Cuba passport photo requirements
The 45 × 45 mm photo rules set by Embajada de Cuba en Estados Unidos, Oficina Consular for the Cuba passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Cuba passport photo?
For a Cuban passport applied for at a consulate abroad, present two colour photos of 4.5 x 4.5 cm (45 x 45 mm); the Ministry of the Interior consular form wants one of them stuck on it. The picture should not be dark, should be sharp, and should show you from the shoulders up, facing the camera, with hair and face uncovered, no dark glasses and a light background. No head measurement is published. The online route inside Cuba lists no photograph.
The Cuban ordinary passport (pasaporte corriente) is issued by the Ministry of the Interior, through the immigration directorate that the 2026 migration laws call DIMEC. Cubans living abroad apply at a Cuban embassy or consulate, which belongs to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and passes the file on. The consulate in Washington has given ten years of validity for adults and five for children under 16 since 1 July 2023, and the new Migration Law (Ley 171, published on 5 May 2026 and in force 180 days later) keeps those terms.
The photo rule comes from the consulates and their form rather than from the law. The Ministry of the Interior's consular application form, which Cuban consulates distribute, has a box marked "FOTO PEGADA (4½ x 4½)" and states that two photos of 4½ x 4½ cm are presented for a passport, one stuck on the form. The Washington consulate asks for two colour passport-type photos of high resolution without giving a size, and the embassy in Jamaica, in instructions valid from 1 November 2025, writes out 4.5 x 4.5 cm.
Inside Cuba the passport can be requested online on the Soberanía platform since 26 May 2026, by residents over 18 who pay a stamp tax. The notice announcing it lists no photograph, and none of the pages read says who takes the picture on that route.
Cuba passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Embajada de Cuba en Estados Unidos, Oficina Consular:[1]
| Print size | 4.5 x 4.5 cm (45 x 45 mm), two photos, one stuck on the consular form |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No digital file: printed photos go with the consular form |
| Background | Light background (fondo claro); clothes should contrast with it |
| Colour | Colour photo, facing the camera |
| Print quality | High resolution, sharp and not dark (consulate and consular form instructions) |
| Pixels when printed | 531 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 1063 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- Two photos of 4½ x 4½ cm
The consular form says that for the application to make a passport, 2 photos of 4½ x 4½ cm will be presented, one of them stuck on the form. The unit printed in that instruction is cm. The Jamaica embassy gives the same measurement as 4.5 x 4.5 cm in its renewal instructions.
- Colour, front view, hair uncovered
The form calls for a colour photo taken from the front, with the hair uncovered and without dark glasses, wearing clothes that contrast with the background. Washington and Jamaica word it as an uncovered face and head.
- A light background
Washington and Jamaica both name a light background (fondo claro), and the form's instructions say backgrounds must be light and the picture must not be dark. No exact shade is given, so white or a pale grey fits the wording.
- Shoulders up, a little space above
The notes for filling in the consular form say that your image must run from the shoulders up, with a small space above the head, and that the photo must be sharp. They give no head height in millimetres.
- Same photos for every passport service
Washington lists the same two colour passport-type photos for a renewal, for a first-time passport and for a travel and transit document. A renewal there means a new booklet, with an expired or nearly expired passport issued from 1 January 2010 onwards.
- Applications inside Cuba list no photo
The online notice for residents lists citizenship, an age over 18, full legal capacity and the stamp tax. The regulation lists an identity card, notarised authorisation for minors and payment of the document tax for residents, and neither names a photograph.
- Procedures are changing
Ley 171 and Decree 136/2025 were published on 5 May 2026 and take effect 180 days later. The consulate pages read still describe the earlier procedures, so confirm the current list with your consulate shortly before applying.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Print two colour photos at 4.5 x 4.5 cm (45 x 45 mm) for a consular application
- Stick one photo on the consular form and hand in the other loose
- Choose a light, even background and clothes that contrast with it
- Face the camera with your face and hair uncovered, shoulders up
- Check your consulate's own list before you print
Don't
- Do not wear dark glasses in the photo
- Do not hand in a dark, blurred or low-resolution print
- Do not send a digital file where the consulate expects prints
- Do not wear a hat, cap or other head covering
Sample photos
How a Cuba passport photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 45 × 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
The form, Washington and Jamaica use the same words: no dark glasses (sin espejuelos oscuros). Nothing is said about clear prescription glasses, so check with your consulate whether you may keep yours on.
Headwear and religious dress
Three documents agree on this point. The Ministry of the Interior form asks for uncovered hair, and the Washington and Jamaica instructions ask for an uncovered face and head. None of them mentions an exemption for religious or medical reasons, so raise that with the consulate in advance.
Babies and children
No page read sets a separate photo rule for minors, so the same two 4.5 x 4.5 cm photos apply. A child's passport is valid for five years. Washington waives the signature on the form for applicants under 16, and Decree 136/2025 lists the notarised authorisation of the parents or legal representatives for anyone under 18 who applies from abroad.
Washington explains that this authorisation, which also covers travel abroad, is made as a notarial power of attorney, either in person at the consulate or through its contracted agencies. Check that step before you book the passport appointment.
Printed and digital photos
Consular passport applications are on paper, so the photos are prints. Washington asks for high resolution, but neither it nor Jamaica gives a pixel size. If you start from a digital photo, crop it to a 45 x 45 mm square and have two copies printed, for instance on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter, then cut them out.
The online route inside Cuba has no photograph in its published list, so there is nothing to upload there.
Where to submit the photo
Abroad, apply at the Cuban consulate for your country of residence. Washington takes renewals in person or by post, and first-time requests can also go through agencies under contract with the consulate. Postal and agency requests pay a non-personal processing fee, and every applicant must send a prepaid return envelope. A request counts as first-time when the old passport was lost, was issued before 1 January 2010, or you have no expired Cuban passport to show.
In Cuba, Ley 171 says ordinary passports are requested at the processing office of the Ministry of the Interior, or at a consulate or authorised office abroad. Since 26 May 2026 a resident over 18 can start the request online on the Soberanía platform and attends an office only to collect the passport, after 30 working days.
How to get your Cuba passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Cuba passport: 45 × 45 mm print, light background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: two photos of 4½ x 4½ cm; colour, front view, hair uncovered; a light background; shoulders up, a little space above.
- Prepare a print or digital file. Consular passport applications are on paper, so the photos are prints. Washington asks for high resolution, but neither it nor Jamaica gives a pixel size.
- Submit the photo with your application. Abroad, apply at the Cuban consulate for your country of residence. Washington takes renewals in person or by post, and first-time requests can also go through agencies under contract with the consulate.
Cuba passport photo FAQ
The Ministry of the Interior consular form asks for two photos of 4½ x 4½ cm, which is 4.5 x 4.5 cm (45 x 45 mm), one stuck on the form. The embassy in Jamaica gives the same size. Washington lists two passport-type photos without a size.
Two, according to the consular form, the Washington consulate and the embassy in Jamaica. One of them is stuck on the consular application form and the other is handed in with it.
A light one (fondo claro) is what Washington and Jamaica ask for, and the form's instructions say the picture must not be dark. No exact colour is named, and your clothes should contrast with the background.
Dark glasses are not accepted, and the face and head must be uncovered. Nothing is said about clear glasses or about religious head coverings in the pages read, so ask your consulate.
The online notice for residents and the regulation both list requirements without a photograph. They also do not say who takes it, so follow the instructions of the office when you collect or process the passport.
Ten years for citizens aged 16 and over and five years for younger children. Washington has applied these terms since 1 July 2023, and Ley 171 keeps them.
Washington accepts renewals by post or in person, with an extra fee for non-personal requests and a prepaid return envelope; first-time requests can also go through its contracted agencies. The embassy in Jamaica also takes mailed requests, with a certified-cheque payment and a return envelope.
Related photo specifications
Other Cuba documents
- Visa photo 45 × 45 mm
- Residence abroad photo 45 × 45 mm
- Tourist card photo
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
- Cayman Islands passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Dominica passport photo 38 × 45 mm
- Dominican Republic passport photo 50 × 50 mm
- Guadeloupe passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- All Cuba photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 45 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in North America
Official sources
- Embajada de Cuba en Estados Unidos, Oficina Consular. Servicios Consulares (Estados Unidos) misiones.cubaminrex.cu. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Embajada de Cuba en Jamaica, Oficina Consular. Instrucciones para la renovación del pasaporte cubano (November 2025) misiones.cubaminrex.cu. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Ministerio del Interior, Dirección de Inmigración y Extranjería (form distributed by Cuban consulates). Anexo 2. Planilla para trámites consulares (Solicitud de servicio consular) misiones.cubaminrex.cu. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba (MINREX). Anexo 2.1. Instrucciones para el llenado de la planilla consular misiones.cubaminrex.cu. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Gaceta Oficial de la República de Cuba (copy hosted by the Fiscalía General de la República). Gaceta Oficial No. 39 Ordinaria de 2026 (Ley 171 and Decree 136/2025) fgr.gob.cu. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Gobierno Provincial de La Habana. Nota sobre nuevo servicio en línea de la plataforma Soberanía lahabana.gob.cu. Checked 3 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Embajada de Cuba en Estados Unidos, Oficina Consular before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Cuba passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/cuba/passport-photo