Iraq visa photo requirements
The 2 × 2 in photo rules set by Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Washington for the Iraq visa, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Iraq visa photo?
For a paper visa application through the Iraqi embassy in Washington, submit two recent, identical, front-view colour photos measuring 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) on a white background. Online, the Ministry of Interior's e-visa portal asks for a digital photo with a white background but publishes no pixel size, and the Kurdistan Regional Government runs a separate e-visa portal for the region that also takes an uploaded photo.
Visas for Iraq are granted by the Ministry of Interior. Its Residency Affairs Directorate, part of the Directorate of Civil Status, Passports and Residency, runs the electronic visa platform that Iraqi missions in London, Toronto, Los Angeles and Houston direct applicants to. The portal says an e-visa needs a valid passport and a digital photo with a white background. Fees are paid online, the visa arrives by email, and you print it to show at the border.
The Kurdistan Region has its own e-visa portal, run by the Kurdistan Regional Government's Ministry of Interior, for entry to the region. Citizens of the countries on its List A can get the e-visa through the portal or at any of the region's entry points. Citizens of List B countries apply through the portal with a guarantor in the region, who submits and pays for the application.
Embassies still take paper applications. The Washington embassy accepts them in person or by registered mail from residents of its jurisdiction. Since March 2025 the Houston consulate has passed on a federal Ministry of Interior notice that visas on arrival are suspended for citizens of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, the EU, Australia, Canada, South Korea, Japan, Switzerland and New Zealand, who must obtain an e-visa before travelling. Apply only through the government portals or an Iraqi mission.
Iraq visa photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Washington:[1]
| Print size | 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) for Washington embassy paper applications; e-visa: digital photo, no size published |
|---|---|
| Digital size | Federal e-visa: digital photo upload; no pixel size or file limit published |
| Background | White (Washington embassy prints and the federal e-visa digital photo) |
| Colour | Colour, front view (Washington embassy) |
| Photo age | Recent; two identical prints for an embassy application |
| Pixels when printed | 600 × 600 px at 300 dpi · 1200 × 1200 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- Two identical 2 x 2 inch prints
Every visa category on the Washington embassy's list, from Iraqi-origin applicants to diplomatic passport holders, needs two recent identical front-view colour photographs on white, measuring 2 x 2 inches (5 x 5 cm).
- White background online too
The Ministry of Interior's e-visa portal asks for a digital photo with a white background. It publishes no pixel dimensions or file size on its public pages.
- A separate portal for the Kurdistan Region
The Kurdistan Regional Government's e-visa service lists a passport and a photo as its documents. List A citizens receive the e-visa within minutes; List B applications go through a guarantor in the region.
- Visa on arrival suspended for many
Citizens of the countries named in the March 2025 notice, including the US, the UK, EU states, Canada and Australia, must obtain an e-visa before travelling instead of a visa on arrival. The Kurdistan Region's on-arrival e-visa for List A citizens is a separate scheme.
- Six months of passport validity
Both the Washington embassy and the Kurdistan Region portal require a passport valid for at least six months; the Kurdistan service also wants at least one blank page.
- Born in Iraq
Washington says holders of foreign passports who were born in Iraq do not need a visa, and the Kurdistan service says the same when the passport shows a place of birth in Iraq.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Use a plain white background for both prints and uploads
- Send two identical 2 x 2 inch colour photos with a paper application in Washington
- Apply for the e-visa on the Ministry of Interior portal that Iraqi missions link to
- Use the Kurdistan Regional Government portal for entry to the Kurdistan Region
- Check that your passport is valid for at least six months
- Print the e-visa you receive by email and carry it to the border
Don't
- Do not apply through sites that are not run by the Iraqi government or its missions
- Do not count on a visa on arrival if your country is on the March 2025 list
- Do not send two different photos with an embassy application
- Do not post an application to Washington by carriers other than USPS Priority Express or UPS
- Do not assume you need a visa if your foreign passport shows birth in Iraq
Sample photos
How a Iraq visa 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
Children are added to the main applicant's e-visa rather than applying alone: the Los Angeles consulate says minors under 18 must be included with either parent by choosing the companion option.
For the Kurdistan Region, minor foreigners may enter with their parents, one parent, another legal representative or a receiving organisation. The KRG representation in the UK adds that children born outside the region who have no Iraqi documents need their own e-visa, while children who hold documents showing they are citizens of the region and Iraq do not.
Printed and digital photos
Prints are used only for paper applications through an embassy or consulate. Washington wants two recent identical colour photos, 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm), front view, on white. Los Angeles lists two recent photographs with a white background for its paper visa form.
Both e-visa portals work with uploads. The federal portal asks for a digital photo with a white background, and the Kurdistan Region service lists a photo next to the passport. The finished e-visa is sent by email, and you print it to present at the border.
A digital photo can be cropped to 2 x 2 inches for a paper application and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter.
Where to submit the photo
Online applications for federal Iraq go through the Ministry of Interior's e-visa platform. The Los Angeles consulate tells foreigners of Iraqi origin and spouses of Iraqis to apply there too, selecting the visa-on-arrival option. For the Kurdistan Region, apply on the regional portal, or, for List A citizens, at any entry point to the region.
The Washington embassy handles paper visas for residents of Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia, in person or by registered mail with a prepaid return envelope. Residents of other states contact the consulate for their area.
How to get your Iraq visa photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Iraq visa: 2 × 2 in print, white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: two identical 2 x 2 inch prints; white background online too; a separate portal for the Kurdistan Region; visa on arrival suspended for many.
- Prepare a print or digital file. Prints are used only for paper applications through an embassy or consulate. Washington wants two recent identical colour photos, 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm), front view, on white.
- Submit the photo with your application. Online applications for federal Iraq go through the Ministry of Interior's e-visa platform. The Los Angeles consulate tells foreigners of Iraqi origin and spouses of Iraqis to apply there too, selecting the visa-on-arrival option.
Iraq visa photo FAQ
For a paper application to the Washington embassy, two recent identical colour photos of 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm), front view, on a white background. For the e-visa, upload a digital photo with a white background; the Ministry of Interior portal publishes no pixel size.
The federal e-visa platform is run by the Ministry of Interior's Residency Affairs Directorate, and Iraqi missions in London, Toronto, Los Angeles and Houston link to it. For the Kurdistan Region, the regional Ministry of Interior runs its own portal. Sites not run by these authorities or by an Iraqi mission are not official.
Not if you hold a passport of a permanent member of the UN Security Council, an EU state, Australia, Canada, South Korea, Japan, Switzerland or New Zealand: the Houston consulate reported in March 2025 that visas on arrival for these citizens were suspended and an e-visa is required before travel. For the Kurdistan Region, List A citizens can still get the e-visa at an entry point.
Apply on the Kurdistan Regional Government's e-visa portal with your passport and a photo. Citizens of List A countries receive the e-visa within minutes or can get it at any entry point; List B citizens need a guarantor in the region, who submits and pays for the application.
Two. They must be recent, identical, front-view colour photographs with a white background, 2 x 2 inches (5 x 5 cm). The same rule appears for Iraqi-origin applicants, foreign spouses of Iraqis, other foreign nationals and diplomatic or official passport holders.
The Washington embassy says people born in Iraq who hold foreign passports do not need a visa to enter Iraq. The Kurdistan Region service likewise exempts foreigners whose passport or travel document shows a place of birth in Iraq.
Yes. The Los Angeles consulate says minor children under 18 must be included with either parent by choosing the companion option when applying for the e-visa.
Related photo specifications
Other Iraq documents
- Passport photo 2 × 2 in
- ID card photo
Visas and travel authorisations nearby
- Armenia eVisa photo 2 × 2 in
- Armenia visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Azerbaijan visa photo 30 × 40 mm
- Bahrain visa photo
- Georgia eVisa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Georgia visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Israel visa photo 50 × 50 mm
- Jordan visa photo
- Lebanon visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Oman visa photo 40 × 60 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
- Visas and travel authorisations: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 2 × 2 in photo
- Photo specifications in Asia
Official sources
- Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Washington. Visas to Iraq iraqiembassy.us. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Interior, Directorate of Residency Affairs. Iraqi Electronic Visa evisa.iq. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulate General of the Republic of Iraq in Houston. VISA: To U.S. Passport Holders mofa.gov.iq. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in London. Instructions for granting entry visas to Iraq (Arabic) mofa.gov.iq. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulate General of the Republic of Iraq in Toronto. Important Announcement: electronic visa platform mofa.gov.iq. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulate General of the Republic of Iraq in Los Angeles. People of Iraqi origins mofa.gov.iq. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulate General of the Republic of Iraq in Los Angeles. Electronic Visa mofa.gov.iq. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Kurdistan Regional Government, Ministry of Interior. e-Visa Portal visit.gov.krd. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Kurdistan Regional Government, Ministry of Interior. e-Visa Portal: Travel to Kurdistan Region of Iraq visit.gov.krd. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Kurdistan Regional Government, Ministry of Interior. E-visa (service MOI-29) services.gov.krd. Checked 2 November 2026.
- KRG Representation in the United Kingdom. Announcement regarding e-visa for British passport holders to enter Kurdistan Region uk.gov.krd. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Washington before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Iraq visa photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/iraq/visa-photo