Mongolia passport photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by E-Mongolia Academy for the Mongolia passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Mongolia passport photo?
Mongolian passports are issued by the General Authority for State Registration. If you apply through an embassy or consulate, you upload a 35 x 45 mm (3.5 x 4.5 cm, 1.38 x 1.77 in) photo of exactly 413 x 531 pixels to photo.burtgel.gov.mn. It must have a white background, be taken within the last month and show your face without glasses, hat or scarf, with ears, forehead and eyebrows visible.
Mongolian passports are issued by the General Authority for State Registration. Two kinds of ordinary passport exist side by side: the standard national passport and, since March 2023, the electronic passport with a chip. Inside Mongolia, a first passport, or a passport for a child, is ordered in person at the one-stop service of your district. Citizens who have held a passport before can re-order one online through the E-Mongolia system, whose instructions tell you to read the notes section in full and upload a photo that meets the requirements.
Abroad, Mongolian embassies and consulates receive the application but do not print the passport themselves. The consulate general in Istanbul explains that the papers go by registered post to the General Authority, which decides the case, makes the passport and returns it to the mission. Because orders from citizens abroad are now entered directly in the state registration software, the consulate general in San Francisco says portrait photos are received electronically. You upload yours to the General Authority's photo portal, photo.burtgel.gov.mn, and the embassy in Washington warns that a passport cannot be printed if no photo has been uploaded.
The detailed photo rules are published by the missions. The embassy in Washington and the consulates in Osaka and Erenhot give the same list: the face takes up 90% of the picture, the background is white, there are no glasses, hats or scarves, the ears, forehead and eyebrows are fully visible, the file measures 413 x 531 pixels and the photo was taken within the last month. Osaka gives the matching print size of 3.5 x 4.5 cm and asks for a photo that follows ICAO standards.
Mongolia passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by E-Mongolia Academy:[1]
| Print size | 35 x 45 mm (3.5 x 4.5 cm, 1.38 x 1.77 in), as given by missions abroad |
|---|---|
| Digital size | Exactly 413 x 531 pixels for the upload to photo.burtgel.gov.mn |
| Background | White, with no doors, windows, furniture or other objects behind you |
| Colour | Colour (stated for the printed photos the Istanbul consulate lists) |
| Photo age | Uploads: taken within the last month. Istanbul prints: within the last 6 months |
| Print quality | Usually no print. Istanbul still lists four colour prints, not copied from another photograph |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- Uploaded, not posted, from abroad
Missions abroad enter passport orders in the state registration system and take the portrait as a file that you upload yourself. The consulate in Erenhot asks you to print the page confirming that the upload succeeded and attach it to your documents. Without the upload the order cannot go ahead.
- Exactly 413 x 531 pixels
Washington, Osaka and Erenhot all set the file at 413 x 531 pixels. Osaka describes it as 3.5 x 4.5 cm, while Washington writes 3.4 x 4.5. At 300 dots per inch, 413 x 531 pixels is 35 x 45 mm.
- White and uncluttered background
The background behind you must be white. Osaka adds that doors, windows, furniture and anything else that would affect the quality and standard of the picture must stay out of the frame.
- Large, uncovered face
The face should take up 90% of the picture, in the wording all three upload pages use. Wear no hat, scarf or glasses, and keep your ears, forehead and eyebrows fully visible. Washington and Istanbul also rule out uniform, and Busan and Istanbul ask you to face the camera straight on.
- One month old at most
The upload rules require a photo taken within the last month. If your appearance has changed, give the supporting documents to the registration officer. The Istanbul consulate, which still lists prints, allows six months.
- A valid ID card comes first
Your Mongolian citizen ID card must be current. Washington explains that the card is first issued at 16 and replaced at 25 and 45, with a civil re-registration each time. Busan notes that passports are delayed when applicants have not noticed that their ID card has expired.
- Re-ordering through E-Mongolia
In Mongolia, anyone who has held a passport can re-order an ordinary or electronic one in E-Mongolia: log in, choose the re-order service, attach the documents, upload a photo that meets the requirements in the notes section, and pay to confirm the order.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Upload your portrait to photo.burtgel.gov.mn when you apply through a mission
- Resize the file to exactly 413 x 531 pixels
- Stand against a plain white background with nothing behind you
- Show your ears, forehead and eyebrows clearly
- Use a photo taken within the last month
- Print the upload confirmation if your consulate asks for it
- Renew your ID card before ordering if it has expired
Don't
- Do not wear glasses, a hat or a headscarf
- Do not wear a uniform
- Do not let hair hide your ears, forehead or eyebrows
- Do not pose in front of doors, windows or furniture
- Do not upload a photo older than one month
- Do not hand in a print copied from another photograph
Sample photos
How a Mongolia 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
Glasses are not allowed. Every mission rule set read for this page leaves them out: Washington, Osaka and Erenhot list a photo without glasses for the upload, Busan asks for a photo without glasses on the flash drive, and Istanbul says the same for its prints. None of these pages mentions an exception for medical reasons.
Headwear and religious dress
Hats and headscarves are not allowed. The upload rules ask for a photo without a hat or scarf, with the ears, forehead and eyebrows fully showing, and the Istanbul list repeats this for prints. No religious exception is published on the mission pages. Washington and Istanbul also ask for a photo taken without uniform.
Babies and children
Children under 16 receive a passport valid for five years, adults one valid for ten years, according to the consulate in Busan. Missions ask for the child's birth certificate and a copy of a parent's or guardian's ID card. In Mongolia, a first passport for a child is ordered in person at the district one-stop service, not online.
For a newborn abroad, Osaka points out that the birth registration reaches the unified state registration database after 30 days. Upload the child's photo to the portal only once the registration has been confirmed.
Printed and digital photos
When you apply through a mission, the photo is a digital file of 413 x 531 pixels uploaded to the General Authority's portal. Busan asks you to bring a high-resolution 3.5 x 4.5 cm photo on a flash drive when you come to apply and to place it on the portal. The consulate general in Istanbul still lists four 3.5 x 4.5 cm colour prints on white, taken within six months and not copied from another photograph, so check your own mission's page first.
A phone photo can work. Washington notes that a picture taken with a mobile phone can be formatted to the requirements before upload, and Osaka explains how to set the 413 x 531 pixel size with an image resizing tool.
Where to submit the photo
In Mongolia, order a first passport or a child's passport in person at the one-stop service of your district, or re-order online through E-Mongolia. Abroad, apply to the Mongolian embassy or consulate for your area. Washington accepts applications in person at its consular section or by certified mail with tracking, and Erenhot asks applicants to bring their documents in person.
How to get your Mongolia passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Mongolia passport: 35 × 45 mm print, 413 × 531 px digital file, white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: uploaded, not posted, from abroad; exactly 413 x 531 pixels; white and uncluttered background; large, uncovered face.
- Prepare a print or digital file. When you apply through a mission, the photo is a digital file of 413 x 531 pixels uploaded to the General Authority's portal. Busan asks you to bring a high-resolution 3.5 x 4.5 cm photo on a flash drive when you come to apply and to place it on the portal.
- Submit the photo with your application. In Mongolia, order a first passport or a child's passport in person at the one-stop service of your district, or re-order online through E-Mongolia. Abroad, apply to the Mongolian embassy or consulate for your area.
Mongolia passport photo FAQ
Missions abroad give 3.5 x 4.5 cm (35 x 45 mm). For the upload the file must be exactly 413 x 531 pixels, which is 35 x 45 mm at 300 dpi; the Washington embassy writes the size as 3.4 x 4.5. The background is white and the face takes up 90% of the picture.
A first passport is ordered in person at your district one-stop service. In September 2022 the General Authority for State Registration announced that citizens ordering an ordinary passport would no longer be asked for a photo. The online E-Mongolia re-order is different: it asks you to upload a photo that meets the requirements in its notes section.
Upload it to photo.burtgel.gov.mn, the photo portal of the General Authority for State Registration. Washington says a passport cannot be printed without the upload, and Erenhot says the order cannot be accepted. Erenhot also asks you to print the confirmation page of a successful upload and add it to your documents.
No. The rules published by the missions ask for a photo without glasses, and with the ears, forehead and eyebrows fully visible. Remove your glasses before the picture is taken.
For uploads, taken within the last month, according to Washington, Osaka and Erenhot. If your appearance has changed, give the registration officer the documents that explain it. The Istanbul consulate, which still asks for prints, accepts photos taken within six months.
Yes, if the result meets the rules. The Washington embassy says a photo taken with a mobile phone can be formatted to the requirements before upload. Use a white wall with nothing behind you, light your face evenly and save the file at 413 x 531 pixels.
Only after the birth registration has reached the state registration database. The consulate general in Osaka says this takes 30 days, and the photo should be uploaded once the registration is confirmed.
A common reason is an expired ID card. The law requires civil re-registration at 16, 25 and 45, and Busan says some passports are held up because applicants had not noticed that their card had expired. Mistakes on the form, such as a wrong clan name or registration number, also slow orders down, according to Washington.
Related photo specifications
Other Mongolia documents
- Visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Residence permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Citizenship photo 40 × 60 mm
Passports nearby
- China passport photo 33 × 48 mm
- Hong Kong passport photo 40 × 50 mm
- Japan passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Macau passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- South Korea passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Taiwan 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 Mongolia photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Asia
Official sources
- E-Mongolia Academy. Re-ordering a passport has become easier (E-Mongolia) ema.gov.mn. Checked 2 November 2026.
- E-Mongolia Academy. Re-order your electronic passport through E-Mongolia ema.gov.mn. Checked 2 November 2026.
- General Authority for State Registration. No photo will be required from citizens ordering an ordinary passport burtgel.gov.mn. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Mongolia in the United States. Ordering a new passport (in Mongolian) mongolianembassy.us. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulate General of Mongolia in Osaka. Passport (in Mongolian) osaka.consul.mn. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulate of Mongolia in Erenhot. Passport (in Mongolian) ereen.consul.mn. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulate of Mongolia in Busan. Ordering a national ordinary passport (in Mongolian) busan.consul.mn. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulate General of Mongolia in Istanbul. Getting a new passport (in Mongolian) istanbul.consul.mn. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulate General of Mongolia in San Francisco. Getting a new passport (in Mongolian) sanfrancisco.consul.mn. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with E-Mongolia Academy before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Mongolia passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/mongolia/passport-photo