Iraq passport photo requirements
The 2 × 2 in photo rules set by Consulate General of the Republic of Iraq in Detroit for the Iraq passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Iraq passport photo?
Official checklists for the Iraqi e-passport ask for no printed photo: the passport office or consulate photographs you in person when it takes your fingerprints, so no print size applies. Prints are needed for the laissez-passer, the one-way travel document that missions issue to Iraqis without a valid passport: three recent photos on a white background, which the Detroit consulate sets at 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm).
Iraqi passports are issued by the Ministry of Interior through its Directorate of Civil Status, Passports and Residence. The current electronic passport, which the Detroit consulate describes as a category B passport approved by ICAO, is issued at passport offices in Iraq, at the passport offices of the Kurdistan Regional Government's Ministry of Interior, and at Iraqi embassies and consulates that have an e-passport system. In the Kurdistan Region the office checks the application and sends it on to Baghdad, so the passport is the same federal document.
The application is built on the Unified National Card. Detroit asks for the original card, and its FAQ says the electronic civil record is no longer accepted in its place; Los Angeles requires the original Iraqi national ID at the appointment. Every applicant attends in person. Kurdistan Region offices send you to a fingerprint and photograph room where your picture for the passport is taken at a window, and the e-passport checklists of the missions in Detroit, Los Angeles, London and Ottawa list no printed photos.
Printed photos belong to other channels. The laissez-passer needs three recent photos on white. Some missions that hosted visiting Ministry of Interior teams for the older A-series passport also asked for two to four colour prints on white, although Bern said the passport itself would carry a photo taken on the spot.
Iraq passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Consulate General of the Republic of Iraq in Detroit:[1]
| Print size | E-passport: no print size, the photo is taken at the office; laissez-passer at Detroit: 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No upload: the photo is captured at the passport office or mission |
| Background | White for laissez-passer prints and past mobile-team applications; not published for the e-passport capture |
| Photo age | Recent (laissez-passer prints); no age limit in months is published |
| Pixels when printed | 600 × 600 px at 300 dpi · 1200 × 1200 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
In the official words
Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:
Iraqi electronic passport
Key requirements
- Photographed at the counter
Kurdistan Region passport offices take your fingerprints and the passport picture in the same room. Missions describe the same step: Istanbul's A-series instructions asked applicants to attend so the electronic fingerprint and photo could be taken directly, and Bern said the instant photo taken at fingerprinting would be used in the new passport.
- Unified National Card first
Detroit issues the e-passport only on the basis of the Unified National Card and has stopped accepting the electronic civil record. Ottawa's 2024 checklist still names the original electronic civil record next to the card, so check your own mission's list.
- Appointment, then attendance
Detroit, Los Angeles and London take e-passport applications by appointment, booked on the foreign ministry's online platform. Los Angeles states that every application needs an in-person appearance at the consulate.
- Collect it yourself
London hands a finished passport only to its holder, so that the iris check can be completed, and gives the passport of a child under 18 to the father only.
- Laissez-passer prints
For the laissez-passer, London asks for three recent photos on white, Detroit for three recent 2 x 2 inch photos on white, and Washington for three personal photographs. The document is valid for six months and only for the journey to Iraq.
- Not every mission issues passports
The Washington consular section does not currently issue passports or national cards and refers applicants to Detroit or Los Angeles. The Houston consulate has no passport system.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Book your appointment online before going to an Iraqi mission
- Bring your original Unified National Card
- Bring the passport you are renewing, or the damaged one
- Attend in person, whatever your age
- Bring three recent photos on white for a laissez-passer
- Have the father attend with a child under 18
Don't
- Do not post an e-passport application to a mission
- Do not rely on the electronic civil record in place of the card at Detroit
- Do not go to the Washington consular section for a passport
- Do not send someone else to collect an adult's passport in London
- Do not plan to use a laissez-passer for travel to any country but Iraq
Sample photos
How a Iraq passport photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 2 × 2 in 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
A child's passport needs the father. Detroit asks him to attend and bring his own Unified National Card, the child's card and the previous passport. Los Angeles accepts the mother as legal guardian if she brings her national ID, the father's documents and, while he is alive, a special power of attorney for passports; if he has died, an Iraqi guardianship document is needed. Ottawa also accepts a special power of attorney from the father, made before a notary in Iraq and certified by the foreign ministry or issued by an Iraqi mission, and a custody ruling where the parents are separated.
Children are photographed like adults. Mission instructions say applicants of all ages must attend for fingerprints and photos, and Kurdistan Region offices need the guardian's consent and presence for anyone under 18. In London only the father can collect the passport of a child under 18.
Printed and digital photos
There is no digital upload and, on current e-passport checklists, no print to bring. The picture is taken at the office or mission during your appointment, so no official print size or pixel size exists for the Iraqi e-passport.
Prints apply in two situations. For a laissez-passer, London asks for three recent photos on a white background and Detroit specifies three recent 2 x 2 inch (51 x 51 mm) photos on white; Washington's list says three personal photographs without a size. Earlier visits by mobile passport teams also took prints: Bern asked for four colour photos on white in May 2023, Washington for three in January 2024 and Bucharest for two in January 2024.
If you need laissez-passer prints, a digital photo can be cropped to 2 x 2 inches and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter.
Where to submit the photo
In the Kurdistan Region you book a turn through the Iraqi passport application and visit the passport department for your area with your original documents. The visit runs through a travel ban check, the fingerprint and photograph room, payment by bank card and the manager's window, from which the application goes to Baghdad, before you collect the passport.
Abroad, apply at an Iraqi embassy or consulate that has an e-passport system, by appointment booked on the foreign ministry's platform. In the US, Detroit and Los Angeles take applications; Washington refers passport applicants to them, and Houston has no passport system. Detroit collects fees by bank card only and Los Angeles by debit card.
How to get your Iraq passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Iraq passport: 2 × 2 in print, white for laissez-passer prints and past… background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: photographed at the counter; unified National Card first; appointment, then attendance; collect it yourself.
- Prepare a print or digital file. There is no digital upload and, on current e-passport checklists, no print to bring. The picture is taken at the office or mission during your appointment, so no official print size or pixel size exists for the Iraqi e-passport. Prints apply in two situations.
- Submit the photo with your application. In the Kurdistan Region you book a turn through the Iraqi passport application and visit the passport department for your area with your original documents.
Iraq passport photo FAQ
For the e-passport there is no size to meet. The passport office or consulate takes your picture during the appointment, and none of the official checklists asks for prints. The only official print size found is for the laissez-passer at the Detroit consulate: three recent 2 x 2 inch (51 x 51 mm) photos on a white background.
Not on current e-passport checklists. Detroit asks for your original Unified National Card and the expired passport, London for the original card and the passport being renewed, and Los Angeles for the original national ID, all at an in-person appointment. Your photo is taken there.
Three. London asks for three recent personal photos with a white background, Detroit for three recent 2 x 2 inch photos on white, and Washington for three personal photographs. The laissez-passer is valid for six months and only for travel to Iraq, and you apply in person at the mission.
Not at present. The Washington consular section says passport and national ID card issuance services are unavailable there and refers applicants to the consulates in Detroit and Los Angeles. Its booking system still lists the laissez-passer among the services you can book.
No. Passport offices of the Kurdistan Regional Government's Ministry of Interior take applications for the Iraqi passport and send each one to Baghdad. You bring your National Card and information card, have your fingerprints and photo taken at the office, and pay the fee by bank card.
The e-passport checklists published by Iraqi missions and by the Kurdistan Region's passport service set no rules on glasses, head coverings or expression. Because staff take the photo during your appointment, there is no print of your own to prepare for the e-passport.
Ottawa accepts a special power of attorney from the father, made before a notary in Iraq and certified by the Iraqi foreign ministry, or issued by an Iraqi mission abroad. If the father has died, the passport is issued on an original guardianship deed from a personal status court in Iraq, certified by the foreign ministry.
Related photo specifications
Other Iraq documents
- Visa photo 2 × 2 in
- ID card photo
Passports nearby
- Azerbaijan passport photo 30 × 40 mm
- Bahrain e-passport photo 32.5 × 43 mm
- Bahrain passport photo 40 × 60 mm
- Georgia passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Israel passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Jordan passport photo 2 × 2 in
- Lebanon passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Oman passport photo 40 × 60 mm
- Palestine passport photo 30 × 40 mm
- Qatar passport photo 35 × 48 mm
Also 2 × 2 in
- American Samoa passport photo 2 × 2 in
- Armenia eVisa photo 2 × 2 in
- Bahamas passport photo 2 × 2 in
- Bahamas eVisa photo 2 × 2 in
- Bahamas visa photo 2 × 2 in
- Belize passport photo 2 × 2 in
- Belize visa photo 2 × 2 in
- Belize residence permit photo 2 × 2 in
- Democratic Republic of the Congo passport photo 2 × 2 in
- Egypt visa photo 2 × 2 in
- All Iraq photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 2 × 2 in photo
- Photo specifications in Asia
Official sources
- Consulate General of the Republic of Iraq in Detroit. Instructions for issuing the electronic passport (Arabic) mofa.gov.iq. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulate General of the Republic of Iraq in Detroit. Information and related questions (Arabic) mofa.gov.iq. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulate General of the Republic of Iraq in Detroit. Instructions for issuing a travel document (laissez-passer) (Arabic) mofa.gov.iq. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulate General of the Republic of Iraq in Los Angeles. Passport issuance instructions mofa.gov.iq. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in London. Requirements for issuing the electronic passport (Arabic) mofa.gov.iq. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in London. Laissez-passer (Arabic) mofa.gov.iq. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in London. Iraqi Passport (earlier machine-readable passport instructions) mofa.gov.iq. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Ottawa. How to apply for the electronic passport (Arabic PDF) mofa.gov.iq. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Kurdistan Regional Government, Ministry of Interior. Passport Application, Issuance and Renewal services.gov.krd. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulate General of the Republic of Iraq in Istanbul. Ordinary passports (Arabic) mofa.gov.iq. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Bern. Announcement on the mobile passport system (Arabic) mofa.gov.iq. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Washington. Announcement on issuing and renewing passports, January 2024 (Arabic) mofa.gov.iq. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Bucharest. To our citizens in Romania: mobile passport system (Arabic) mofa.gov.iq. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Washington. Consular Section, Washington DC iraqiembassy.us. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Washington. Requirements for Obtaining a Laissez-Passer (Transit Passport) iraqiembassy.us. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulate General of the Republic of Iraq in Houston. Instructions and related questions (Arabic) mofa.gov.iq. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Consulate General of the Republic of Iraq in Detroit before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Iraq passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/iraq/passport-photo