Kazakhstan passport photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Electronic Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan (eGov), Internet Archive copy for the Kazakhstan passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Kazakhstan passport photo?
A Kazakh passport photo measures 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in) and must be no more than 6 months old. Show your full face with a neutral expression and closed mouth, on a plain light background; grey is recommended. The face, chin to crown, fills 70 to 80% of the height (32 to 36 mm). At a Public Service Centre the photo is taken for you free of charge; embassies abroad ask for four colour prints.
The passport of a citizen of the Republic of Kazakhstan is issued on request, at any age, and proves your identity at home and abroad. It is produced by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, whose migration service handles applications made through the State Corporation Government for Citizens at Public Service Centres (TsON). The Ministry's service rules say that when an application goes through the electronic registration point, you are photographed there free of charge to international standards and the image is entered straight into the electronic form, with your signature taken on a signature scanner. At a TsON you therefore bring no photo.
Printed photos are needed in two other situations. Citizens who live permanently abroad, study or work abroad under a contract, and certain other groups order the passport through a Kazakh embassy or consulate, which accepts the documents and forwards them for production; these missions ask for four colour photos of 3.5 x 4.5 cm. Inside Kazakhstan, applications still completed on a paper form, such as a first passport issued against a 1974 Soviet passport or after admission to citizenship, need two photos of the same size.
All of these photos follow the photo requirements annexed to the Ministry of Internal Affairs rules, which were drawn up to the ICAO standard. The online route on the eGov portal is described for the ID card only, so a passport is applied for in person.
Kazakhstan passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Electronic Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan (eGov), Internet Archive copy:[1]
| Print size | 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in); embassies write 3.5 x 4.5 cm |
|---|---|
| Digital size | 413 x 531 pixels in the photo requirements; passport channels use a TsON capture or prints, not an upload |
| Head height | Face 70 to 80% of the height: 32 to 36 mm chin to crown (27 to 40 mm if the crown is hard to see) |
| Background | Plain light background without patterns or shadows; grey recommended, blue not recommended |
| Colour | Colour, with neutral tones and a natural skin colour; no blue or red cast |
| Photo age | Taken no more than 6 months before you apply |
| File size | Up to 30 KB at 24-bit colour depth (photo requirements) |
| Print quality | Photographic print on thick photo paper; matte, 300 dpi or more; no scans, photocopies, creases or dirt |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
In the official words
Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:
Art retouching and other manipulations are not allowed.
Photographs should be made by photo printing from one negative image on thick photographic paper showing full face on light background with neutral countenance and mouth closed. It is not allowed to use photographs made through computer scanning, modelling or copying.
Key requirements
- No photo needed at a TsON
When the passport is processed through the electronic registration point at a Public Service Centre, the rules say you are photographed on site, without charge and to international standards. The picture goes directly into the electronic application, and the document list for this channel includes no photos.
- Four prints at embassies and consulates
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs rules for passports ordered abroad ask for four colour photos, 3.5 x 4.5 cm, matching your age at the time of application. They must be full face on a light background, with a neutral expression and closed mouth, and the face should take up about 75% of the photo area.
- Face 32 to 36 mm tall
In the photo requirements the face fills 70 to 80% of the picture, which is 32 to 36 mm from the lowest point of the chin to the crown. If thick hair makes the top of the head hard to find, 27 to 40 mm is allowed, and a large hairstyle must still fit completely in the frame.
- Grey is the preferred background
The background must be a single light colour without drawings or patterns; grey is recommended and blue is not. Choose medium grey if your hair is fair and light grey if it is dark, so that face and hair stand out. Only you may appear in the photo, with no other people, objects or shadows.
- Straight pose and neutral face
Do not tilt or turn your head; a half-profile is refused. Look straight into the lens with a neutral expression and your mouth closed, without squinting or staring wide-eyed. The picture is taken from directly in front, not from above, below or the side.
- Genuine photographic prints only
Prints are made by photographic printing on thick photo paper. Images produced by computer scanning, modelling or photocopying are not accepted, and the requirements forbid artistic retouching and other manipulation. A photo in uniform is also refused, and prints must be free of creases, dirt and scratches.
- Even, natural lighting
Light the face evenly, avoiding brighter or darker patches and red-eye. The light should be of natural colour, not blue or red, and the photo must be sharp and contrasty, with neutral colours and a natural skin tone.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Bring four identical colour prints if you apply at an embassy or consulate
- Choose a plain light grey or medium grey background
- Keep your face 32 to 36 mm tall, chin to crown
- Look straight at the camera with your mouth closed
- Light your face evenly, without shadows or red-eye
- Have prints made on thick photo paper at a photo lab
- Use a photo taken in the last 6 months
Don't
- Do not wear a uniform
- Do not use a scanned, photocopied or retouched image
- Do not tilt your head or pose in half-profile
- Do not use a blue or patterned backdrop
- Do not wear sunglasses or reflective lenses
- Do not hand in prints that are creased, dirty or scratched
Sample photos
How a Kazakhstan passport photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 35 × 45 mm, head height and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
Glasses are not banned, but your eyes must be clearly visible. The photo requirements rule out sunglasses and any reflection of light on the lenses, and the frame must not cover the eyes. The only exception for covering an eye is an eye patch worn for health reasons.
The document list for applications on a paper form repeats this in short: the frame must not cover the eyes, and reflective lenses and sunglasses are not allowed. If your lenses catch the light, take the glasses off for the photo.
Headwear and religious dress
Hats, caps and other headwear are not allowed in a Kazakh passport photo. A head covering worn for religious or medical reasons is accepted, provided the face stays open from the lower edge of the chin to the forehead and the covering throws no shadow on the face. Hair must not fall over the eyes.
Babies and children
Children under 16 receive a 24-page passport, valid for 5 years if the child is under 12 and for 10 years from 12 to 16; the 36- and 48-page books are issued only from 16. A parent or legal representative applies with the birth certificate and their own identity document, and the child must be present when the documents are processed.
The photo requirements relax the face size for children: 50 to 80% of the height, or 22 to 36 mm from chin to crown, and 17 to 40 mm when the top of the head is hard to make out. For children under 6, deviations are allowed in head position, expression, eyes, direction of gaze and centring of the face, although the head and shoulders must still face the camera. Abroad, missions also ask for the child's birth certificate and, where the child was born outside Kazakhstan to parents of different citizenship, a notarised consent from the foreign parent.
Printed and digital photos
At a TsON in Kazakhstan you need neither prints nor a file: the photo is captured during the application. Prints are needed for an application on a paper form in Kazakhstan (two photos) and at an embassy or consulate (four colour photos), all 3.5 x 4.5 cm.
The photo requirements describe a print made photographically on thick photo paper, and say that a picture taken with a digital camera should be printed on high-quality matte paper at a resolution of at least 300 dpi. Scanned, computer-modelled or photocopied images are refused, so if you start from a phone photo, have a 4x6 inch sheet printed on photo paper at a photo lab rather than on a home printer. The same requirements also give digital parameters (413 x 531 pixels, up to 30 KB, 24-bit depth), but no passport channel asks you for a file.
Where to submit the photo
In Kazakhstan, apply at a Public Service Centre of the State Corporation Government for Citizens. Documents are normally accepted at your place of permanent registration; after loss, on expiry, on a change of surname at marriage or divorce and in several other cases, you can also apply where you are actually staying. Places in the electronic queue can be booked through the eGov portal, and the finished passport is collected at the centre.
Outside Kazakhstan, contact the embassy or consulate for your country of residence and book an appointment through its online booking page. Bring the application, your current passport if you are exchanging it, four photos, a document confirming permanent residence, study or work abroad, and proof of payment of the consular fee. Missions do not issue ID cards.
How to get your Kazakhstan passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Kazakhstan passport: 35 × 45 mm print, 413 × 531 px digital file, plain light background without patterns or… background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: no photo needed at a TsON; four prints at embassies and consulates; face 32 to 36 mm tall; grey is the preferred background.
- Prepare a print or digital file. At a TsON in Kazakhstan you need neither prints nor a file: the photo is captured during the application. Prints are needed for an application on a paper form in Kazakhstan (two photos) and at an embassy or consulate (four colour photos), all 3.5 x 4.5 cm.
- Submit the photo with your application. In Kazakhstan, apply at a Public Service Centre of the State Corporation Government for Citizens.
Kazakhstan passport photo FAQ
No. When the application is made through the electronic registration point at a Public Service Centre, staff photograph you on the spot, free of charge, and add the image to the electronic form. Photos are needed only for paper-form applications and at embassies and consulates.
It is 35 x 45 mm, written by embassies as 3.5 x 4.5 cm (1.38 x 1.77 in). The face from chin to crown takes up 70 to 80% of the height, which is 32 to 36 mm.
Four colour photos of 3.5 x 4.5 cm, on a light background, full face with a neutral expression and closed mouth, the face covering about 75% of the photo area. The embassy pages in Berlin and The Hague list the same requirement.
The rules ask for a plain light background; white is not named either way. The photo requirements recommend grey, advise against blue, and suggest medium grey for fair hair and light grey for dark hair, so that the face stands out.
No. The requirements ask for a neutral expression with the mouth closed, looking straight into the camera, without squinting or widening the eyes.
Yes, if your eyes are clearly visible, the frame does not cover them and the lenses do not reflect light. Sunglasses are not allowed; an eye patch is accepted only for medical reasons.
The online service on the eGov portal is described for renewing the ID card, not the passport. Apply for a passport in person at a Public Service Centre in Kazakhstan, or at an embassy or consulate if you live, study or work abroad.
The photo must be taken no more than 6 months before you submit the documents, and missions add that it must match your age at the time of application.
Related photo specifications
Other Kazakhstan documents
- Visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
Passports nearby
- Kyrgyzstan passport photo 40 × 60 mm
- Tajikistan passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Turkmenistan passport photo 30 × 40 mm
- Uzbekistan passport photo 35 × 45 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 Kazakhstan photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Asia
Official sources
- Electronic Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan (eGov), Internet Archive copy. Requirements to photographs when drawing up identity documents (archived 4 February 2026) web.archive.org. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, via the Adilet legal database. Rules for public services on documentation and registration of the population, Appendix 2 (Russian) adilet.zan.kz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Issuance of passports, identification cards for citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan gov.kz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Acceptance of documents and sending them for issuance of passports to citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan staying abroad gov.kz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Germany. Issuing a passport of a citizen of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Russian) gov.kz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the Netherlands. Issuing a passport of a citizen of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Russian) gov.kz. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Electronic Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan (eGov), Internet Archive copy. Obtaining an identity card and passport of Kazakhstan (archived 25 November 2025) web.archive.org. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Electronic Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan (eGov), Internet Archive copy before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Kazakhstan passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/kazakhstan/passport-photo