Kenya passport photo requirements
The 2 × 2 in photo rules set by Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Washington DC for the Kenya passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Kenya passport photo?
For a Kenyan ePassport applied for in Kenya, the Directorate of Immigration Services lists no photographs: you apply on eCitizen and your photo and fingerprints are captured at a passport processing centre. Missions abroad still ask for two prints. Washington wants 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm), taken within the last month, on white, both ears showing, no spectacles and no smile; London asks for 35 x 45 mm.
Kenyan passports are issued by the Directorate of Immigration Services, part of the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services. Kenya issues ePassports to its citizens, valid for 10 years and based on ICAO Doc 9303 and an East African Community resolution. Every application starts online: you fill in Form 19 and pay through the eCitizen portal, which produces the form and payment invoices you print.
In Kenya you then book an appointment and take the printed form and your documents to one of nine passport processing centres: Nyayo House in Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombasa, Eldoret, Nakuru, Embu, Kisii, Kericho or Bungoma. There the application is submitted and your biometrics are enrolled. The Directorate's checklists for first-time, replacement, lost and mutilated passports name the form, invoices, identity and birth documents, but no photographs.
Kenyans abroad apply through the Kenyan embassy or high commission where they live. The missions also capture biometrics in person, yet their own checklists ask for passport-size prints, and the size differs from one mission to the next.
Kenya passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Washington DC:[1]
| Print size | In Kenya: none, taken at biometric capture. Abroad: 2 x 2 in (51 x 51 mm) in Washington, 35 x 45 mm in London |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No pixel size published; missions ask for scans uploaded as JPEG or PNG |
| Background | White, with no shadows (Washington and Ottawa missions) |
| Photo age | Washington mission: taken within the last month |
| File size | Washington mission: scans resized to 150 KB as JPG before upload |
| Pixels when printed | 600 × 600 px at 300 dpi · 1200 × 1200 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- In Kenya, the centre captures you
Applicants in Kenya submit their application and enrol biometrics at a passport processing centre. The Directorate's requirement lists contain no photographs, so you do not need to bring prints to Nyayo House or a regional centre.
- Abroad, prints are still listed
Missions ask for two passport-size pictures with the application, even though the Washington embassy's biometrics appointment also involves taking a picture and fingerprints. For a first-time applicant, Washington also wants one passport-size picture of the parent completing the form.
- Size depends on the mission
Washington asks for 2 x 2 inches. London asks for 45 mm x 35 mm, the UK standard size, which is 35 mm wide and 45 mm high. Ottawa writes 2.5 x 2 inches. Use the size on the checklist of the mission handling your application.
- Ears, forehead and face on show
The full face and both ears must be visible. Keep hair and weaves off the forehead and away from the rest of the face, and remove earrings, studs, necklaces, nose rings and earphones before the picture is taken.
- White, sharp, no shadows
Pictures must be taken against a white background with no shadows in it. They should be clear, never blurred or with a dark tint, so that every facial feature stands out.
- No smile, no spectacles
Washington and Ottawa both want pictures in which you are not smiling or laughing, and both say spectacles should be off.
- Upload images, not documents
Part of the eCitizen application is scanning and uploading your documents. Missions ask for picture formats (.jpeg or .png), not .pdf, .rtf, .doc or .docx files. Washington suggests resizing each scan to 150 KB in JPG.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Apply and pay on eCitizen before booking your appointment.
- Bring the printed Form 19, both payment invoices and original documents.
- Check your mission's checklist for the print size it wants.
- Use a white background and keep both ears visible.
- Bring your child in person if you are the biological parent applying.
- Collect the passport from the centre where you gave biometrics.
Don't
- Do not wear spectacles in prints for a mission.
- Do not smile or laugh in the picture.
- Do not let hair or weaves cover your forehead.
- Do not wear earrings, studs, nose rings or earphones.
- Do not upload scans as PDF or Word files.
- Do not send a third party to present a child without legal guardianship.
Sample photos
How a Kenya passport 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.
Glasses
The Directorate publishes no photo rules for applications made in Kenya, where the picture is captured at the processing centre. Abroad, the Washington embassy and the Ottawa high commission both say the pictures should be taken without spectacles.
So take your glasses off for the prints. Remember that each mission sets its own list, so read the one for the mission handling your application.
Headwear and religious dress
None of the official pages read sets a rule on hats or religious head coverings for Kenyan passport pictures. What the missions do require is that both ears and the full face are visible, and that hair or weaves do not cover the forehead or the face.
Washington adds that pictures must be decent, and that women should not wear strappy or strapless tops. Its checklist also asks you to remove earrings, studs, necklaces, nose rings and earphones.
Babies and children
A child's passport is applied for by a parent. The Directorate says child protection laws make it the duty of the biological parent to apply and to present the child for biometrics, unless someone else holds legal guardianship from a court. A consent form, signed by the biological parent or legal guardian, authorises the Directorate to issue the passport.
Abroad, all minors must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Washington's first-time checklist asks for two passport-size pictures of the child and one of the parent filling in the application, plus the birth certificate and copies of the parents' Kenyan ID cards and passports.
Printed and digital photos
Inside Kenya you bring no prints: documents are uploaded during the eCitizen application, and the originals and your biometrics are taken at the centre. The Directorate notes that a passport is a security document, which is why originals are checked even after you have uploaded them.
Abroad, two prints go with the application. Any digital photo can be cropped to the mission's size, such as 2 x 2 inches for Washington or 35 x 45 mm for London, and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter.
Where to submit the photo
In Kenya, apply and pay on eCitizen, book an appointment and choose a passport processing centre. Bring the printed form, the two payment invoices and your original documents. The Directorate's service charter gives fourteen days from biometrics to the passport; you can track it in your eCitizen account or by sending the application number on your receipt by SMS to 22222. You collect the passport from the centre where your biometrics were taken, with the invoice token, your original ID and, for a replacement, the old booklet.
Abroad, apply on eCitizen, print the form and receipts, and book through the mission. London runs its own appointment system on the High Commission website and returns passports only by post in a secure, trackable prepaid envelope. Washington and Ottawa also ask for a prepaid return envelope.
How to get your Kenya passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Kenya passport: 2 × 2 in print, white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: in Kenya, the centre captures you; abroad, prints are still listed; size depends on the mission; ears, forehead and face on show.
- Prepare a print or digital file. Inside Kenya you bring no prints: documents are uploaded during the eCitizen application, and the originals and your biometrics are taken at the centre.
- Submit the photo with your application. In Kenya, apply and pay on eCitizen, book an appointment and choose a passport processing centre. Bring the printed form, the two payment invoices and your original documents.
Kenya passport photo FAQ
In Kenya none is needed, because the photo is captured at the passport processing centre. Missions abroad set their own print size: 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) at the embassy in Washington, 35 x 45 mm at the high commission in London and 2.5 x 2 inches at the high commission in Ottawa.
No. The Directorate of Immigration Services' checklists for first-time, replacement, lost and mutilated passports list Form 19, payment invoices and identity documents, but no photographs. Your picture and fingerprints are taken when you submit the application at the centre.
No. Both the Washington embassy and the Ottawa high commission say the pictures should be taken without spectacles. The Directorate publishes no separate rule for photos taken at its centres in Kenya.
No. The Washington and Ottawa missions ask for pictures in which the applicant is not smiling or laughing. Keep your mouth closed and look straight at the camera.
Washington asks for decent pictures and says women should not wear strappy or strapless tops. Remove earrings, studs, necklaces, nose rings and earphones, and keep hair and weaves away from the forehead and face so both ears show.
Only a legal guardian appointed by a court. The Directorate says child protection laws make it the biological parent's duty to apply and present the child for biometrics. A consent form signed by the parent or guardian authorises the passport.
The Directorate gives fourteen days, as set in its service charter. You can follow progress in your eCitizen account or by SMS to 22222 with the application number on your receipt, and you collect the passport where you gave your biometrics.
Yes. The Directorate offers renewal and replacement through consular services at Kenyan missions. You still apply on eCitizen, then attend the mission in person for biometric capture with the printed form, receipts, documents and the prints the mission asks for.
Related photo specifications
Other Kenya documents
Passports nearby
- Comoros passport photo
- Djibouti passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Eritrea passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Ethiopia passport photo 30 × 40 mm
- Malawi passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Mauritius passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Mayotte passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Mozambique passport photo
- Réunion assport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Seychelles passport photo
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 Kenya photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 2 × 2 in photo
- Photo specifications in Africa
Official sources
- Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Washington DC. ePassport kenyaembassydc.org. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Kenya High Commission, London. Passport Renewals kenyahighcom.org.uk. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Kenya High Commission, London. New Passport Applications kenyahighcom.org.uk. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Kenya High Commission, Ottawa. e-Passport Info kenyahighcommission.ca. Checked 3 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Washington DC before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Kenya passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/kenya/passport-photo