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Macau resident identity card photo requirements

The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Identification Services Bureau, Macao SAR Government for the Macau resident identity card, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 5 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Macau resident identity card photo?

For the Macao SAR Resident Identity Card (BIR), DSI uses a 35 x 45 mm colour photo on plain white with no margin, taken within the last 12 months. The head, chin to crown, must be 34 to 36 mm from age 10 and 32 to 36 mm below that. You can be photographed by DSI at the counter at no cost or at a renewal kiosk, or supply a studio print or a contracted-studio photo from My Photos.

The Macao SAR Resident Identity Card, known by its Portuguese initials BIR, is issued by the Identification Services Bureau (DSI) to permanent and non-permanent residents of Macao. Since 15 December 2023 DSI has issued a new generation of electronic cards, whose security features include laser engraving and a colour printing window; secondary details such as height no longer appear on the card face. Holders of a card valid for life, shown as "——", do not need to replace it.

A first card is applied for in person at a DSI counter, and nobody can apply on your behalf, although DSI can approve a paid on-site visit within Macao for someone unable to attend. Renewals can also be made at a self-service kiosk or, for adults, in the "Macao One Account" app, from 6 months before the expiry date. The card photo follows DSI's specification form DSI-52-M, which allows an identity card photo to be up to 12 months old.

Macau resident identity card photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Identification Services Bureau, Macao SAR Government:[1]

Print size35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in), width x height, the 1.5-inch format
Digital sizeNo own-file upload: the app uses a contracted-studio photo in My Photos or an instant in-app photo
Head height34 to 36 mm, chin to crown, from age 10; 32 to 36 mm below age 10
BackgroundPlain white with no margin
ColourColour
Photo ageTaken within the last 12 months
Print qualityOne studio print if you bring your own; otherwise DSI photographs you at the counter or kiosk
Pixels when printed413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
35 mm45 mm34–36 mm
35 × 45 mm photo drawn to scale, with the 34–36 mm head height from chin to crown. Background: plain white with no margin.

Key requirements

  • Up to 12 months old

    An identity card photo may be up to 12 months old, twice the limit DSI sets for passports and travel permits. A studio photo held in My Photos must also date from the past 12 months to be used for a renewal.

  • DSI cameras on site

    At a counter you can be photographed on site at no cost, and kiosks photograph renewal applicants themselves. After an app renewal you still go to a DSI office in person, where your photo and fingerprints are taken when you collect the card.

  • Head height by age

    DSI's chart puts the head, from chin to crown, at 34 to 36 mm for anyone aged 10 or over and at 32 to 36 mm for younger children, within the 45 mm height of the picture.

  • Edge-to-edge white, no shadow

    The picture fills the whole 35 x 45 mm with a white background and no border. Shadows on the background, backgrounds that are not white and photos that are too light or too dark are all on DSI's list of rejected photos.

  • No retouching of features

    Moles, scars and similar marks stay as they are: DSI does not accept a portrait that has been retouched to alter the applicant's natural appearance.

  • Bare head, clear features

    Remove hats and other head coverings, and keep hair away from the eyes and eyebrows. Large accessories, such as head wraps or jewellery worn on the eyebrows, nose or lips, should come off for the photo.

  • Height measured under 25

    If you were under 25 on the issue date of your current card, your height is measured on site when you renew, both at the kiosk and after an app application.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Use a photo taken within the last 12 months
  • Keep the background plain white, edge to edge
  • Face the camera with the whole face visible
  • Use the free on-site photo at the counter if you have no studio print
  • Keep a child's head between 32 and 36 mm if under 10
  • Bring your original card when you collect the new one

Don't

  • Do not cover your head or wear a hair accessory
  • Do not retouch moles or scars
  • Do not wear coloured or iris-enlarging contact lenses
  • Do not let glasses frames hide your eyes
  • Do not wear a camisole, tube top or reflective clothing
  • Do not send a representative to apply; attend in person

Sample photos

How a Macau resident identity card 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.

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

Glasses can stay on for the identity card photo, as long as DSI can see your eyes and features clearly. A photo is refused when the frame hides the eyes or other facial features, or when there is glare on the face or the lenses, and tinted lenses appear among DSI's unacceptable examples. DSI's note asks applicants to avoid heavy, thick frames, whether black or white.

Contact lenses that change the eyes are not accepted on the identity card either, including coloured lenses, other effect lenses and "big eye" lenses.

Headwear and religious dress

The identity card photo must be bare-headed. DSI lists head coverings as not allowed and asks applicants to avoid exaggerated accessories that hide part of the face; its rejected samples include a cap and several hair accessories. DSI publishes no exception for headwear worn for religious reasons, so check with the bureau first if you wear one.

Babies and children

A baby born in Macao to a parent who was a Macao resident at the time of the birth can get a first identity card, applied for in person with documents such as the birth certificate and copies of both parents' identification documents. For anyone under 18, a parent or the person exercising parental rights or guardianship comes to DSI with the child and confirms the application.

DSI's specification gives children under 10 a wider head range of 32 to 36 mm, and its acceptable examples include a baby and a young child. Kiosk renewals are open to children aged 5 or above on the latest issue date of their card, accompanied by a parent or guardian, while the app renewal is limited to residents who were 18 or over on that date.

A print is needed only if you bring your own photo to a counter: one 1.5-inch colour studio photograph on a white background, taken within the past 12 months. Otherwise DSI photographs you on site, or you choose a contracted studio's identification photo from "My Photos" in the Macao One Account.

The app renewal does not take a file you upload yourself. You select a My Photos identification photo taken by a contracted studio in the past 12 months, or take an instant identification photo in the app, and you are photographed at the DSI office when you collect the card. If a photo or image fails DSI's checks, it asks for another one.

Where to submit the photo

DSI service counters are at its headquarters in the China Plaza building on Avenida da Praia Grande and at the Macao Government Services Centres in Venceslau de Morais and in the Islands, in Taipa; book an appointment or take a number tag in advance. Kiosks in the Government 24-hour self-service centres accept renewals without a number tag, and cards can also be collected at the Macao Government Services Station in Hengqin.

A lost or damaged card, a change of personal data, an expired non-permanent card without a new Residence Authorization Certificate, and the change from non-permanent to permanent status all go through a counter. There is no postal route from abroad: DSI says residents who are away and cannot return in time can apply when they are back in Macao.

How to get your Macau resident identity card photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Macau resident identity card: 35 × 45 mm print, plain white with no margin background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: up to 12 months old; dSI cameras on site; head height by age; edge-to-edge white, no shadow.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. A print is needed only if you bring your own photo to a counter: one 1.5-inch colour studio photograph on a white background, taken within the past 12 months.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. DSI service counters are at its headquarters in the China Plaza building on Avenida da Praia Grande and at the Macao Government Services Centres in Venceslau de Morais and in the Islands, in Taipa; book an appointment or take a number tag in advance.

Make this photo online

Macau resident identity card photo FAQ

A 35 x 45 mm colour photo, width first, on a plain white background with no margin. DSI calls this the 1.5-inch format. From age 10 the head must be 34 to 36 mm from chin to crown, and 32 to 36 mm for a younger child.

It can be. At a DSI counter you may use a photo taken on site at no cost, and kiosks photograph applicants during a renewal. You may instead bring a studio print from the past 12 months or use a contracted-studio photo in My Photos, so DSI's own camera is not compulsory.

It must have been taken within the last 12 months. That is longer than for the Macao SAR passport and travel permit, whose photos must be no more than 6 months old, even though the size and background rules are the same.

Yes, if you were 18 or over when the current card was issued, it expires within 6 months or has expired, and your identity data are unchanged. Choose a contracted-studio photo from My Photos or take an instant photo in the app, then go to a DSI office for photo-taking and fingerprints when you collect the card.

No. DSI requires applicants to apply in person. If you cannot come to DSI, you or a relative can write to the bureau to ask for its paid on-site service, which is limited to locations within Macao and needs DSI's approval.

DSI offers no postal renewal for the identity card. Residents who are outside Macao and cannot return in time can apply at DSI on their return. A card lost abroad is reported to the local police first and then replaced in person in Macao with the loss report.

Eligible permanent residents with an electronic permanent resident identity card can enter and leave Hong Kong as visitors with the card alone and stay up to 180 days, if they meet the immigration requirements. Nationals of countries that need a Hong Kong visa still need prior approval.

Yes, provided the frames leave your eyes and features uncovered and there is no glare. DSI turns down photos with tinted lenses or reflections on the glasses or face, and suggests avoiding thick, heavy black or white frames.

Related photo specifications

Other Macau documents

Identity cards nearby

Also 35 × 45 mm

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Official sources

  1. Identification Services Bureau, Macao SAR Government. Photograph Specifications (applicable to Macao SAR resident identity card and travel document), DSI-52-M (PDF) dsi.gov.mo. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Macao SAR Government Portal (content: Identification Services Bureau). Application for Macao SAR Resident Identity Card (BIR): First-Time Application gov.mo. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Macao SAR Government Portal (content: Identification Services Bureau). Application for Macao SAR Resident Identity Card (BIR): Renewal Application gov.mo. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Macao SAR Government Portal (content: Identification Services Bureau). Application for Macao SAR Resident Identity Card (BIR) (FAQs) gov.mo. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. Macao SAR Government Portal (content: Identification Services Bureau). Macao SAR Passport / Macao SAR Travel Permit (FAQs) gov.mo. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Identification Services Bureau, Macao SAR Government before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Macau resident identity card photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/macau/resident-identity-card-photo

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