Malaysia passport photo requirements
The 35 × 50 mm photo rules set by Immigration Department of Malaysia for the Malaysia passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Malaysia passport photo?
Most Malaysian passport applicants need no photo: the Immigration Department takes one at the counter with a Facial Live Capture camera. A printed photo is needed for children under 4: 35 x 50 mm, plain white background without shadow, face at least 25 to 30 mm. MyOnline Pasport renewals take an uploaded photo on white, taken within 1 month, with no glasses and no AI editing.
The Malaysian International Passport (Pasport Malaysia Antarabangsa) is issued to Malaysian citizens by the Immigration Department of Malaysia (Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia, JIM). You can apply at any Immigration office in Malaysia or at a Malaysian diplomatic mission overseas, and the passport is issued with a validity of 5 or 10 years.
How the photo is supplied depends on the channel. At passport counters the photo is captured on the spot with a Facial Live Capture device, so adults do not bring one. Children under 4 bring one printed photo measuring 35 x 50 mm. Citizens aged 13 or over who renew online through MyOnline Pasport upload a digital photo and then collect the passport in person. Missions abroad set their own lists: some capture a live image, others ask for printed photos.
Malaysia passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Immigration Department of Malaysia:[1]
| Print size | Printed photos: 35 x 50 mm (1.38 x 1.97 in); at passport counters the photo is taken for you |
|---|---|
| Digital size | Online renewal: upload a digital photo; no pixel size or file limit is published |
| Head height | Face at least 25 to 30 mm, 50% to 60% of the photo (children under 4, mission prints) |
| Background | Plain white without shadow; online renewal accepts no other colour |
| Photo age | Online renewal: taken within the last 1 month |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 591 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1181 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
In the official words
Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:
The application will be REJECTED if the photo is generated or modified with Artificial Intelligence (AI). (translated from Malay)
You are now redirecting to EservicesV2 portal
Key requirements
- Photo taken at the counter
At Immigration passport counters, staff photograph you with a Facial Live Capture device. Look straight at the camera with your eyes open and your mouth closed.
- No spectacles or contact lenses
Glasses and contact lenses are not permitted during the photo capture at the counter. The online renewal rules ban them too, along with any accessory on the face, ears or head.
- Tudung allowed, forehead clear
Hats are not allowed and hair must not cover the face. If you wear a tudung or hijab, it must not cover your forehead.
- White background only
Every photo you supply needs a plain white background with no shadow. The MyOnline Pasport page states that a background in any other colour will not be accepted.
- Dark clothing for online uploads
For an online renewal photo, wear dark clothing that covers your shoulders and chest. A tudung or hijab must be dark, without a pattern, and must not cover the face.
- No AI, no mirror image
Online applications are rejected if the photo was generated or modified with artificial intelligence, and the fee is not refunded. Make sure your phone camera does not save a mirrored image.
- A photo from the last month
An uploaded renewal photo must show your current face and have been taken within the last month. A photo that does not meet the specification puts the application on hold until you upload a new one.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Look straight at the camera with your eyes open and mouth closed
- Leave your forehead uncovered if you wear a tudung
- Wear dark clothing that covers your shoulders and chest for an online upload
- Use a plain white background with no shadows
- Turn off mirror mode on your phone camera
- Bring one 35 x 50 mm print for a child under 4
Don't
- Do not wear glasses or contact lenses
- Do not wear a hat or cap
- Do not wear earrings, hair clips or other accessories on the face, ears or head in an online photo
- Do not use a patterned or light-coloured tudung in an online photo
- Do not generate or edit the photo with AI
- Do not use a blue or other coloured background
Sample photos
How a Malaysia passport photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 35 × 50 mm, head height and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
No. The Immigration Department does not permit spectacles or contact lenses while your photo is captured at a passport counter. The MyOnline Pasport rules repeat this for uploaded photos: applicants may not wear glasses, contact lenses or any accessory on the face, ears or head.
The specification for the printed photo of a child under 4 does not mention glasses.
Headwear and religious dress
Religious head coverings are allowed. For photos taken at the counter, the department's rule is: no hats or headwear, hair must not cover the face, and anyone wearing a hijab must keep the forehead uncovered.
For an online renewal photo, women who wear a tudung or hijab must choose one that is dark in colour, has no pattern and does not cover the face. The same page bans accessories on the face, ears and head, so remove earrings and decorative pins.
Neither page says the ears must be visible. What both require is a face that is not covered, and for counter photos, a forehead that is not covered by the tudung.
Babies and children
Children under 4 are the one group the Immigration Department asks to bring a printed photo: one photo of 35 x 50 mm with a plain white background and no shadow. The child's face must measure at least 25 to 30 mm, which the department describes as 50% to 60% of the photo following ICAO. The High Commission in London asks for two such photos for children below 4 and takes a live image of everyone else.
For applicants under 18, a parent or guardian must attend and bring their MyKad, with the child's birth certificate. Children under 13 cannot use MyOnline Pasport and must apply at a counter. The official pages disagree about age 13: online renewal is open from 13, while the counter-only list says 13 and below, so at 13 check with the Immigration Department first. Teenagers who renew online collect the passport with a parent or guardian, and it will not be handed over if the parent or guardian is absent.
Printed and digital photos
Whether you need a print, a file or nothing depends on where you apply.
At an Immigration office in Malaysia, most applicants bring nothing, because the photo is captured live. Bring one 35 x 50 mm print on white only for a child under 4.
For an online renewal through MyOnline Pasport, you upload a digital photo during the application. The department publishes no pixel size or file limit, but it allows you to edit a photo with a passport photo app so that it meets the specification, and it warns that the camera must not produce a mirror image. A photo generated or modified with AI leads to rejection.
At a Malaysian mission abroad, follow that mission's list. The High Commission in London captures a live image and asks for prints only for children under 4, while the High Commission in Islamabad asks for two 35 x 50 mm prints on a white background with the face 25 to 30 mm high.
Every current channel asks for white. The online renewal page says other background colours will not be accepted, so a blue-background photo does not meet today's passport rules.
Where to submit the photo
In Malaysia, apply at any Immigration office that handles passports; for a replacement, bring the last Malaysian passport issued to you. Online renewal is open to citizens aged 13 and over whose current passport is undamaged and in their possession. You apply and pay online, choose a collection office, and collect the passport in person with your MyKad, current passport and printed payment receipt. People with disabilities (OKU), Hajj pilgrims and students going abroad for a first degree must apply at a counter instead.
Abroad, apply at a Malaysian embassy, high commission or consulate. Copies of documents submitted overseas must be certified by the Immigration Attaché or an officer of the mission. Practice varies: London takes walk-in renewals without an appointment, while Islamabad asks you to book by email and attend in person.
How to get your Malaysia passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Malaysia passport: 35 × 50 mm print, plain white without shadow background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: photo taken at the counter; no spectacles or contact lenses; tudung allowed, forehead clear; white background only.
- Prepare a print or digital file. Whether you need a print, a file or nothing depends on where you apply. At an Immigration office in Malaysia, most applicants bring nothing, because the photo is captured live. Bring one 35 x 50 mm print on white only for a child under 4.
- Submit the photo with your application. In Malaysia, apply at any Immigration office that handles passports; for a replacement, bring the last Malaysian passport issued to you. Online renewal is open to citizens aged 13 and over whose current passport is undamaged and in their possession.
Malaysia passport photo FAQ
When you supply one, it is 35 x 50 mm with a plain white background and no shadow, and the face measures at least 25 to 30 mm. Most applicants in Malaysia do not supply one, because the passport counter captures the photo with a Facial Live Capture device.
Yes. At the counter, keep the tudung off your forehead and make sure your hair does not cover your face; hats are not allowed. For an online renewal, the tudung or hijab must be dark, plain and must not cover the face.
The Immigration Department's published rules do not require visible ears. They require an uncovered face, an uncovered forehead for tudung wearers at the counter, and no accessories on the face, ears or head in an uploaded photo.
No. Spectacles and contact lenses are not permitted when the counter captures your photo, and the online renewal rules also ban them, including clear lenses. Take them off before the photo is taken.
Yes, through MyOnline Pasport if you are 13 or over and your current passport is undamaged and with you. Upload a photo taken within the last month on a white background, wearing dark clothing and no glasses. You then collect the new passport in person at the office you chose.
No. The Immigration Department now asks for white. The online renewal page says a background in any other colour will not be accepted, and the specification for children under 4 asks for a shadowless white background.
No. The MyOnline Pasport page says an application will be rejected if the photo was generated or modified with artificial intelligence, and the fee will not be refunded. Its terms also warn that false information can lead to action under the Passport Act 1966.
The online application is deferred and you must upload a new photo that meets the specification. If the photo was made or altered with AI, the application is rejected instead, without a refund.
Related photo specifications
Other Malaysia documents
- eVisa photo 35 × 50 mm
- Visa photo 35 × 50 mm
- APEC business travel card photo 35 × 50 mm
Passports nearby
- Brunei passport photo 40 × 52 mm
- Cambodia passport photo
- Indonesia passport photo 2 × 2 in
- Laos passport photo 40 × 60 mm
- Myanmar passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Philippines passport photo
- Singapore passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Thailand passport photo
- Vietnam passport photo 40 × 60 mm
- All Malaysia photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 50 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Asia
Official sources
- Immigration Department of Malaysia. Malaysian International Passport imi.gov.my. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Immigration Department of Malaysia. Pasport Malaysia Antarabangsa (Malay) imi.gov.my. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Immigration Department of Malaysia. MyOnline Pasport: online renewal of the Malaysian International Passport imigresen-online.imi.gov.my. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia. Passport renewal, High Commission of Malaysia in London kln.gov.my. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia. Passport renewal, High Commission of Malaysia in Islamabad kln.gov.my. Checked 3 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Immigration Department of Malaysia before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Malaysia passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/malaysia/passport-photo