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Libya visa photo requirements

The 2 × 2 in photo rules set by State of Libya, official e-visa portal for the Libya visa, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 6 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Libya visa photo?

Apply on evisa.gov.ly: the Washington embassy says foreign nationals must use it, and only official delegations get visas at the embassy. The portal takes a personal photo as a JPEG of up to 1 MB, upright, with your face shown on a white background, and checks it when you upload it. It gives no size in centimetres, and no source sets 4 x 6 cm. Washington's paper visas use one 2 x 2 inch (51 x 51 mm) colour photo on white.

Foreign visitors who need a visa for Libya now apply through the e-visa platform, evisa.gov.ly, which describes itself as the official gateway for online visa applications to Libya. The Libyan embassy in Washington has announced that entry visas for foreign nationals, and for Libyan citizens entering on a foreign passport, must be submitted exclusively through that platform, and that visas issued directly by the embassy are limited to official delegations.

On the portal you create an account, complete the application with your trip and passport details, upload a copy of your passport and a personal photo, and pay the visa fee. An approved e-visa is sent by email as an electronic document that you keep for the immigration officers on arrival. Companies and agencies that sponsor workers or visitors submit applicants in Visa on Approval batches, and each applicant later redeems the approval with the visa ID the sponsor provides.

Mission pages from 2024 and 2025 still describe paper applications backed by an approval from the passports authority in Libya. Manchester, Pretoria and the embassy in Australia ask for two photos, and Washington's requirements specify 2 x 2 inches in colour on white. The portal also tells some applicants to apply at their nearest Libyan embassy, and says online applications for some visa types are not open yet.

Libya visa photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by State of Libya, official e-visa portal:[1]

Print sizee-visa: no size published (an upright JPEG); Washington paper visas: 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm)
Digital sizeNo pixel size published; the photo must be an upright (vertical) shot
BackgroundWhite: "The background should be white" (e-visa photo check); Washington and Pretoria prints on white
ColourColour (Washington paper visas); not stated for the e-visa
Photo ageRecent (Washington); no limit in months is published
File sizePersonal photo up to 1 MB (e-visa portal file note)
File formatJPEG: the e-visa photo field accepts JPEG files only
Pixels when printed600 × 600 px at 300 dpi · 1200 × 1200 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
2 in2 in
2 × 2 in photo drawn to scale. Background: white: "The background should be white".

Key requirements

  • Online by default

    Washington's notice says visa applications from foreign nationals, and from Libyans travelling on a foreign passport, go only through the e-visa platform. The embassy issues visas directly only to official delegations, which apply with a diplomatic note from the US Department of State.

  • Automatic photo check

    The portal checks your photos after upload and asks you to fix any problem before you submit. Its messages say the face must be present in the image, the background should be white and the picture must be an upright or vertical shot.

  • JPEG of 1 MB at most

    The personal photo field accepts JPEG files, and the portal's file note sets a maximum of 1 MB for the personal photo, against 2 MB for the other documents.

  • Photo and passport travel together

    Each application carries a personal photo and a copy of your passport. To change the pictures while editing an unpaid application, you upload both again; photos are not copied when you start from an earlier application.

  • Approval behind paper visas

    Where missions still take paper applications, an approval from Libya comes first: Manchester asks for a visa referral note from the Passport and Immigration Office in Tripoli, Pretoria for the passports authority's approval of an invitation from inside Libya, and Washington for a company request through the Department of Passports and Citizenship and Foreigners.

  • Full face, facing the camera

    Washington's visa photos must be full-face shots with the applicant facing the camera directly; side or angle views are not accepted. Manchester and the embassy in Australia ask for two photos, and Pretoria for two on a white background.

  • Six months of passport validity

    Washington, Manchester and Pretoria require a passport valid for at least six months, and Washington also asks for two clear visa pages.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Apply on evisa.gov.ly unless a mission tells you otherwise
  • Upload a JPEG personal photo of 1 MB or less
  • Use an upright, vertical photo with your face clearly shown
  • Stand in front of a plain white background
  • Fix any problem the photo check reports before submitting
  • Bring two photos if a mission takes your paper application

Don't

  • Do not use other websites for the e-visa; Washington names only evisa.gov.ly
  • Do not upload a landscape or sideways picture
  • Do not upload the personal photo as a PNG or any format other than JPEG
  • Do not send side or angle views to Washington
  • Do not ask the Washington embassy for a visa unless you travel with an official delegation

Sample photos

How a Libya visa 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.

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.

Babies and children

The portal requires a personal photo on an individual application ("User Picture is required"), and its interface sets no separate photo rule for children. Manchester's visa list adds a line for minors under 18 who travel alone or with one parent, but the published sentence stops before naming the document they must submit, so ask the consulate.

Washington's paper rules make no separate provision for children either: each of its lists asks for a recent passport-size colour photograph on a white background.

For the e-visa nothing is printed. You upload a JPEG personal photo and a copy of your passport, and the approved visa arrives by email, in PDF or another recognised format, for you to keep and show on arrival. The portal sets no dimensions in centimetres or pixels; it only asks for an upright picture with the face visible on white, up to 1 MB.

Prints apply to paper applications at missions. Washington specifies one recent 2 x 2 inch (51 x 51 mm) colour photo with a white background for diplomatic, business and spouse visas, and two for Libyans holding a foreign passport. Manchester, Pretoria and the embassy in Australia ask for two photos without a size. No Libyan source sets 4 x 6 cm for a visa photo. A digital photo can be resized for the upload, or printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter.

Where to submit the photo

Apply on evisa.gov.ly. The site has an eligibility check by country and visa type, and where online applications for a visa type are not open yet it asks you to contact it to find out how to apply. A rejection is notified by email, and you can reapply after dealing with the reason given.

At missions, Washington now issues visas only to official delegations; it requests those visas from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tripoli. Manchester publishes lists for visitor, business and family reunification visas, Pretoria for work, visit, official mission and joining a spouse, and the embassy in Australia a form to post with your passport and two photos.

How to get your Libya visa photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Libya visa: 2 × 2 in print, white: "The background should be white" background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: online by default; automatic photo check; jPEG of 1 MB at most; photo and passport travel together.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. For the e-visa nothing is printed. You upload a JPEG personal photo and a copy of your passport, and the approved visa arrives by email, in PDF or another recognised format, for you to keep and show on arrival.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Apply on evisa.gov.ly. The site has an eligibility check by country and visa type, and where online applications for a visa type are not open yet it asks you to contact it to find out how to apply.

Make this photo online

Libya visa photo FAQ

The e-visa portal sets no size: it asks for an upright JPEG personal photo of up to 1 MB, with the face visible on a white background. For paper visas, the Washington embassy specifies 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm). No official Libyan source gives 4 x 6 cm.

Yes. The Libyan embassy in Washington links to it and says entry visas for foreign nationals must be submitted exclusively through the official E-VISA platform at that address. The portal calls itself the official gateway for online visa applications to Libya.

Its photo check reports three problems: no face found in the image, a background that is not white, and a picture that is not upright or vertical. Fix the problem it shows before you submit. The personal photo must also be a JPEG of 1 MB or less.

Washington issues visas directly only to official delegations. Manchester, Pretoria and the embassy in Australia still publish paper visa lists from 2024 and 2025, each asking for two photos, and the portal directs some applicants to their nearest Libyan embassy.

Two at Manchester, Pretoria and the embassy in Australia, and Pretoria wants them on a white background. Washington asks for one recent 2 x 2 inch colour photo on white, or two for Libyan citizens who hold a foreign passport.

Paper visas start with an approval from Libya: a referral note from the Passport and Immigration Office in Tripoli at Manchester, or the passports authority's approval of an invitation from inside Libya at Pretoria. On the portal, sponsoring companies and agencies can file applicants in Visa on Approval batches.

By email. The portal sends the approved e-visa as an electronic copy in PDF or another recognised document format, and advises you to keep a copy to show the immigration authorities when you arrive in Libya.

Related photo specifications

Other Libya documents

Visas and travel authorisations nearby

Also 2 × 2 in

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Official sources

  1. State of Libya, official e-visa portal. E-Visa evisa.gov.ly. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Embassy of the State of Libya, Washington, D.C.. Visas embassyoflibyadc.org. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Consulate General of the State of Libya, Manchester. Visa Application embassies.foreign.gov.ly. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Consulate General of the State of Libya, Manchester. Entry visa (Arabic) embassies.foreign.gov.ly. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. Embassy of Libya in the Republic of South Africa. Visas (Arabic) embassies.foreign.gov.ly. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. Embassy of Libya in Australia. Entry visa form for Libya (Arabic) embassies.foreign.gov.ly. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with State of Libya, official e-visa portal before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

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

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