related photo specifications
Other Costa Rica documents
- Visa photo 50 × 50 mm
- ID card photo 50 × 50 mm
Passports nearby
- Belize passport photo 2 × 2 in
- Mexico passport photo
- Panama passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- 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
- Bermuda passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- British Virgin Islands passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- All Costa Rica photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Photo specifications in North America
Official sources
- Banco de Costa Rica, appointment portal for Migración passports. Requisitos para Pasaporte Mayor de edad bcrcita.bancobcr.com. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Banco de Costa Rica, appointment portal for Migración passports. Requisitos para Pasaporte Menor de edad bcrcita.bancobcr.com. Checked 2 November 2026.
- DGME, Correos de Costa Rica and RACSA (service 1311). Requisitos de trámites para pasaportes: primera vez, renovación y menores racsa.go.cr. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embajada de Costa Rica en Colombia. Requisitos solicitud de pasaporte (Bogotá) embajadadecostarica.org. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embajada de Costa Rica en Panamá. Pasaporte, primera vez, mayores de edad (Panamá) embajadacostaricaenpanama.com. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embajada de Costa Rica en Panamá. Pasaporte, primera vez, menores de edad (Panamá) embajadacostaricaenpanama.com. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embajada y Consulado General de Costa Rica en Canadá. Pasaporte (Ottawa) costaricaembassy.com. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Banco de Costa Rica, appointment portal for Migración passports before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Costa Rica passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/costa-rica/passport-photo