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Laos passport photo requirements

The 40 × 60 mm photo rules set by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Lao PDR for the Laos passport, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 4 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Laos passport photo?

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs form for an ordinary Lao e-passport asks for a colour photo of 4 x 6 cm (40 x 60 mm) on a white background, stamped by the village head. You also apply in person, so the office photographs you, takes your fingerprints and has you sign. The Washington embassy's guideline differs: four 2 x 2 inch photos, not older than 6 months, with both ears visible and no glasses.

Lao ordinary passports are issued by the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Vientiane. The ministry publishes its application forms for download, including one for the ordinary electronic passport. The instructions printed on that form were last updated on 4 November 2025.

The form has a box for the photo, and the box states what goes in it: a colour photo, 4 x 6 cm, white background, with the village head's stamp. The instructions then say that applicants must come in person to be photographed, give fingerprints and sign, and to dress politely without a white shirt. A printed photo on the form and a photograph taken at the office are both part of the process.

Citizens abroad apply through a Lao embassy or consulate, and the rules there are not identical. The ministry's form for embassies also shows a colour box of 4 x 6 cm on white. The Washington embassy's own guideline asks for 2 x 2 inch photos instead, so check with the mission that will handle your application before you print anything.

Laos passport photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Lao PDR:[1]

Print size4 x 6 cm (40 x 60 mm), colour; Washington embassy: four 2 x 2 inch (51 x 51 mm) photos
Digital sizeNo digital file: a printed photo is attached to the paper application form
BackgroundWhite (the form says "white background")
ColourColour photo
Photo ageNot stated on the ministry form; Washington embassy: not older than 6 months
Print qualityPrinted photo with the village head's stamp; Washington embassy: no scanned or copied photos
Pixels when printed472 × 709 px at 300 dpi · 945 × 1417 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
40 mm60 mm
40 × 60 mm photo drawn to scale. Background: white.

Key requirements

  • Colour, 4 x 6 cm, white background

    The ministry's application form for the ordinary e-passport has a photo box that asks for a colour photo of 4 x 6 cm on a white background. The instructions repeat the same three points for the photo attached to the form.

  • Village head's stamp

    The photo box also asks for the village head's stamp. The form carries the village head's statement, with signature and stamp, that the applicant is a Lao national under the village's supervision.

  • Apply in person

    The instructions say applicants must come to the office themselves to be photographed, give fingerprints and sign. They ask for polite dress and say not to wear a white shirt.

  • Under 18: a guardian attends

    A guardian must bring anyone under 18 to the office. The new-passport list also asks for a guardian permission form signed through the village authorities.

  • Embassy forms and guidelines

    The ministry's form for embassies and consulates general shows the same colour 4 x 6 cm box on white. The Washington embassy's guideline asks for four 2 x 2 inch photos and sets its own conditions.

  • Washington conditions

    Photos not older than 6 months, both ears visible, no glasses, no hair across the face, polite dress with a collared shirt, a white backdrop, and no scanned or copied photos (translated from Lao).

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Print the photo in colour at 4 x 6 cm on a plain white background.
  • Have the village head stamp the photo box when you complete the form.
  • Wear a top that is not white and dress politely.
  • Attend the office yourself for the photograph, fingerprints and signature.
  • Bring a guardian and a signed permission form for a child under 18.
  • Ask your embassy which photo size it wants before you print.

Don't

  • Do not wear a white shirt to the appointment.
  • Do not expect to apply without attending in person.
  • Do not use a scanned or copied photo at the Washington embassy.
  • Do not wear glasses in a photo for the Washington embassy.
  • Do not let hair cover your face in a photo for the Washington embassy.

Sample photos

How a Laos passport photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 40 × 60 mm 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 ministry's form and instructions say nothing about glasses. The Washington embassy's guideline lists no glasses among its photo conditions, together with ears visible and no hair across the face.

Babies and children

The ministry's instructions say a person under 18 must be brought to the office by a guardian to submit the application. The list of papers for a new passport includes a guardian permission form signed through the village authorities. No separate photo size or background is given for children, so the same colour 4 x 6 cm print on white applies.

The photo is a printed picture attached to a paper form, and the form is stamped by the village head. We found no digital upload for the ordinary passport. A digital photo can be cropped to the 4 x 6 cm proportion and printed on photo paper at a photo counter before the village head signs and stamps the form.

The ministry form does not say how the print must be made. The Washington embassy says not to use scanned or copied photos, so use a real print there.

Where to submit the photo

In Laos, the application goes to the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The form is downloadable from the ministry's website, and the instructions say you must appear in person; the village head confirms your nationality and village on the form beforehand.

Abroad, the ministry publishes a particulars form for embassies and consulates general, and the Washington embassy takes passport applications with its own guideline and form. The particulars form says it is attached only to an application for the ordinary type of passport, not the electronic passport, so ask your mission what it can issue.

How to get your Laos passport photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Laos passport: 40 × 60 mm print, white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: colour, 4 x 6 cm, white background; village head's stamp; apply in person; under 18: a guardian attends.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. The photo is a printed picture attached to a paper form, and the form is stamped by the village head. We found no digital upload for the ordinary passport.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. In Laos, the application goes to the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Make this photo online

Laos passport photo FAQ

The ministry's application form for the ordinary e-passport asks for a colour photo of 4 x 6 cm (40 x 60 mm) on a white background. The Washington embassy's guideline asks for four photos of 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) instead, so the size depends on where you apply.

White. Both the ministry form's photo box and its instructions say white background. The Washington embassy's guideline also asks for a white backdrop. No official page we read gives a head size or eye position.

The instructions say applicants must come in person to be photographed, give fingerprints and sign, so a photograph is taken at the office. You still attach a colour 4 x 6 cm print with the village head's stamp to the form.

No. The ministry's instructions ask for polite dress and not a white shirt. The Washington embassy asks for a collared shirt and a white backdrop. Pick a darker or coloured top, since the background is white.

Four photos of 2 x 2 inches, not older than 6 months, with both ears visible, no glasses, no hair across the face, polite dress with a collared shirt, a white backdrop and no scanned or copied photos. This is its January 2025 guideline, translated from Lao.

A guardian must bring anyone under 18 to submit the application, and the new-passport list asks for a guardian permission form signed through the village authorities. The instructions give no separate photo rule for children.

The Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues them. Lao embassies and consulates abroad take applications from citizens, and the ministry publishes the forms for both routes on its website.

Related photo specifications

Other Laos documents

Passports nearby

Also 40 × 60 mm

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Official sources

  1. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Lao PDR. Passport application forms (download page) mofa.gov.la. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Consular Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Lao PDR. Application for an ordinary e-passport, with instructions (Lao) consularlao.gov.la. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Embassy of the Lao PDR, Washington, DC. Lao Passport laoembassy.com. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Embassy of the Lao PDR, Washington, DC. Guideline and application form for a passport (Lao) laoembassy.com. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Lao PDR before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Laos passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/laos/passport-photo

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