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Israel visa photo requirements

The 50 × 50 mm photo rules set by Embassy of Israel, Washington for the Israel visa, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 13 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Israel visa photo?

For an Israeli visa from an embassy or consulate, bring two recent, identical colour photos measuring 5 x 5 cm (50 x 50 mm), on a white background with a full front view of the face; a student visa needs one. Visitors from visa-exempt countries apply online for ETA-IL instead, and the embassy pages list only a passport for it. Inside Israel, visa extensions need a current passport photo.

Israeli visas fall under the Population and Immigration Authority (PIBA), and Israeli embassies and consulates issue entry visas to foreigners abroad. The main types are the B/2 visitor visa for tourism, business or medical visits, the B/1 work visa, which a mission handles only after PIBA has approved the application made for the worker, and the A/2 student visa for universities and yeshivas.

Since 1 January 2025, nationals of visa-exempt countries must hold an approved ETA-IL electronic travel authorisation before their flight. It is applied for online on PIBA's portal, costs NIS 25, and stays valid for up to two years or until the passport expires; a new one is needed after a change of name, sex or citizenship. The New York consulate warns travellers to use only the official site, whose address ends in gov.il.

Photos matter mainly for visas issued by a mission. The Foreign Ministry's visa pages ask for passport photos in colour, on a white background, with a full front view of the face and measuring 5 x 5 cm. Inside Israel, PIBA asks for a current photo for a student visa or a visa extension but publishes no size.

Israel visa photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Embassy of Israel, Washington:[1]

Print size5 x 5 cm (50 x 50 mm) at Israeli missions; no photo size published for ETA-IL or for PIBA offices in Israel
Digital sizeNo pixel size or file rules published for ETA-IL or for emailed student visa applications
Head heightChina (TLScontact): face covers 70-80% of the photo
BackgroundWhite, with a full front view of the face
ColourColour
Photo ageRecent; TLScontact China: taken in the last 6 months
Print qualityChina (TLScontact): sharp, 600 DPI; not digitally enhanced or altered to change your appearance
Pixels when printed591 × 591 px at 300 dpi · 1181 × 1181 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
50 mm50 mm35–40 mm
50 × 50 mm photo drawn to scale, with the 35–40 mm head height from chin to crown. Background: white.

Key requirements

  • Two identical 5 x 5 cm photos

    Visitor and work visa applications at a mission take two recent duplicate passport photos, in colour on white, measuring 5 x 5 cm. The Washington page for student visas asks for one.

  • ETA-IL instead of a visa

    Visa-exempt travellers do not apply for a visa at all, but they must have ETA-IL approval before boarding. The Washington embassy lists a biometric or non-biometric passport as the required document and publishes no photo rules for it.

  • Official portal only

    Apply for ETA-IL only on PIBA's site, whose address ends in gov.il. The official fee is NIS 25 and PIBA sends a receipt for the payment; the New York consulate says that if no receipt arrives, you have not used the official site.

  • Work visas start in Israel

    For a B/1 work visa, PIBA must first approve the application filed for you in Israel. You then attend an interview at the mission with two photos and a signed declaration agreeing to be fingerprinted and photographed.

  • Current photo for applications in Israel

    PIBA's pages for a student visa and for extending a tourist or visitor visa ask for a current photo, without giving a size. You apply in person after booking a visa department appointment.

  • Matching photos in China

    Through TLScontact in China, the photos in an application must be consistent: four for a B/1 work visa and two for other categories. One goes on the form and one is clipped to the passport; B/1 adds the health and vaccination certificates.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Bring two identical colour photos, 5 x 5 cm, on white to a mission
  • Face the camera with a full front view of your face
  • Apply for ETA-IL only on the official gov.il portal
  • Check that PIBA sends you a receipt after paying for ETA-IL
  • Take new photos shortly before a visa application in China
  • Bring a current passport photo to a visa extension in Israel

Don't

  • Do not use a look-alike ETA-IL website
  • Do not use 35 x 45 mm photos where a mission asks for 5 x 5 cm
  • Do not let glasses frames cover your eyes
  • Do not wear headphones, or a hat unless it is worn daily for religion
  • Do not reuse photos older than 6 months in China

Sample photos

How a Israel visa photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 50 × 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

The Foreign Ministry's visa pages give no rule on glasses. The most detailed visa photo rules come from TLScontact, which takes Israeli visa applications in China: if you wear glasses, the frames must not cover your eyes, and the face must be free of shadows.

In that channel, a hearing aid or similar device you normally wear may stay on, while headphones and wireless hands-free devices are not acceptable.

Headwear and religious dress

For visa photos lodged through TLScontact in China, do not wear a hat or a head covering that hides your hair or hairline unless you wear it daily for a religious purpose. Your full face must show, and the covering must not cast shadows on it.

Wear the clothes you normally wear every day. Uniforms are not allowed in the photo, except religious clothing worn daily. Mission pages elsewhere ask only for a full front view of the face on a white background.

Babies and children

Children need visa applications of their own. For an A/2 student visa, the Washington embassy requires both parents of an applicant under 18 to sign before a consular representative, and it lists photographs of the parents' passports among the documents. Inside Israel, PIBA asks for a parent's permission when an extension is requested for a minor, including for nationals of countries that need no entry visa.

The Berlin embassy recommends that children who travel to Israel without a visa carry written permission in English from the parent who is not travelling, with a copy of that parent's passport or ID card and of the child's birth certificate.

Most visa photos are prints. Israeli missions ask for 5 x 5 cm colour photos on white, and the Berlin embassy calls that size the American format. It is within about a millimetre of 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm), the size US consulates give for Israeli passports.

The online channels publish no photo specifications. ETA-IL is completed on PIBA's portal, and the Washington student visa page has the application and documents sent to the mission by email. TLScontact in China asks for sharp photos at 600 DPI and explains that the photo is printed into the visa sticker and stored for comparison at the border.

The 55 x 55 mm size has no basis in any official Israeli source read for this page; mission pages give 5 x 5 cm. A digital photo can be cropped to 5 x 5 cm and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter.

Where to submit the photo

Visa-exempt visitors apply for ETA-IL online and can expect an answer within 72 hours. Everyone else applies at the Israeli mission in their country of residence: book an appointment, attend with the form, passport and photos, and pay the fee. The Berlin embassy no longer accepts visa applications by post, and in the United States appearing in person is at the consular representative's discretion.

TLScontact handles Israeli visa applications in China. Inside Israel, foreign nationals extend a tourist or visitor visa, or apply for a student visa, in person at a PIBA office after booking a visa department appointment; PIBA says both applications can also be made at an Israeli mission.

How to get your Israel visa photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Israel visa: 50 × 50 mm print, white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: two identical 5 x 5 cm photos; eTA-IL instead of a visa; official portal only; work visas start in Israel.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. Most visa photos are prints. Israeli missions ask for 5 x 5 cm colour photos on white, and the Berlin embassy calls that size the American format. It is within about a millimetre of 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm), the size US consulates give for Israeli passports.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Visa-exempt visitors apply for ETA-IL online and can expect an answer within 72 hours. Everyone else applies at the Israeli mission in their country of residence: book an appointment, attend with the form, passport and photos, and pay the fee.

Make this photo online

Israel visa photo FAQ

Israeli embassies and consulates ask for 5 x 5 cm (50 x 50 mm) colour photos on a white background with a full front view of the face. A visitor or work visa needs two identical photos and a student visa one. No size is published for photos used in visa applications at PIBA offices in Israel.

The official embassy pages list only a passport, biometric or non-biometric, as the document needed for ETA-IL, and publish no photo specification. Fill in the form on PIBA's own portal and follow the instructions it gives; the official address ends in gov.il.

Israeli missions write the size as 5 x 5 cm, which is within about a millimetre of 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm), and the Berlin embassy itself calls 5 x 5 cm the American format. If the page of your mission gives a size, follow it.

Two recent duplicate colour photos, 5 x 5 cm, on white, according to the Washington embassy. You also sign a declaration agreeing to be fingerprinted and photographed. The mission handles the visa only after PIBA has approved the work visa application made on your behalf in Israel.

The official ETA-IL site is run by PIBA and its address ends in gov.il. The fee is NIS 25, PIBA sends a receipt for the payment, and the New York consulate says that if you did not get a receipt, you did not use the official site. PIBA answers ETA-IL questions by email.

Yes. PIBA's page for extending a tourist or visitor visa asks for a current passport photo, together with a passport valid at least six months beyond the requested date, proof of means of support and a letter explaining the request. You apply in person after booking a visa department appointment.

TLScontact asks for 5 x 5 cm photos on white, taken in the last 6 months, with the face filling 70-80% of the frame, mouth closed and no shadows. Photos must not be digitally enhanced or altered to change your appearance. B/1 applications need four matching photos and other categories two.

No official Israeli source read for this page gives 55 x 55 mm. The Foreign Ministry's visa pages, including those of Washington, Berlin, London and Singapore, all specify 5 x 5 cm. Check the page of the mission handling your application before printing.

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Official sources

  1. Embassy of Israel, Washington. Entry visa for visiting or touring Israel, Washington embassies.gov.il. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Embassy of Israel, Washington. Application for work visa in Israel, Washington embassies.gov.il. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Embassy of Israel, Washington. Entry visas for university or yeshiva students, Washington embassies.gov.il. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Embassy of Israel, Washington. Application for ETA-IL approval, Washington embassies.gov.il. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. Consulate General of Israel in New York. Important information for travellers to Israel: ETA-IL requirement embassies.gov.il. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. Population and Immigration Authority. Israel Entry: ETA-IL and visa portal israel-entry.piba.gov.il. Checked 2 November 2026.
  7. Embassy of Israel, Berlin. Entry visa for visiting or touring Israel, Berlin embassies.gov.il. Checked 2 November 2026.
  8. Embassy of Israel, London. Entry visa for visiting or touring Israel, London embassies.gov.il. Checked 2 November 2026.
  9. Embassy of Israel, Singapore. Entry visa for visiting or touring Israel, Singapore embassies.gov.il. Checked 2 November 2026.
  10. Population and Immigration Authority. Extend a visitor visa or tourist visa gov.il. Checked 2 November 2026.
  11. Population and Immigration Authority. Apply for an entry visa for students or yeshiva pupils gov.il. Checked 2 November 2026.
  12. TLScontact. Israel visa application centre China: documents and visa types visas-il.tlscontact.com. Checked 2 November 2026.
  13. TLScontact. Photo requirements for Israel visa applications in China tlscontact-team.directus.app. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Embassy of Israel, Washington before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Israel visa photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/israel/visa-photo

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