Ireland photo specifications
Photo sizes and rules for 9 documents issued in Ireland, taken from the issuing authorities and linked to their official pages.
At a glance
Irish passports take a digital photo of at least 715 x 951 pixels online, or four prints of 35 x 45 to 38 x 50 mm on paper. Visa applications need two colour prints 35 to 38 mm wide and 45 to 50 mm high. An employment permit needs a JPEG of 413 x 531 to 448 x 590 pixels, and an SPSV taxi driver licence three prints of about 10 cm by 7 cm.
Overview
An Irish passport photo is a colour JPEG of at least 715 x 951 pixels and no more than 9 MB for Passport Online, or four identical prints between 35 x 45 mm and 38 x 50 mm for a paper form, showing you from head to mid torso against a completely plain light grey, white or cream background. It must be less than six months old and must not be digitally altered.
Four different bodies set the photo rules covered here. The Department of Foreign Affairs issues passports and passport cards; its Passport Online service takes only digital photos, while paper forms need prints. Immigration Service Delivery at the Department of Justice handles visas, which need printed photos sent with your documents. The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment runs employment permits entirely online, with a small JPEG upload. For taxi, hackney and limousine drivers, An Garda Síochána grants the SPSV driver licence and the National Transport Authority puts your photo on the driver cards.
Most of these documents use the Irish passport range of 35 x 45 mm to 38 x 50 mm, but the details differ. Passport photos may have a light grey, white or cream background and show you from head to mid torso, while visa photos need white or light grey with your face filling 70% to 80% of the frame. SPSV photos are far larger. One Irish card needs no photo from you at all: the Irish Residence Permit (IRP), whose photo is taken at your registration appointment.
Photo specifications by document
Passports
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish passport card | — | — | Completely plain light grey, white or cream |
| Passport | 35 × 45 mm | 715 × 951 px | Completely plain light grey, white or cream… |
Visas and travel authorisations
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visa | 35 × 45 mm | — | Plain white or light grey, with no shadows or… |
Identity cards
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public services card | — | — | Plain and light-coloured |
Driving licences
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driving licence and learner permit | — | — | PSC online renewal photo: plain, light-coloured |
Residence and work permits
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment permit | 35 × 45 mm | 448 × 590 px | Not set by DETE, which asks for an Irish… |
| Irish residence permit (IRP) card | — | — | — |
Citizenship and naturalisation
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish citizenship (naturalisation) | 715 × 951 px | 715 × 951 px | First Irish passport: plain light grey, white… |
Licences and permit cards
| Document | Print size | Digital size | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPSV taxi licence | 70 × 100 mm | — | Not set by the NTA beyond passport standards |
Frequently asked questions
No. Immigration Service Delivery takes your photograph and fingerprints at your registration appointment at the Registration Office on Burgh Quay in Dublin, and uses that photo on your IRP card.
Not always. Both accept prints from 35 x 45 mm to 38 x 50 mm, but the framing differs: passport photos show you from head to mid torso, while visa photos are a close-up with the face filling 70% to 80%. A cream background is fine for a passport but is not on the visa list.
Passport Online, for a passport book or passport card, and Employment Permits Online, for employment permits. Visa applications, paper passport forms and SPSV driver licence applications all need printed photos.
Yes, for Passport Online. Ask someone else to take it with a phone, tablet, camera or computer, because selfies are refused, and do not zoom. Stand against a completely plain light grey, white or cream background and frame yourself from head to mid torso. Upload a colour JPEG of at least 715 x 951 pixels and no larger than 9 MB; scanned prints are refused.
Visa and SPSV photos must be handed in as prints, whoever takes them: two identical colour prints 35 to 38 mm wide and 45 to 50 mm high on photographic paper for a visa, with the face filling 70% to 80%, and three identical prints of about 10 cm by 7 cm for a taxi licence. DETE says an employment permit photo must not be a scan and advises a digital JPEG from a photo shop.
No. Passport Online takes children's applications, first-time ones included, with a digital photo, and you then print an Identity and Consent form for the guardians and a witness. A baby who cannot sit up is photographed lying on a plain white surface, with no supporting hands or soother in view. For children up to 36 months, Passport Online may ask you to frame the face with its cropping tool.
Passport photos need a completely plain light grey, white or cream background, and visa photos plain white or light grey. DETE and the NTA set no colour of their own; they ask for passport-size or passport-standard photos.
Nearby countries
Other countries in Northern Europe:
- Åland Islands
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Faroe Islands
- Finland
- Guernsey
- Iceland
- Isle of Man
- Jersey
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Norway
- Svalbard and Jan Mayen
- Sweden
- United Kingdom
Official sources
- Department of Foreign Affairs (Ireland). Photo guidelines (passports) ireland.ie. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Department of Foreign Affairs (Ireland). Passport Online ireland.ie. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Department of Foreign Affairs (Ireland). First-time passport application for children ireland.ie. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice. Photograph rules for visa applications irishimmigration.ie. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. Employment Permits Online: Common User Queries enterprise.gov.ie. Checked 3 November 2026.
- National Transport Authority. Applying for an SPSV driver licence nationaltransport.ie. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice. Information on registering your immigration permission for the first time irishimmigration.ie. Checked 3 November 2026.
Cite this page
"Ireland photo specifications". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/ireland