Ghana visa photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Ghana Immigration Service and Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Ghana visa, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Ghana visa photo?
The Ghana e-Visa, run by the Ghana Immigration Service with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, asks for a colour passport-style photo of approximately 3.5 x 4.5 cm on a plain white or light background, no more than 6 months old. Face the camera with your head straight, eyes open and mouth closed, keep the face unobstructed, and upload an original photo without filters or digital alterations. The portal sets the exact upload specifications.
Ghana launched its electronic visa portal on 25 May 2026, replacing manual procedures with an online system. The portal is operated by the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It sorts travellers into three routes by nationality and passport: visa-free entry, an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) for African passport holders and countries with visa waivers, or an e-Visa.
The e-Visa covers business (B1) and tourist (B2) travel. Ghana currently issues single-entry e-Visas only, valid for 90 days from issue, and the immigration officer at the port of entry decides your permitted stay, up to 60 days. The application is completed entirely online, including the upload of your photograph, and the approved e-Visa is emailed to you.
GIS also describes visas issued outside the portal: by Ghana's diplomatic missions abroad, and, in Ghana, transit, emergency entry, on-arrival and re-entry visas. Missions such as London have run their own online visa forms with a photo upload, with similar but not identical photo rules.
Ghana visa photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Ghana Immigration Service and Ministry of Foreign Affairs:[1]
| Print size | Approximately 3.5 x 4.5 cm (35 x 45 mm) |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No pixel size published; follow the upload specifications shown on the e-Visa portal |
| Background | Plain white or light |
| Colour | Colour photograph |
| Photo age | No more than 6 months old |
| File format | e-Visa: not published; London mission applications: JPEG or JPG |
| 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:
Submit an original, natural photograph. Do not use filters or digital alterations that change the photograph.
Key requirements
- Recent and in colour
Use a colour photograph taken within the last 6 months. The applicant guide warns against old or outdated photos.
- Straight, centred, fully visible
Face the camera directly with your head straight and centred. Do not tilt or turn the head, crop it, or stand too close to or too far from the camera.
- Eyes open, mouth closed
Keep the full face visible with your eyes open and clearly visible and your mouth closed. Exaggerated expressions, closed eyes and an open mouth are on the avoid list.
- Plain white or light background
A plain white or light background is required. Busy, dark, textured or distracting backgrounds are not accepted.
- Even light, sharp image
Use even lighting and a clear, sharp image with natural colour. Blurry, grainy, pixelated, overexposed or underexposed images, and strong shadows, should be avoided.
- An original, unedited photo
Submit an original, natural photograph. The guide says not to use filters or digital alterations that change the photograph, and not to distort the image to fit the size.
- Nothing over the face
Keep the face unobstructed. Sunglasses and anything that hides the face are refused, except a permitted religious or medical covering that leaves the face visible.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Use a colour photo taken in the last 6 months.
- Stand in front of a plain white or light wall.
- Light your face evenly, without strong shadows.
- Keep the photo close to 3.5 x 4.5 cm.
- Check the upload rules shown on the portal before you submit.
Don't
- Do not apply filters or alter the photo digitally.
- Do not stretch or distort the image to fit the frame.
- Do not wear sunglasses.
- Do not use a dark, busy or textured background.
- Do not photograph a printed passport photo for a mission application.
Sample photos
How a Ghana visa photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 35 × 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
Sunglasses are not allowed. The e-Visa guide asks you to keep the full face unobstructed and not to wear sunglasses or anything else that hides the face. It does not mention clear prescription glasses, so if you keep them on, your eyes must still be open and clearly visible.
Missions can be stricter. The London High Commission's visa answers ask for a photo without dark glasses and with no eyewear.
Headwear and religious dress
A religious or medical covering is allowed on the e-Visa, as long as the face remains visible. Anything else that obscures the face should be removed before the photo is taken.
For applications through a mission, London asks for a photo without hats, and with no headgear unless it is worn for religious reasons.
Babies and children
The e-Visa applicant guide sets no separate photo rule for children, so a child's photo follows the same guidance: colour, recent, plain white or light background, face straight and fully visible.
For applications made through the London High Commission, parents or legal guardians must provide a consent letter for children under 18, signed by both parents. If one parent cannot give consent, the reason is selected on the official consent form and supported with documents.
Printed and digital photos
The e-Visa needs no prints. You upload the photograph with your other documents, and the approved e-Visa is sent to your email; you can show it digitally or printed at any Ghana port of entry. A digital photo can be cropped and resized to about 3.5 x 4.5 cm without stretching it.
Mission applications also used uploads. London's answers say not to photograph a printed passport photo; a new photo may be taken with a camera or smartphone if it meets the rules, or a compliant photo can be scanned.
Where to submit the photo
Use the official Ghana e-Visa portal: check your eligibility, create an account, fill in your passport, travel and accommodation details, upload the photograph and supporting documents, pay, and submit. Applications cannot be edited or withdrawn once submitted; corrections go through support. A request for information must be answered in the dashboard within 3 days, and a refusal can be appealed once.
Visas are also issued in Ghana. An emergency entry visa or visa on arrival may be granted at the border; GIS lists an application letter to the Comptroller-General and supporting documents for it, but no photograph.
How to get your Ghana visa photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Ghana visa: 35 × 45 mm print, plain white or light background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: recent and in colour; straight, centred, fully visible; eyes open, mouth closed; plain white or light background.
- Prepare a print or digital file. The e-Visa needs no prints. You upload the photograph with your other documents, and the approved e-Visa is sent to your email; you can show it digitally or printed at any Ghana port of entry.
- Submit the photo with your application. Use the official Ghana e-Visa portal: check your eligibility, create an account, fill in your passport, travel and accommodation details, upload the photograph and supporting documents, pay, and submit.
Ghana visa photo FAQ
About 3.5 x 4.5 cm (35 x 45 mm). The Ghana Immigration Service applicant guide gives that size for the e-Visa photo and adds that you should follow the portal's current upload specifications.
A plain white or light background. The applicant guide rules out busy, dark, textured or distracting backgrounds. London's mission visa answers specify white.
No. The applicant guide asks for an original, natural photograph and says not to use filters or digital alterations that change the photograph. It also warns against distorting the image to make it fit.
For mission applications, London's High Commission says a new photo may be taken with a camera or smartphone if it meets the rules, but you should not photograph a printed passport photo. The e-Visa guide does not say how the photo must be taken.
Not sunglasses. The e-Visa guide refuses sunglasses and anything that obscures the face. London's mission asks for no eyewear at all, so removing glasses is the safer choice.
Most use a different route. ECOWAS and AES nationals can enter visa-free, and the portal says all African passport holders receive an ETA rather than an e-Visa. The applicant guide's photo section is written for the e-Visa, so follow what the portal displays for the ETA.
GIS lists an application letter to the Comptroller-General of Immigration, with documents such as a bank statement, the host's and visitor's passport data pages and a flight itinerary. No photograph appears in that list.
A single-entry e-Visa is valid for 90 days from the date of issue, and you must enter Ghana within that time. The officer at the port of entry then sets your stay, up to 60 days.
Related photo specifications
Other Ghana documents
- Passport photo 140 × 170 px
Visas and travel authorisations nearby
- Benin visa photo
- Burkina Faso visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Mauritania visa photo
- Nigeria visa photo 600 × 600 px
- Togo visa photo 35 × 45 mm
Also 35 × 45 mm
- Afghanistan visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- 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
- Anguilla passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Antigua and Barbuda passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Armenia visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- All Ghana photo specifications
- Visas and travel authorisations: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Africa
Official sources
- Ghana Immigration Service and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ghana eVisa Applicant Guide evisa.immigration.gov.gh. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ghana Immigration Service. Ghana eVisa portal evisa.immigration.gov.gh. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ghana. Ghana launches e-visa portal mfa.gov.gh. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ghana Immigration Service. Visas gis.gov.gh. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ghana Immigration Service. Emergency Entry Visa gis.gov.gh. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ghana High Commission, London. Frequently Asked Questions london.mfa.gov.gh. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Ghana Immigration Service and Ministry of Foreign Affairs before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Ghana visa photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/ghana/visa-photo