Libya passport photo requirements
The 40 × 60 mm photo rules set by Embassy of the State of Libya, Washington, D.C. for the Libya passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Libya passport photo?
No official source sets a print size for the Libyan passport, and none gives 4 x 6 cm. Libyan missions photograph you against a white background at an appointment, and their checklists also ask for 2 recent personal photos: Washington wants them on white, and Moscow gives the size as 3 x 4 without a unit. In Washington, prescription glasses and contact lenses come off for the capture and a hijab must not be white.
Libyan passports are issued by the Passports and Nationality Authority of the Ministry of Interior, in full the Passports, Nationality and Foreigners Affairs Authority. Law No. 4 of 1985 gives the passports department exclusive responsibility for issuing, renewing and revoking passports inside Libya. Abroad, the consular department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation grants the approvals that allow missions to photograph applicants and renew passports. The application form that the Washington embassy publishes carries the Authority's name and is titled as a data form for photographing Libyan communities at consulates and embassies.
The passport depends on the national number. Law No. 8 of 2014 says no state body may issue any document until a person has one, and it lists the photograph, ten fingerprints, an iris print and a signature among the data collected through passport applications. The National Number Project warns that people applying for the machine-readable passport have been held up by gaps in their civil registry record, by a name recorded in three parts where the law requires four, or by a different surname, all of which are corrected at the civil registry.
At the appointment the mission photographs you for the passport. The checklists still ask for two personal prints, but only Washington states their background (white) and only Moscow a size (3 x 4, with no unit). Manchester began photographing applicants on 11 February 2025, and Moscow announced its new photographing system in October 2024.
Libya passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Embassy of the State of Libya, Washington, D.C.:[1]
| Print size | No size published by the Authority; Moscow embassy prints: 3 x 4 (unit not stated); no official source gives 4 x 6 cm |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No upload: the mission photographs you at the passport appointment |
| Background | White: the capture background at missions (Pretoria, Moscow) and the 2 recent prints (Washington) |
| Photo age | Recent prints (Washington, Moscow); no age limit in months is published |
| Pixels when printed | 472 × 709 px at 300 dpi · 945 × 1417 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- Photographed by appointment
Washington will not photograph anyone without a prior appointment and asks applicants to keep to the time booked. An appointment booked with an incorrect national number is cancelled.
- Two prints on every checklist
Washington asks for two recent photos with a white background, Manchester and Pretoria for two personal photos, and Moscow for two recent photos with clear features in size 3 x 4.
- Glasses and lenses off
The Washington list of requirements for 2026 says prescription glasses and contact lenses must not be worn during the photographing.
- No white near the face
Pretoria asks applicants not to wear a white shirt because the photo background will be white, Moscow asks for a dark shirt for the same reason, and Washington says a hijab must not be white in any shade.
- Renew only close to expiry
Washington does not renew a passport with more than six months of validity left. Manchester takes applications for expired passports and for those expiring within six months.
- Approval before a replacement
For a lost or damaged passport, Manchester does not photograph the applicant until the Passports and Nationality Authority has approved. Washington lets you book only after its consular section has referred your papers to the Authority and the approval has come back.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Book a photographing appointment before going to the mission
- Bring two recent personal photos on a white background
- Wear a dark top on the day you are photographed
- Bring recent electronic birth and family status certificates
- Remove glasses and contact lenses before the capture
- Check that your national number is correct before booking
Don't
- Do not wear a white shirt or a white hijab for the capture
- Do not arrive for photographing without an appointment
- Do not apply in Washington while more than six months of validity remain
- Do not give Manchester documents copied with a phone camera
- Do not expect a replacement capture before the Authority approves it
Sample photos
How a Libya 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.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
Glasses must come off for the passport capture. The Washington embassy's 2026 list of requirements tells applicants not to use prescription glasses during the photographing, and adds a separate line against contact lenses. It publishes no exception for medical reasons.
Manchester, Pretoria and Moscow say nothing about glasses on their passport pages. The Washington rule is worded for the photographing session itself and says nothing separate about the two prints.
Headwear and religious dress
Washington's checklist allows for a hijab: its only rule is that the hijab must not be white, in any of its shades, during the photographing. The same concern runs through the other missions. Pretoria asks applicants not to wear a white shirt on the day, because the background of the photo will be white, and Moscow asks for a dark-coloured shirt so that the photo comes out in high quality against its white background.
No mission page read sets rules for caps, hats or other head coverings.
Babies and children
Children under 18 are photographed with their parents present. Washington requires both parents at the photographing, or written consent from the absent husband or wife certified by a notary public.
A child can also be added to a parent's passport. Law No. 4 of 1985 allows the names of a wife and of children under 18 to be included in an individual passport with the holder's approval. For an addition, Manchester asks for two personal photos measuring 2 x 2 cm, copies of both parents' passports and of the family status certificate, and the passport itself. If the child is added to the father's passport, the mother attends to sign a consent declaration; when papers are posted, the declaration must be certified by a sworn officer. Children are added only to a valid passport, and for a child older than one year the consulate first asks the competent authorities for approval.
Printed and digital photos
There is nothing to upload. You attend in person and the mission takes the passport picture during the photographing appointment, against a white background. The prints on the checklists are a separate requirement: two recent photos, on white at Washington and 3 x 4 at Moscow, whose page gives no unit. No Libyan source found sets 4 x 6 cm for passport prints.
Prints also matter for the return travel document issued to Libyans without a valid passport. Washington asks for 2 passport-sized photos with the request and says the document is valid for three months and one trip home; Pretoria asks for 2 passport-type personal photos on a white background and allows travel on it only by direct flight to Libya.
If you need prints, a digital photo can be cropped and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter.
Where to submit the photo
In Libya the Passports and Nationality Authority handles the application. If you cannot get a national number, the National Number Project asks you to go to the civil status branch in your area to correct or complete your record first.
Abroad, apply at a Libyan embassy or consulate that runs a photographing system. Washington asks for its completed form, recent electronic birth, residence and family status certificates scanned in colour as PDF files, a copy of the birth entry from the family booklet, the old passport with a copy, two photos and the appointment form. Manchester has photographed applicants since 11 February 2025 and also wants a copy of your UK residence card and a payment receipt. Pretoria and Moscow ask you to bring proof of payment when you come to be photographed.
How to get your Libya passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Libya passport: 40 × 60 mm print, white: the capture background at missions background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: photographed by appointment; two prints on every checklist; glasses and lenses off; no white near the face.
- Prepare a print or digital file. There is nothing to upload. You attend in person and the mission takes the passport picture during the photographing appointment, against a white background.
- Submit the photo with your application. In Libya the Passports and Nationality Authority handles the application. If you cannot get a national number, the National Number Project asks you to go to the civil status branch in your area to correct or complete your record first.
Libya passport photo FAQ
No official size is published, and no Libyan source gives 4 x 6 cm. The mission photographs you for the passport at your appointment. For the two prints on the checklists, only the Moscow embassy states a size, 3 x 4 without a unit, and only Washington states the background, white.
Yes. Washington, Manchester, Pretoria and Moscow all list two personal photos among the documents to bring, even though the passport picture itself is taken at the appointment. Washington asks for recent photos with a white background.
No. Washington's 2026 checklist says not to use prescription glasses or contact lenses during the photographing. The other missions whose pages were read publish no rule on glasses either way.
Washington's checklist only says that the hijab must not be white, in any of its shades, during the photographing. Pretoria and Moscow ask for dark clothing because the capture background is white.
Only close to expiry. Washington will not renew a passport that has more than six months of validity left, and Manchester accepts expired passports and those that expire within six months. Manchester also replaces passports whose pages have run out.
Report the loss to the police first. Manchester and Pretoria ask for the police report translated into Arabic and certified. Washington refers your papers to the Passports and Nationality Authority for approval and only then tells you to book a photographing appointment, and Manchester also waits for the approval before photographing you.
Yes. The child is photographed, and Washington requires both parents to be present for children under 18. If one parent cannot come, bring that parent's written consent certified by a notary public.
Washington cancels any appointment booked with an incorrect national number, and it will not photograph anyone who arrives without a prior appointment. It does not accept the photographing fee in cash or by personal cheque.
Related photo specifications
Other Libya documents
- Visa photo 2 × 2 in
- ID card photo
Passports nearby
- Algeria passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Egypt passport photo 40 × 60 mm
- Morocco passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Sudan passport photo
- Tunisia passport photo 35 × 45 mm
Also 40 × 60 mm
- Bahrain passport photo 40 × 60 mm
- Bahrain ID card photo 40 × 60 mm
- Egypt passport photo 40 × 60 mm
- Greece passport photo 40 × 60 mm
- Kyrgyzstan passport photo 40 × 60 mm
- Laos passport photo 40 × 60 mm
- Laos visa photo 40 × 60 mm
- Mongolia citizenship photo 40 × 60 mm
- Oman passport photo 40 × 60 mm
- Oman visa photo 40 × 60 mm
- All Libya photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 40 × 60 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Africa
Official sources
- Embassy of the State of Libya, Washington, D.C.. Passports embassyoflibyadc.org. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the State of Libya, Washington, D.C.. Documents required to issue a new passport, 2026 (Arabic PDF) embassyoflibyadc.org. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Passports, Nationality and Foreigners Affairs Authority, via the Embassy of Libya in Washington. Data form for photographing Libyan communities at consulates and embassies (Arabic PDF) embassyoflibyadc.org. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulate General of the State of Libya, Manchester. Issuing a passport (Arabic) embassies.foreign.gov.ly. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulate General of the State of Libya, Manchester. Announcement on starting the photographing system for passports (Arabic) embassies.foreign.gov.ly. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulate General of the State of Libya, Manchester. Adding children to a passport (Arabic) embassies.foreign.gov.ly. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Libya in the Republic of South Africa. Passports and return travel documents (Arabic) embassies.foreign.gov.ly. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Libya in Russia. Requirements for issuing a Libyan passport (Arabic) embassies.foreign.gov.ly. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Libya. Consular Affairs (Arabic) foreign.gov.ly. Checked 2 November 2026.
- National Number Project, Libya. National Number Project (Arabic) nid.gov.ly. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Libyan Security Sector Legislation database. Law No. 4 of 1985 on Travel Documents security-legislation.ly. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Libyan Security Sector Legislation database. Law No. 8 of 2014 on the National ID Number security-legislation.ly. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Embassy of the State of Libya, Washington, D.C. before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Libya passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/libya/passport-photo