Malta passport photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Identità (Passport Office) for the Malta passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Malta passport photo?
Most applicants do not bring a photo for a Maltese passport: from the age of 6, the Passport Office or the embassy captures a live facial image. Prints are needed for children under 14 and for citizens abroad without a valid Maltese ID card. They must be 35 x 45 mm, in colour and professionally printed, on a white background, with the face covering at least 75% of the photo, no glasses, and taken within the last 3 months.
Maltese passports are issued by the Passport Office of Identità, the government agency that also runs Malta's identity card and public registry services. You apply in person at the Passport Office in Marsa or at its Gozo office in Victoria, and citizens who live abroad can apply through a Maltese embassy, high commission or consulate. There is no online renewal: everyone aged 6 or over must attend, because a live photo, a signature and, from the age of 12, fingerprints are recorded for the passport chip.
That live capture is why most adults never hand in a print. Paper photos are still needed in a few cases: a child under 6, who does not attend and whose photo is scanned with the form; a child aged 6 to 13, who brings one endorsed print as well as being photographed; a citizen living abroad who holds no valid Maltese ID card; and applications at missions that ask for prints, such as the High Commission in London. The recommender who completes Section 7 of Form A signs the back of the print.
A passport is valid for 2 years up to age 9, 5 years from 10 to 15 and 10 years from 16.
Malta passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Identità (Passport Office):[1]
| Print size | 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in); Identità writes it as 45mm x 35mm |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No digital file: there is no online application; prints are handed in with Form A and scanned |
| Background | White, with no shadows |
| Colour | Colour |
| Photo age | Taken within the last 3 months; a child's previous passport photo may not be reused |
| Print quality | Professionally printed on good-quality photo paper at high resolution |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
In the official words
Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:
Passport photos must be recent, professionally printed, in colour, and taken against a white background.
The size should be 40mm x 30mm
Key requirements
- Live photo from age 6
Applicants aged 6 and over are photographed at the Passport Office or at the mission during the appointment, which is why nobody can renew by post or online. Fingerprints are added from the age of 12 and checked again when the passport is collected.
- When a print is required
Children under 6 need two identical prints, one of them endorsed. Children aged 6 to 13 need one endorsed print. Adults living abroad who have no valid Maltese ID card need one print endorsed and signed on the back by their recommender.
- Face at least 75% of the photo
Identità asks for a 45mm x 35mm photo in which the face covers at least 75% of the picture. Face the camera directly, with the eyebrows and the chin visible.
- White background, lips closed
Use a plain white background with no shadows. Keep a neutral expression with the lips closed and no teeth showing, and make sure no clothing covers the face.
- No glasses at all
Reading glasses and sunglasses must be removed for the photo so that an accurate biometric image can be taken, even if you always wear them.
- Recommender endorsement
For a child, the endorsement on the back reads "This is a true likeness of" followed by the child's name and surname, with the recommender's signature underneath. The recommender also signs Section 7 and uses a rubber stamp or gives a warrant or registration number.
- A new photo every time
The photo must have been taken in the last three months, and the picture used in a child's previous passport cannot be handed in again.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Bring your original, valid Maltese ID card to the appointment
- Book a slot on the Passport Office booking site to cut waiting time
- Have prints made professionally on good-quality photo paper
- Ask the recommender to endorse and sign the back of the print
- Keep your eyebrows and chin clearly visible
- Ask your embassy how many prints it wants before you go
Don't
- Do not wear glasses, not even clear reading glasses
- Do not smile or show your teeth
- Do not wear a cap, hat or hair accessory unless for religious reasons
- Do not reuse the photo from the previous passport
- Do not hand in a print older than three months
- Do not use scanned or electronic signatures on Form A
Sample photos
How a Malta passport photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 35 × 45 mm and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
No. Identità asks applicants who wear glasses to take them off so that an accurate biometric image can be taken, and its photo guidance says plainly that glasses are not allowed. This covers reading glasses as well as sunglasses, and it applies both to the live photo taken at the office and to any print you bring.
Your eyes and eyebrows must be clearly visible, so keep your hair away from them too.
Headwear and religious dress
Caps, hats and hair accessories are not allowed unless they are worn for religious reasons. Identità applies this strictly: in its own FAQ it turns down a headscarf worn by an applicant who has lost their hair during chemotherapy, because only religious reasons are accepted.
Whatever you wear, no clothing may cover the face, and the eyebrows and chin must stay in view.
Babies and children
Children under 6 do not attend, because no live biometrics are taken from them. One parent submits Form A with two identical photos of the child, one endorsed on the back by the recommender who signed Sections 6 and 7, and the photo is scanned with the application. The Passport Office asks for a child looking forward, eyes open, lips closed and without headwear, on a white background and printed on good-quality photo paper.
From the age of 6 the child comes in with a parent and is photographed live. Children aged 6 to 13 still bring one endorsed print, and fingerprints are taken from 12. Both parents sign Section 6 in front of the recommender. If an autistic child cannot keep still for the live photo, Identità will scan an ICAO-compliant photo brought by the parents, together with a copy of the diagnostic report.
Printed and digital photos
There is no digital route. Identità does not accept online renewals and there is no way to upload a photo file; when a photo is needed you hand in a print and the office scans it. Have it printed professionally on good-quality photo paper at 35 x 45 mm. A digital photo can be cropped to that size and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo lab.
The photo tool also offers a 30 x 40 mm version. That size comes from an older edition of Form A, which gave 40mm x 30mm. Identità's current guidance is 45mm x 35mm, so use 35 x 45 mm unless your mission tells you otherwise.
Where to submit the photo
In Malta, apply at the Passport Office in the Onda Building, Aldo Moro Road, Marsa, or at the Gozo office in The Tower, Triq Fortunato Mizzi, Victoria. Appointments are not compulsory, but booking one online shortens the wait. Passports are not posted: adults collect their own, and from 12 the fingerprints are verified again at collection.
Abroad, apply in person at a Maltese embassy, high commission or consulate, by appointment. The mission records your photograph, fingerprints and signature electronically and sends the application to the Passport Office in Malta, so it takes longer than a local one. The London High Commission, for example, asks for two recommender-signed photos for every child and a certified photograph for a first passport. Identità's FAQ says the recommender must be a Maltese, EU or Commonwealth citizen living in Malta and holding a university degree.
How to get your Malta passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Malta passport: 35 × 45 mm print, white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: live photo from age 6; when a print is required; face at least 75% of the photo; white background, lips closed.
- Prepare a print or digital file. There is no digital route. Identità does not accept online renewals and there is no way to upload a photo file; when a photo is needed you hand in a print and the office scans it. Have it printed professionally on good-quality photo paper at 35 x 45 mm.
- Submit the photo with your application. In Malta, apply at the Passport Office in the Onda Building, Aldo Moro Road, Marsa, or at the Gozo office in The Tower, Triq Fortunato Mizzi, Victoria. Appointments are not compulsory, but booking one online shortens the wait.
Malta passport photo FAQ
Identità gives the size as 45mm x 35mm, which is a standard 35 x 45 mm portrait print. The face must cover at least 75% of the photo, on a white background, in colour and professionally printed. An older version of Form A gave 40mm x 30mm, but the current Passport Office guidance is 45mm x 35mm.
Usually not. If you are 18 or over and hold a valid Maltese ID card, the Passport Office takes a live photo during your visit. You need a print only if you live abroad without a valid Maltese ID card; the recommender who completes Section 7 must then endorse and sign it on the back.
No. Everyone aged 6 or over must attend the Passport Office or a Maltese embassy so that a live photo, a signature and, from 12, fingerprints can be recorded. Only children under 6 are excused, and a parent submits their application with printed photos.
No. Reading glasses and sunglasses must be removed before the photo is taken. Identità says this is needed for an accurate biometric image, and the rule applies even if you always wear glasses.
Not if the child is under 6. Younger children do not attend: the parent brings two identical prints taken in the last three months and the office scans the photo. Once a child turns 6, they must come in so a live biometric photo can be taken.
The recommender who completes Section 7 of Form A: a Maltese, EU or Commonwealth citizen living in Malta, with a university degree, who has known the applicant for at least two years. They sign the back of the photo and use a rubber stamp, or give a warrant or registration number.
Yes, through a Maltese embassy, high commission or consulate. You attend in person so the mission can record your biometrics, and the passport is produced in Malta. If you would rather collect it in Malta, tell the embassy so it can note this on your application.
No. Identità asks for a neutral expression with the lips closed and no teeth showing, looking straight at the camera. The same applies to the live photo at the office and to any print you hand in.
Related photo specifications
Passports nearby
- Albania passport photo 40 × 50 mm
- Andorra passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Croatia passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Cyprus passport photo 40 × 50 mm
- Gibraltar passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Greece passport photo 40 × 60 mm
- Italy passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Portugal passport photo
- San Marino passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Slovenia passport photo 35 × 45 mm
Also 35 × 45 mm
- Afghanistan visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria residence permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria work permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Andorra passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Anguilla passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Antigua and Barbuda passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Armenia visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- All Malta photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Europe
Official sources
- Identità (Passport Office). Frequently Asked Questions: Passport identita.gov.mt. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Identità (Passport Office). Passport Office FAQs identita.gov.mt. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Identità (Passport Office). Maltese Passports: Adults, First Time identita.gov.mt. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Identità (Passport Office). Maltese Passports: Adults, Renewals identita.gov.mt. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Identità (Passport Office). Maltese Passports: Minors, First-time/Renewal (0 - 5 years) identita.gov.mt. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Identità (Passport Office). Maltese Passports: Minors, First-time/Renewal (6 - 9 years) identita.gov.mt. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Identità (Passport Office). Form A: Application for a Maltese Passport identita.gov.mt. Checked 2 November 2026.
- High Commission of Malta, London. Services: Consular Services (Passports) missions.foreign.gov.mt. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Identità (Passport Office) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Malta passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/malta/passport-photo