Egypt passport photo requirements
The 40 × 60 mm photo rules set by Ministry of Interior, Passports, Emigration and Nationality Administration for the Egypt passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Egypt passport photo?
Egyptian passport photos are 4 x 6 cm (40 x 60 mm), in colour, recent and on a white background. The Passports, Emigration and Nationality Administration (PENA) asks for three of them with an application in Egypt. Abroad, each mission sets the count and sometimes the size: the Foreign Ministry's consular list asks for four 4 x 6 cm photos, while the embassy in Washington wants three 2 x 2 inch (51 x 51 mm) prints on white.
Egyptian passports are issued by the Passports, Emigration and Nationality Administration (PENA) of the Ministry of Interior. In Egypt you apply at PENA's head office or at the passport branch that covers your place of residence, using application form No. 29, which PENA hands out free of charge. Citizens living abroad apply to an Egyptian embassy or consulate. The machine-readable passport belongs to one person only, so a spouse or child cannot be added to it, and it is normally valid for seven years.
Every channel uses printed photos. PENA's list of required documents asks for three recent colour photographs measuring 4 x 6 cm with a white background, and its English version adds that they must show the face. The Foreign Ministry's consular guidance repeats the 4 x 6 cm size and the white background but asks for four photos. Neither PENA nor the ministry publishes rules on head size, glasses or expression.
Some missions use a size of their own. The Egyptian embassy in Washington asks for three personal photos of 2 x 2 inches with a white background, which is why a separate US size exists. The consulate in Los Angeles asks for two personal photos without giving a size, and London asks for three recent photos on white.
Egypt passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Ministry of Interior, Passports, Emigration and Nationality Administration:[1]
| Print size | 4 x 6 cm (40 x 60 mm) in Egypt; 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) through the embassy in Washington |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No upload rules published: PENA and the consulates ask for printed photos |
| Background | White |
| Colour | Colour |
| Photo age | Recent; no maximum age in months is published |
| Pixels when printed | 472 × 709 px at 300 dpi · 945 × 1417 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- 4 x 6 cm prints in Egypt
PENA asks for three recent colour photographs, 4 x 6 cm, with a white background; its English page describes them as personal photographs showing the face. Hand them in with the original documents and a photocopy of each, which the clerk checks against the originals.
- White background on every list
PENA, the Foreign Ministry, the embassy in Washington and the London consulate all specify a white background. No official list read for this page mentions any other colour.
- The photo count depends on the office
PENA asks for three photos in Egypt. The Foreign Ministry's list for missions abroad asks for four, Washington and London ask for three, and Los Angeles asks for two. Bring the number your office lists.
- 2 x 2 inches through Washington
The embassy in Washington lists three personal photos measuring 2 x 2 inches with a white background for a renewal, a replacement for a damaged passport, or a first passport for a child under 16. It also asks for two copies of every document you submit.
- National ID card from age 15
Applicants aged 15 and over apply with a valid national ID card; younger children use the computerised birth certificate. The Foreign Ministry says an expired card, or a birth certificate without a card, gets a passport valid for three years instead of seven.
- One passport per person
PENA issues the machine-readable passport to its holder alone. A wife or children cannot be added, and no details can be added or amended once it is issued.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Bring three recent colour 4 x 6 cm photos to a passport office in Egypt
- Use a plain white background
- Check how many photos your embassy or consulate asks for
- Use 2 x 2 inch prints for the Egyptian embassy in Washington
- Bring the original of each document together with a photocopy
- Keep the receipt for your passport form to collect the passport
Don't
- Do not use a coloured or patterned background
- Do not hand in black-and-white photos
- Do not reuse old photos from a previous application
- Do not bring 2 x 2 inch prints to an office in Egypt, which asks for 4 x 6 cm
- Do not expect to add your children to your own passport
- Do not post documents to the Washington embassy by FedEx or UPS
Sample photos
How a Egypt passport photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 40 × 60 mm and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Babies and children
Children need a passport of their own, because the machine-readable passport cannot carry a parent's children. In Egypt, PENA accepts applications from fathers and mothers on behalf of their minor children, and from adult brothers or sisters on behalf of minor siblings. Under 15, the child applies with a computerised birth certificate instead of an ID card.
Abroad, the Foreign Ministry asks a parent to attend a child's first passport application, bringing the birth certificate, both parents' passports and four recent 4 x 6 cm photos on white. In Washington a first passport for a child under 16 follows the renewal list, with three 2 x 2 inch photos. No official source sets separate photo rules for babies or young children.
Printed and digital photos
Egyptian passport applications run on paper. PENA, the Foreign Ministry and the consulates read for this page all ask for printed photos handed in with the form, and none of them publishes a pixel size or upload rule. The Washington embassy's postal route also uses prints: residents of its area who cannot attend send the originals in a tracked envelope, and the embassy returns form No. 29 for them to complete and sign before a notary public.
A digital photo can be cropped to 4 x 6 cm, or to 2 x 2 inches for Washington, and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter. Do not confuse the 4 x 6 cm photo with the 4x6 inch print sheet.
Where to submit the photo
In Egypt, apply at PENA's head office or at the passport section that covers your address; PENA lists, for example, which police districts each Giza branch serves. Applications are accepted from the holder in person, from a spouse, from parents for minor children, from adult children for their parents, and from agents with a power of attorney that expressly covers dealing with PENA. A same-day premium service runs at PENA's head office, at passport offices in shopping centres and from mobile units.
Abroad, apply to the Egyptian embassy or consulate for your area. In the United States the Washington consular section serves Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington DC and West Virginia, in person or by tracked USPS mail; consulates in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Houston serve the other states. The London consulate requires applicants to attend with their original passport.
How to get your Egypt passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Egypt passport: 40 × 60 mm print, white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: 4 x 6 cm prints in Egypt; white background on every list; the photo count depends on the office; 2 x 2 inches through Washington.
- Prepare a print or digital file. Egyptian passport applications run on paper. PENA, the Foreign Ministry and the consulates read for this page all ask for printed photos handed in with the form, and none of them publishes a pixel size or upload rule.
- Submit the photo with your application. In Egypt, apply at PENA's head office or at the passport section that covers your address; PENA lists, for example, which police districts each Giza branch serves.
Egypt passport photo FAQ
4 x 6 cm (40 x 60 mm). PENA, the passport authority, asks for three recent colour photos of that size on a white background, and the Foreign Ministry's consular list uses the same size. The main exception is the embassy in Washington, which asks for 2 x 2 inch (51 x 51 mm) photos. Do not confuse 4 x 6 cm with a 4 x 6 inch print.
It depends on where you apply. PENA in Egypt asks for three. The Foreign Ministry's list for missions abroad asks for four, the Washington embassy and the London consulate ask for three, and the Los Angeles consulate asks for two. Check the list of the office handling your file before you print.
Only where the mission asks for them. The embassy in Washington lists three 2 x 2 inch photos with a white background. PENA in Egypt and the Foreign Ministry's general list ask for 4 x 6 cm, so a 2 x 2 inch print does not match their stated size.
Yes. PENA states that citizens outside Egypt apply to Egyptian consulates abroad. Bring your current passport, your national ID card or computerised birth certificate, and the photos the mission asks for. Men may also need military service papers. For a lost or damaged passport, the mission first asks PENA in Cairo for approval.
From age 15, yes: PENA asks for a valid national ID card, and younger children use a computerised birth certificate. The Foreign Ministry says that if the card has expired, or you apply with a birth certificate only, the passport is issued for three years instead of the usual seven.
No. PENA states that the machine-readable passport is personal to its holder and that a wife or children cannot be added to it. Each child needs a passport of their own, applied for by a parent, with the child's own photos.
None are published. PENA and the Foreign Ministry list only the size, the number of photos, colour, recency and a white background, and PENA's English page adds that the photo must show the face. If you are unsure about glasses or a head covering, ask the office or consulate handling your application before you print.
Yes, in many cases. PENA accepts applications from the holder, a spouse, parents for minor children, adult siblings for minor siblings, adult children for their parents, and agents whose power of attorney covers dealing with PENA. A grandfather or uncle may act when both parents are abroad.
Related photo specifications
Other Egypt documents
- Visa photo 2 × 2 in
Passports nearby
- Algeria passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Libya passport photo 40 × 60 mm
- Morocco passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Sudan passport photo
- Tunisia passport photo 35 × 45 mm
Also 40 × 60 mm
- Bahrain passport photo 40 × 60 mm
- Bahrain ID card photo 40 × 60 mm
- Greece passport photo 40 × 60 mm
- Kyrgyzstan passport photo 40 × 60 mm
- Laos passport photo 40 × 60 mm
- Laos visa photo 40 × 60 mm
- Libya passport photo 40 × 60 mm
- Mongolia citizenship photo 40 × 60 mm
- Oman passport photo 40 × 60 mm
- Oman visa photo 40 × 60 mm
- All Egypt photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 40 × 60 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Africa
Official sources
- Ministry of Interior, Passports, Emigration and Nationality Administration. Issuing a passport: required documents (Arabic) moi.gov.eg. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Interior, Passports, Emigration and Nationality Administration. Automated Passport: Required Documents moi.gov.eg. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Interior, Passports, Emigration and Nationality Administration. Issuing a passport: form No. 29 and service options (Arabic) moi.gov.eg. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Interior, Passports, Emigration and Nationality Administration. Issuing a passport: acceptance of applications (Arabic) moi.gov.eg. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Interior, Passports, Emigration and Nationality Administration. General Administration of Passports: branches (Arabic) moi.gov.eg. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Issuing or renewing a passport (Arabic) mfa.gov.eg. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Washington. Issuing an Egyptian passport (Arabic) egyptembassy.net. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Washington. Egyptian Consulates in US egyptembassy.net. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulate General of Egypt, Los Angeles. Consular services: passports (Arabic) egyconsulatela.com. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulate General of Egypt, London. Egyptian Passport egyptconsulate.co.uk. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Ministry of Interior, Passports, Emigration and Nationality Administration before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Egypt passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/egypt/passport-photo