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Hong Kong passport photo requirements

The 40 × 50 mm photo rules set by Immigration Department, HKSAR Government for the Hong Kong passport, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 7 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Hong Kong passport photo?

An HKSAR passport photo is 40 mm wide and 50 mm high, and the head measures 32 to 36 mm from chin to crown with some space left above it. Use a recent colour photo on a plain white background, facing the camera, with no head dress. Online, upload a JPEG of 5 MB or less: a camera image of at least 1200 x 1600 pixels or a 600 dpi scan of the print.

The HKSAR passport is issued by the Immigration Department (ImmD) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to Chinese citizens who are permanent residents of Hong Kong and hold a valid Hong Kong permanent identity card. It is normally valid for 10 years, or 5 years for children under 16, and each child needs a passport of their own. ImmD engraves the photo onto the data page with a laser and also stores it in the contactless chip, so a pale, dark or blurred picture carries straight through to the finished passport.

There are several ways to hand in the photo. Online, through GovHK or the ImmD Mobile Application, you upload a digital file. At a self-service submission kiosk in an Immigration Office, the kiosk can photograph you free of charge or scan a print you bring. Paper applications by post, drop-in box or at a counter carry printed photos: one with form ID 841 (16 and over) or ID 842 (under 16) in Hong Kong, and three with form ID 843 or ID 844 when you apply from abroad through a Chinese diplomatic and consular mission, an Immigration Division of an HKSAR Mainland Office, or by post to ImmD.

Hong Kong passport photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Immigration Department, HKSAR Government:[1]

Print size40 x 50 mm (width x height)
Digital sizeAt least 1200 x 1600 pixels from a digital camera, or a 600 dpi scan of the 40 x 50 mm print
Head height32 to 36 mm from chin to crown, with room left above the head
BackgroundPlain white
ColourColour photograph
Photo ageRecent; ImmD sets no age limit in months
File sizeOnline and app uploads: 5 MB or below
File formatJPEG (online and app uploads)
Print qualityPrint is laser-engraved on the data page; do not fold, staple, clip or write on the back
Pixels when printed472 × 591 px at 300 dpi · 945 × 1181 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
40 mm50 mm32–36 mm
40 × 50 mm photo drawn to scale, with the 32–36 mm head height from chin to crown. Background: plain white.

Key requirements

  • Head 32 to 36 mm, centred

    Frame the picture so that your head, from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head, takes up 32 to 36 mm of the 50 mm height, with a little space above the hair. ImmD turns down photos in which the applicant is off-centre.

  • Whole face, clearly visible

    Face the camera straight on so the full face shows and every feature is clear. Hair must not fall across the eyes or the eyebrows.

  • White background, even light

    Stand against a plain white background. Shadows, and exposure that leaves the photo too bright or too dark, are among the reasons ImmD gives for refusing a photo.

  • No head dress

    Take off hats, caps and other head coverings. The ImmD leaflet of unacceptable photos uses a woman in a baseball cap as its head-covering example.

  • Light make-up, mid-toned clothes

    ImmD asks you to avoid heavy make-up, and clothing that is very dark or very pale in colour.

  • Keep the print undamaged

    A print that has been folded, stapled, fixed with a paper clip or written on behind can no longer be used to make the passport. Postal and drop-in applications with a substandard photo are sent back unprocessed.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Use a plain white background
  • Look straight at the camera with your whole face showing
  • Keep the head 32 to 36 mm high, with space above it
  • Wear clothes that are neither very dark nor very light
  • Upload a JPEG of 5 MB or less when applying online
  • Use the free photo service at a submission kiosk if you prefer

Don't

  • Do not wear a hat, cap or other head covering
  • Do not let hair cover your eyes or eyebrows
  • Do not wear glasses whose frames cross your eyes
  • Do not use a flash that reflects off your face or lenses
  • Do not staple, clip, fold or write on the print
  • Do not submit a photo that is shadowed, too light or too dark

Sample photos

How a Hong Kong passport photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 40 × 50 mm, head height and background colour.

Correct
Open-mouth smile
Head tilted
Too close: head too big
Too far: head too small
Busy background
Shadows on face or background
Glare on glasses

Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.

Glasses

ImmD does not ban glasses, but two of its reasons for refusing a photo concern them: a frame that runs across the eyes, and flash reflecting off the face or the lenses. Its examples show a man whose lenses catch the flash and a woman whose thick frames sit across her eyes.

If your frames are heavy or the lenses reflect light, removing the glasses for the photo avoids both problems.

Headwear and religious dress

Do not wear head dress in an HKSAR passport photo. ImmD's leaflet of unacceptable photos includes a cap under its hair and accessories heading. The passport photo page publishes no exception for religious or medical head coverings, so ask ImmD before you apply if you cover your head for religious reasons.

Babies and children

Children need the same 40 x 50 mm white-background photo as adults. A parent or legal guardian signs the application for a child under 16 on form ID 842 and gives consent for unmarried applicants aged 16 or 17. If a child under 11 has no Hong Kong permanent identity card yet, the identity card application goes in together with the passport application and two identical photos are needed, or four when applying from outside Hong Kong.

The online service is open to children who already hold a permanent identity card, and the parent uploads the child's photo. The kiosk camera can only be used by people between 1.25 m and 1.90 m tall, so a small child needs a print, which can be scanned at the kiosk. A child who did not attend when the application was submitted must come in person to collect the passport.

For an application through the internet or the ImmD Mobile Application, the photo is a digital file: JPEG, no larger than 5 MB. A camera image must be at least 1200 x 1600 pixels; if you scan a printed photo instead, scan it at 600 dpi at its 40 x 50 mm size. A successful upload does not mean ImmD has accepted the photo, and it may still ask you for a new one.

Paper applications need prints: one with a local form and three with an overseas form, plus one extra identical print for a child under 11 without a permanent identity card. A digital photo can be printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter and cut to 40 x 50 mm.

Where to submit the photo

In Hong Kong, apply online, at a Travel Document Submission Kiosk or Personal Documentation Submission Kiosk (no appointment needed, at the Immigration Headquarters in Tseung Kwan O and seven branch offices), by post to the Travel Documents and Nationality (Application) Section, or in a drop-in box at an Immigration Office. Replacing a lost, damaged or defaced passport, or changing personal particulars, needs a booked counter appointment; since 23 March 2026 applicants aged 18 or over can also do this at the kiosks in Tseung Kwan O.

Outside Hong Kong, hand form ID 843 or ID 844 to the nearest Chinese diplomatic and consular mission or an Immigration Division of an HKSAR Mainland Office, or post it to ImmD. You can also apply online from abroad if you can collect the passport in person at the Immigration Headquarters, a chosen mission or a Mainland Office.

How to get your Hong Kong passport photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Hong Kong passport: 40 × 50 mm print, 1200 × 1600 px digital file, plain white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: head 32 to 36 mm, centred; whole face, clearly visible; white background, even light; no head dress.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. For an application through the internet or the ImmD Mobile Application, the photo is a digital file: JPEG, no larger than 5 MB. A camera image must be at least 1200 x 1600 pixels; if you scan a printed photo instead, scan it at 600 dpi at its 40 x 50 mm size.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. In Hong Kong, apply online, at a Travel Document Submission Kiosk or Personal Documentation Submission Kiosk (no appointment needed, at the Immigration Headquarters in Tseung Kwan O and seven branch offices), by post to the Travel Documents and Nationality…

Make this photo online

Hong Kong passport photo FAQ

An HKSAR passport photo measures 40 x 50 mm, width first. The head should take up 32 to 36 mm of that height, measured from the chin to the crown, with a little space above it. For online applications the photo is a JPEG of at least 1200 x 1600 pixels.

Yes, for an online application. ImmD accepts a digital camera image of at least 1200 x 1600 pixels, or a 600 dpi scan of a print, provided it meets the photo requirements. It checks the photo after submission and may ask for another. The submission kiosks at Immigration Offices also take the photo for you.

Yes. ImmD states that the photo-taking service at its Travel Document Submission Kiosks and Personal Documentation Submission Kiosks is free of charge. It is available to applicants between 1.25 m and 1.90 m tall; anyone else can scan a printed photo at the kiosk instead.

Glasses are not banned outright, but ImmD rejects photos in which the frame runs across the eyes or the flash reflects off the lenses or the face. Thin frames that sit clear of the eyes, with no glare on the lenses, avoid both problems.

One for a paper application made in Hong Kong, and three for an application made from outside Hong Kong on form ID 843 or ID 844. Add one more identical photo if the applicant is a child under 11 without a Hong Kong permanent identity card. Online you upload a single digital photo.

An application sent by post or put in a drop-in box with a substandard photo is not processed and is returned to you. For applications made online or through the app, ImmD notes that a successful upload does not confirm the photo meets its requirements, and it may ask you to submit another.

The ImmD photo requirements say nothing about digital editing either way. They do require a plain white background, a centred full-face image with clear features, and no shadows, flash reflections or over- or under-exposure. Any photo you upload is checked against those rules.

Yes. If you live outside Hong Kong, the nearest Chinese diplomatic and consular mission accepts applications on form ID 843 (16 and over) or ID 844 (under 16) and forwards them to ImmD. Include three recent colour photos with a white background. You can also choose the mission as the place to collect the new passport.

Related photo specifications

Other Hong Kong documents

Passports nearby

Also 40 × 50 mm

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Official sources

  1. Immigration Department, HKSAR Government. Photograph Requirements for Travel Document immd.gov.hk. Checked 3 November 2026.
  2. Immigration Department, HKSAR Government. Application for HKSAR Passport immd.gov.hk. Checked 3 November 2026.
  3. GovHK. Online Application for HKSAR Passport gov.hk. Checked 3 November 2026.
  4. Immigration Department, HKSAR Government. Personal Documentation Submission Kiosk / Travel Document Submission Kiosk immd.gov.hk. Checked 3 November 2026.
  5. Immigration Department, HKSAR Government. Frequently Asked Questions: HKSAR Travel Documents immd.gov.hk. Checked 3 November 2026.
  6. Immigration Department, HKSAR Government. Guidance Notes on Local Application for HKSAR Passport for Applicants Aged 16 or above, ID(E) 841A immd.gov.hk. Checked 3 November 2026.
  7. Immigration Department, HKSAR Government. Guidance Notes on Application for HKSAR Passport outside Hong Kong, ID(E) 843A (PDF) immd.gov.hk. Checked 3 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Immigration Department, HKSAR Government before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Hong Kong passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/hong-kong/passport-photo

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