Mexico passport photo requirements
The photo rules set by Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores (gob.mx) for the Mexico passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What are the Mexico passport photo requirements?
You do not bring or upload a photo for a Mexican passport. The Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores (SRE) photographs every applicant, adults and children alike, with its own equipment at the passport office in Mexico or at the consulate abroad. Article 14 of the passport regulation sets the pose: from the front, in colour, on a white background, head uncovered, and nothing over any part of the face, glasses included.
Mexican ordinary passports are issued by the Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores (SRE), the foreign ministry. In Mexico they come from its passport offices (delegaciones and subdelegaciones), which may be supported by mobile units and liaison offices; abroad they come from Mexican consulates and the consular sections of embassies. Adults choose a validity of 3, 6 or 10 years, children aged 3 to 17 a validity of 3 or 6 years, and children under 3 one or three years. Every applicant attends in person with an appointment.
The photograph is part of that visit, not something you prepare. The Reglamento de Pasaportes y del Documento de Identidad y Viaje requires adults (Article 14), and the parents of minors (Article 18), to allow the applicant to be photographed with the ministry's devices. A 2016 decree gave both articles their current wording and brought it into force at the offices in Mexico from 1 July 2018 at the latest. The SRE's requirement lists for adults and minors include no photograph, and consulates say the same: the Mexican embassy in The Hague answers "No" to the question of whether a photo must be presented, because it is taken on the day of the appointment.
This page's photo tool offers 35 x 45 mm and 25 x 35 mm prints, but neither size is used for a Mexican passport, in Mexico or abroad. The image captured at the appointment is the one printed in the passport.
Mexico passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores (gob.mx):[1]
| Print size | No print: the SRE photographs you at the passport office or consulate |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No digital file: the image is captured on the SRE's own devices |
| Background | White, on the SRE's capture at the appointment |
| Colour | Colour |
| Photo age | Taken on the day of your appointment |
In the official words
Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:
Allow yourself to be photographed with the Ministry's devices. The photograph must be taken from the front, in colour, with a white background, the head uncovered and without garments or objects that partially or totally cover the face, including glasses. (translated from Spanish)
Key requirements
- The SRE takes the picture
You consent to be photographed with the ministry's equipment during the appointment. This applies to first passports and renewals, to adults and minors, and to SRE offices and consulates alike, so there is no print or file to supply.
- Front-facing, colour, white background
Article 14 fixes the result: the photo is taken from the front, in colour and against a white background. The SRE operator controls the camera and the background, so what you control is how you present yourself, facing the camera with your face clear.
- Head uncovered
The general rule is a bare head. The embassy in The Hague asks applicants to arrive with the head uncovered, the hair tied back and no ornaments that hide their features. Religious head coverings that leave the face visible are the one exception, following a Supreme Court ruling of December 2025.
- Nothing over the face
Garments or objects that cover the face partly or completely are not allowed, and the regulation names glasses among them. Plan to take your glasses off when the photo is taken.
- One appointment per person
The SRE asks for a separate appointment for each person applying, so a family of four books four slots. Book through the SRE's online appointment system; US consulates such as Houston also take bookings by phone and WhatsApp through MiConsulado.
- Children are photographed the same way
Article 18 applies the same wording to minors: the child is photographed with the ministry's devices, from the front, in colour, on white, with the head uncovered and nothing covering the face. A parent or guardian attends with the child.
- A changed face is a reason to renew
Article 29 lets you renew when your physical features have changed so much that they no longer match the passport photograph. The new picture is taken at the renewal appointment like any other.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Book a separate appointment for every applicant, babies included.
- Arrive with your hair tied back and your face fully visible.
- Remove your glasses when the photo is taken.
- Tell the officer before the photo if your faith requires a head covering.
- Bring original documents in good condition; Houston refuses laminated ones.
- Renew early if you no longer look like your passport photo.
Don't
- Do not bring printed photos: the SRE does not use them.
- Do not wear a hat, cap or hair ornament that hides your features.
- Do not let any garment or object cover part of your face.
- Do not count on a medical exemption for glasses: the regulation lists none.
- Do not leave the absent parent's OP-7 consent until the appointment day.
Glasses
Glasses must come off. Article 14 of the passport regulation says the photograph is taken without garments or objects that partly or fully cover the face, and it names glasses (lentes) expressly. Article 18 repeats the rule for children.
Neither the regulation nor the SRE and consular pages cited here provide a medical exception. Because the SRE takes the picture, you only need to remove them at the camera; wearing them on the way in is no problem.
Headwear and religious dress
The regulation requires the head to be uncovered for the passport photo, for adults and children. The Mexican embassy in The Hague turns this into practical advice: come to the appointment with your head uncovered, your hair tied back and no ornaments that hide your physical features.
Religious head coverings are treated differently since 11 December 2025. In two cases brought by women whose passports were made conditional on removing the hijab, the Supreme Court (SCJN) held that the bare-head rule still stands but must be applied so that, exceptionally, a person who states that their religion requires a garment that does not prevent proper identification, such as a hijab, may wear it in the passport photo. The face itself must stay uncovered.
Babies and children
For a minor's passport, the parents or the people holding parental authority or guardianship attend in person with the child at the SRE office or consulate, and the child is photographed there under the same rules as adults. If one parent cannot attend, consent can be given on the OP-7 form, which is valid for 90 calendar days and for one passport.
Young children often have no photo ID, so the SRE accepts other proof of identity. For children under 7 this can be a paediatrician's letter or medical certificate carrying the child's photograph, which consulates such as Houston want signed or stamped by the doctor. That photo belongs to the identity document; the passport photo is still taken at the appointment.
Printed and digital photos
Mexican passports involve neither a print nor an upload. Every channel captures the image on the SRE's equipment: the passport offices in Mexico, their mobile units, and consulates abroad. That includes renewals, which the regulation ties to the same photo requirement as first applications.
Advice about bringing two passport-size photos usually comes from older rules or from a different document. The same regulation still asks for two passport-size colour prints, taken no more than 30 days before, for the documento de identidad y viaje, a travel document the SRE issues to foreigners in Mexico who cannot obtain a passport from their own country. It does not apply to Mexican citizens.
Where to submit the photo
In Mexico, apply at an SRE passport office. Book the appointment through the SRE's online system, one per applicant, and pay the fee at one of the banks the SRE lists. On the day, present the application, proof of Mexican nationality (the SRE first checks its own records) and an official photo ID such as the INE voter card; for a renewal you also hand in the old passport.
Abroad, apply at the Mexican consulate or embassy consular section for your area and pay there. US consulates such as Houston book through MiConsulado and accept a range of US identity documents, several of which must show a name matching the birth certificate in full. At some posts the passport is produced centrally in Mexico City and collected later; the embassy in The Hague works this way.
How to get your Mexico passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Mexico passport: white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: the SRE takes the picture; front-facing, colour, white background; head uncovered; nothing over the face.
- Prepare a print or digital file. Mexican passports involve neither a print nor an upload. Every channel captures the image on the SRE's equipment: the passport offices in Mexico, their mobile units, and consulates abroad.
- Submit the photo with your application. In Mexico, apply at an SRE passport office. Book the appointment through the SRE's online system, one per applicant, and pay the fee at one of the banks the SRE lists.
Mexico passport photo FAQ
No. The SRE photographs you at the appointment with its own equipment, as the passport regulation requires, and the SRE's and consulates' requirement lists include no photo. This holds for first passports and renewals, for adults and children, and for applications made in Mexico or abroad.
The regulation requires the photo to be taken from the front, in colour, on a white background, with the head uncovered and with no garment or object covering any part of the face, including glasses. The embassy in The Hague also asks you to tie your hair back and avoid ornaments that hide your features.
No. Article 14 of the passport regulation names glasses among the objects that may not cover the face. The rule applies to children as well, and the text gives no medical exception. Take them off when the officer is ready to take the picture.
Yes, if your face remains visible. On 11 December 2025 the Supreme Court ruled that the authorities must allow, as an exception, a religious garment such as the hijab when the applicant states that their religion requires it and it does not prevent identification. The general rule of an uncovered head still applies to everyone else.
Yes. The regulation applies to consulates in the same way as to offices in Mexico. The embassy in The Hague, for example, states that no photos need to be brought because the picture printed in the passport is taken at the embassy, and the Houston consulate's requirement list for adults contains no photograph.
Not a print. The baby attends the appointment and is photographed with the SRE's equipment under the same rules as adults. A photo is needed only on the identity document: for children under 7 without other ID, a paediatrician's letter bearing the child's picture, signed or stamped by the doctor, is accepted.
Yes. The regulation lists physical features that have changed so they no longer match the passport photograph as a reason to renew, alongside running out of visa pages, damage, loss and changes of personal data. A new photo is taken at the renewal appointment.
There is no size for you to meet. The SRE captures the image itself and prints it in the passport, so prints of 35 x 45 mm, 25 x 35 mm or any other size are not part of the application.
Related photo specifications
Other Mexico documents
Passports nearby
- Belize passport photo 2 × 2 in
- Costa Rica passport photo
- Panama passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Anguilla passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Antigua and Barbuda passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Aruba passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Bahamas passport photo 2 × 2 in
- Barbados passport photo 50 × 50 mm
- Bermuda passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- British Virgin Islands passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- All Mexico photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Photo specifications in North America
Official sources
- Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores (gob.mx). Pasaporte Mexicano: requisitos, costos y citas gob.mx. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Diario Oficial de la Federación. Decreto por el que se reforman diversas disposiciones del Reglamento de Pasaportes y del Documento de Identidad y Viaje (DOF 17/08/2016) dof.gob.mx. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulado de México en Austin (SRE). Reglamento de Pasaportes y del Documento de Identidad y Viaje (consolidated text, reforms to DOF 03-03-2015) consulmex.sre.gob.mx. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embajada de México en Países Bajos (SRE). Pasaportes embamex.sre.gob.mx. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulado General de México en Houston (SRE). Pasaportes mayores de edad consulmex.sre.gob.mx. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación. Comunicado: libertad religiosa y fotografía del pasaporte (Amparos en revisión 499/2024 y 418/2025) internet2.scjn.gob.mx. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores (gob.mx) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Mexico passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/mexico/passport-photo