French Polynesia passport photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Haut-commissariat de la République en Polynésie française for the French Polynesia passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the French Polynesia passport photo?
The French passport photo used in French Polynesia is 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in). The High Commission asks for a light background, a straight head, a neutral expression, no jewellery or head accessories and a picture under 6 months old. Its plain-language sheet names white or light grey, whereas the national rule bans white, so light grey suits both. File at one of the equipped town halls.
People in French Polynesia hold the French passport. Since 1 July 2019, passport applications have been made only at town halls equipped with a collection station, under the High Commission of the Republic, and the passport is made in mainland France before being posted to the place of filing. The High Commission publishes its own information sheet for passports and identity cards, last updated on 12 August 2026, with a one-line photo requirement and a plain-language version that lists the rules one by one.
Geography shapes the process. Sixteen town halls are equipped, nine of them on Tahiti and seven on other islands, so a family on a small island may have no equipped town hall at all. For islands without equipment, the High Commission sends a team with a mobile station on regular tours. Whichever route you take, the photo is something you bring, and the local sheets and the national guidance do not say quite the same thing about the background, so read the details below before you have it taken.
French Polynesia passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Haut-commissariat de la République en Polynésie française:[1]
| Print size | 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in) |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No digital file: bring one printed photo, which the town hall station records |
| Head height | 32 to 36 mm from the bottom of the chin to the top of the skull, hair excluded (national rule) |
| Background | Light. Local sheet: "white or light grey"; national rule: white forbidden. Light grey suits both |
| Colour | Colour strongly recommended (national rule) |
| Photo age | Less than 6 months old |
| Print quality | Sharp, no folds or marks; no shadow on the face or background (national rule) |
| 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 photo must be taken by an authorised professional or in a booth using a system approved by the Ministry of the Interior. (translated from French)
Key requirements
- Format set by the High Commission
The local information sheet gives the photo format as 35 x 45 mm, with a light background, the head straight and a neutral expression. Its plain-language version spells it out: 3.5 cm wide by 4.5 cm high, head not tilted, no smile and the mouth closed.
- White or not? Choose light grey
The plain-language sheet says the background must be light and puts "white or light grey" in brackets. The national guidance on service-public says a white background is forbidden. A light grey backdrop satisfies both texts, so it is the safe choice.
- Nothing on the head, no jewellery
The sheet forbids jewellery and accessories on the head, meaning the face and hair. The plain-language version adds examples: no necklace or earrings, no headband, no flower, and no hat or cap. National guidance tolerates earrings, so the local sheet is the stricter reading.
- Avoid light clothing on top
Both versions of the sheet ask you to avoid light-coloured clothing at the level of the upper body. The national photo rules do not mention this, so treat it as a local request.
- Recent photo, authorised source
The photo must be less than six months old. The sheets do not say who may take it, but the national rule on service-public requires an authorised professional or a booth with a system approved by the Ministry of the Interior.
- Face measured chin to crown
The local sheets give no head size. The national page gives the face as 3.2 to 3.6 cm from the bottom of the chin to the top of the skull, hair excluded, and requires a sharp print with no cast shadow.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Use a light grey backdrop to meet both the local and the national text.
- Remove earrings, necklaces and any hair accessory before the photo.
- Choose a top that is not light-coloured.
- Keep your head straight, mouth closed and eyes open.
- Bring one print that is less than 6 months old.
- Check the opening arrangements of your chosen town hall before travelling.
Don't
- Do not wear a hat, cap, headband or flower.
- Do not choose white just because the plain-language sheet lists it.
- Do not smile.
- Do not tilt your head.
- Do not wear a light-coloured top.
- Do not hand in a photo taken more than six months ago.
Sample photos
How a French Polynesia 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
Neither High Commission sheet says anything about glasses, so the national guidance on service-public applies. Glasses are optional in the picture. If you keep them, the frame must not be thick and must not cover the eyes, and the lenses must not be tinted, coloured or reflective.
Headwear and religious dress
The local sheet bans accessories on the head, and the plain-language version names hats, caps, headbands and flowers. The national page asks for a bare head and publishes no exception for religious or medical reasons, nor does the High Commission. Hair must stay off the face, with only a fringe that leaves the eyes clear tolerated nationally. Jewellery is also banned in the local sheet, earrings included.
Babies and children
The High Commission states that the applicant, whatever their age, must be physically present at the town hall both to file and to collect. A passport is valid for 10 years for adults and 5 years for minors. Its page notes that children under 12 give no fingerprints. For a minor, the legal representatives fill in and sign the parental authorisation and supply a copy of their identity documents.
Neither the local sheets nor service-public set a separate photo rule for children, so a baby's picture follows the same format and expression rules as an adult's.
Printed and digital photos
There is no upload. The sheet lists one identity photograph among the documents to bring, and its plain-language version says the photo is recorded at the town hall during the visit, along with the fingerprints. France Titres said in September 2026 that the paid e-photo code, an alternative to the paper photo, was still being studied for passports, so the printed photo remains the route.
Because the national rule requires an authorised professional or an approved booth, a photo you print yourself is not what the guidance describes.
Where to submit the photo
Applications and collections happen only at equipped town halls. On Tahiti these are Mahina, Arue, Pirae, Papeete, Faa'a, Punaauia, Paea, Teva i uta and Taiarapu-Est, and the sheet tells you to contact the town hall about its days and appointment arrangements. Moorea works only by appointment. Uturoa, Bora Bora, Rangiroa, Tubuai, Nuku Hiva and Hiva Oa work without one. The sheet calls this list indicative, subject to change without notice, and warns that waiting for an appointment can sometimes take several months depending on the town hall and the season.
You may file at any equipped town hall, wherever you live, but you must collect the passport from the same one. For remote islands, the High Commission runs tours with a mobile station in the Tuamotu and Gambier, the Australes, the Marquesas and some Leeward islands. Emergency passports, for health and humanitarian reasons only, and mission passports for the military are still handled by the High Commission. The online tax stamp and address-proof options do not work for French Polynesia.
How to get your French Polynesia passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the French Polynesia passport: 35 × 45 mm print, light. Local sheet: "white or light grey" background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: format set by the High Commission; white or not? Choose light grey; nothing on the head, no jewellery; avoid light clothing on top.
- Prepare a print or digital file. There is no upload. The sheet lists one identity photograph among the documents to bring, and its plain-language version says the photo is recorded at the town hall during the visit, along with the fingerprints.
- Submit the photo with your application. Applications and collections happen only at equipped town halls. On Tahiti these are Mahina, Arue, Pirae, Papeete, Faa'a, Punaauia, Paea, Teva i uta and Taiarapu-Est, and the sheet tells you to contact the town hall about its days and appointment arrangements.
French Polynesia passport photo FAQ
The High Commission's information sheet gives 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in), the same as elsewhere in France. It asks for a light background, a straight head and a neutral expression. The photo must be less than six months old.
The two official texts disagree. The High Commission's plain-language sheet writes "white or light grey", while service-public says a white background is forbidden. Choose light grey, which both accept, to avoid a refusal.
The High Commission's plain-language sheet says no jewellery and gives necklaces and earrings as examples, and its main sheet bans jewellery and accessories on the head, face and hair. Service-public tolerates earrings that leave the face clear, but the local rule is stricter, so remove them.
It depends on the town hall. The sheet says Moorea works only by appointment, that Uturoa, Bora Bora, Rangiroa, Tubuai, Nuku Hiva and Hiva Oa work without one, and that Tahiti town halls must be contacted for their arrangements. The sheet says the details may change without notice.
A team from the High Commission's titles centre tours islands without equipment with a mobile collection station. The plain-language sheet names the Tuamotu and Gambier, the Australes, the Marquesas and some Leeward islands. Ask the High Commission for tour dates.
No. You may file at any equipped town hall, but the sheet says the passport is handed over by the same commune where you applied, and you must attend in person for both steps, at any age. After the town hall receives it, you have three months to collect before it is destroyed.
The national rule says an authorised professional or an approved booth. The High Commission sheets list the photo among the documents you bring and do not describe counter capture, and service-public has no entry for French Polynesia in its counter-photo answer. Plan to bring a photo.
Not through the normal route. The High Commission page says there is no accelerated procedure, because applications are processed locally and then sent to mainland France for printing. The High Commission itself handles only temporary emergency passports, on health or humanitarian grounds, and military mission passports.
Related photo specifications
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Also 35 × 45 mm
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- 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
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- All French Polynesia photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Oceania
Official sources
- Haut-commissariat de la République en Polynésie française. Passeport polynesie-francaise.gouv.fr. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Haut-commissariat de la République en Polynésie française. Informations pratiques pour les demandes de passeports et de cartes nationales d'identité (fiche FD-07, mise à jour du 12 août 2026) polynesie-francaise.gouv.fr. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Haut-commissariat de la République en Polynésie française. Informations pratiques pour les demandes de passeports et de cartes nationales d'identité (fiche FD-07, version FALC) polynesie-francaise.gouv.fr. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Service-Public.gouv.fr (DILA). Quelle photo fournir pour un titre d'identité (passeport, carte d'identité...) ? service-public.gouv.fr. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Service-Public.gouv.fr (DILA). Carte d'identité / Passeport : la photo peut-elle être prise au guichet ? service-public.gouv.fr. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Services Publics+ (reply from France Titres - ANTS). Coût financier injustifié et gaspillage imposé pour les photos de passeport (reply of 23 September 2026) plus.transformation.gouv.fr. Checked 3 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Haut-commissariat de la République en Polynésie française before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"French Polynesia passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/french-polynesia/passport-photo