Ireland employment permit photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment for the Ireland employment permit, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Ireland employment permit photo?
An Irish employment permit application needs a digital passport photo of the employee, uploaded to Employment Permits Online. The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment asks for a JPEG between 413 x 531 and 448 x 590 pixels (35 x 45 mm to 38 x 50 mm) at 240 to 300 dpi, under 5 MB. It must be an original digital photo, not a scan of a print.
Employment permits for workers from outside the EEA are issued by the Employment Permits Unit of the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (DETE). Since 28 April 2025 every application goes through Employment Permits Online, which replaced the older EPOS system. The employer and the prospective employee complete the application together: the employee supplies their own personal details, the employer adds the job, the contract and the pay, and every party signs with an e-signature before the fee can be paid.
The photo on this page is the passport photo of the foreign national that the employee uploads during that application. DETE lists it among the documents for every permit type, for new applications and renewals, and asks for a passport-sized photo the same size as one for an Irish passport, supplied as a digital JPEG rather than a scan. It is a separate item from the copy of your passport's personal details page, which is also required.
It is also separate from the Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card you receive after you arrive. Immigration Service Delivery takes the photo for that card at your registration appointment.
Ireland employment permit photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment:[1]
| Print size | 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in) to 38 x 50 mm, the Irish passport size, as a digital file |
|---|---|
| Digital size | 413 x 531 to 448 x 590 pixels, at 240 to 300 dpi |
| Background | Not set by DETE, which asks for an Irish passport-size photo; Irish passport photos use plain light grey, white or cream |
| File size | Under 5 MB (each uploaded document) |
| File format | JPEG digital file; scanned photos not accepted |
| Print quality | No print: the photo is uploaded online |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- Pixel size inside the range
The image must be at least 413 pixels wide and 531 pixels high, and no more than 448 x 590 pixels. DETE equates these with 35 x 45 mm and 38 x 50 mm, the size range for an Irish passport photo.
- Resolution of 240 to 300 dpi
DETE states the dpi value alongside the pixel size as a condition for the upload, so check both. A file with the right dimensions but a resolution setting outside 240 to 300 dpi does not meet the published specification.
- A digital original, not a scan
The photo should not be scanned. DETE advises employees to get a digital file photo saved in JPEG format to these specifications, for example from a photo shop.
- Under 5 MB
Every document uploaded to Employment Permits Online must be under 5 MB, or the system rejects it.
- The employee uploads it
The upload sits on the employee questionnaire page, the first page of the employee section, which opens with the question about whether you are currently in the State. Employers and agents do not upload documents for the employee.
- Check before you upload
In Windows Explorer, the Details tab of a file's properties shows its pixel dimensions and dpi without opening it. DETE notes that software and online tools can resize a photo that falls outside the range.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Save the photo as a JPEG.
- Keep it between 413 x 531 and 448 x 590 pixels.
- Set the resolution between 240 and 300 dpi.
- Check the dimensions in the file's Details tab before uploading.
- Save the file to your desktop and upload from there if it keeps failing.
- Upload a clear copy of your passport's personal details page as well.
Don't
- Do not scan a printed photo.
- Do not upload a file of 5 MB or more.
- Do not use an image larger than 448 x 590 pixels.
- Do not confuse the photo with the passport bio page copy.
- Do not post prints: the application is completed online.
Sample photos
How a Ireland employment permit 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
DETE's published guidance covers the size, pixel range, resolution, format and file size of the photo, and says nothing about glasses, headwear, expression or background. Its only reference point is that the photo should be a passport-sized photo, the same size as one for an Irish passport.
Printed and digital photos
Only a digital photo is used. Employment Permits Online takes the photo as an uploaded file, and DETE asks for an original digital image saved as a JPEG, not a scan of a printed passport photo. Nothing is posted for an employment permit application.
A photo outside the range can be resized: DETE itself says software and online tools can do this. Aim for a file between 413 x 531 and 448 x 590 pixels with a resolution of 240 to 300 dpi. If a file that meets every requirement still will not upload, DETE suggests saving it to the computer desktop first and uploading it from there.
Where to submit the photo
The employee needs their own Employment Permits Online account, verified by email and by a code sent to their mobile phone. The photo is uploaded when completing the employee profile after registering and on the employee questionnaire page of the application. Once the employee and the employer have completed their parts, all parties sign with an e-signature; until everyone has signed, the application stays in draft and the Pay Now button does not appear.
After the permit is granted and you arrive, you must register your immigration permission with Immigration Service Delivery within 90 days if you will live in Ireland for more than 90 days. At that appointment at the Registration Office on Burgh Quay in Dublin, staff take your photograph and fingerprints for your IRP card, so no photo is needed from you for it.
How to get your Ireland employment permit photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Ireland employment permit: 35 × 45 mm print, 448 × 590 px digital file, not set by DETE background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: pixel size inside the range; resolution of 240 to 300 dpi; a digital original, not a scan; under 5 MB.
- Prepare a print or digital file. Only a digital photo is used. Employment Permits Online takes the photo as an uploaded file, and DETE asks for an original digital image saved as a JPEG, not a scan of a printed passport photo. Nothing is posted for an employment permit application.
- Submit the photo with your application. The employee needs their own Employment Permits Online account, verified by email and by a code sent to their mobile phone. The photo is uploaded when completing the employee profile after registering and on the employee questionnaire page of the application.
Ireland employment permit photo FAQ
A digital JPEG between 413 x 531 and 448 x 590 pixels, with a resolution of 240 to 300 dpi. DETE describes this as 35 x 45 mm to 38 x 50 mm, the same size as an Irish passport photo. The file must be under 5 MB.
Check four things: pixel dimensions, dpi, JPEG format and a file size under 5 MB. Windows Explorer shows dimensions and dpi in the file's Details tab. If everything is in range and the upload still fails, DETE suggests saving the photo to your desktop and uploading it from there.
No. DETE says the photo should not be scanned. It advises getting a digital file photo saved as a JPEG to its specifications, for example from a photo shop.
The employee. The employee section of the application starts with a questionnaire page, and that page holds the passport photo upload. The employer completes the job details, contract and pay, and both sign the application electronically.
No. The employment permit photo is a file you upload with the permit application. The IRP card photo is taken by Immigration Service Delivery at your registration appointment, together with your fingerprints, so you do not supply one.
Yes. DETE's employment permits FAQ lists the passport-sized photo among the documents for renewal applications as well as new ones, with the same pixel and dpi specifications.
DETE does not specify one. It asks for a passport-sized photo, the same size as an Irish passport photo, and Irish passport photos are taken against a plain light grey, white or cream background.
Related photo specifications
Other Ireland documents
Residence and work permits nearby
- Estonia aliens passport photo 40 × 50 mm
- Finland residence permit photo 36 × 47 mm
- Ireland irish Residence Permit (IRP) card photo
- Austria residence permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Belarus residence permit photo 40 × 50 mm
- Belgium residence permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Bulgaria residence permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Moldova work permit photo 50 × 60 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 Ireland photo specifications
- Residence and work permits: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Europe
Official sources
- Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. Employment Permits Online: Common User Queries enterprise.gov.ie. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. Employment Permits Online User Guide enterprise.gov.ie. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. Employment Permits Frequently Asked Questions enterprise.gov.ie. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. Launch of Employment Permits Online enterprise.gov.ie. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice. Information on registering your immigration permission for the first time irishimmigration.ie. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Department of Foreign Affairs (Ireland). Photo guidelines ireland.ie. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. Employment permits enterprise.gov.ie. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. Employment Permits Checklists enterprise.gov.ie. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. Critical Skills Employment Permit Checklist (PDF) enterprise.gov.ie. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. General Employment Permit Checklist (PDF) enterprise.gov.ie. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Irish Statute Book. S.I. No. 444/2024 Employment Permits Regulations 2024 irishstatutebook.ie. Checked 1 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Ireland employment permit photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/ireland/employment-permit-photo